May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable to you O Lord our Rock and our Redeemer.
This is the Sunday that is a little bit confusing if we are not sure whether we are following the liturgical calendar or the regular everyday calendar. This is the first Sunday after New Year’s so we best begin with Happy New Year! And yet liturgically speaking, the New Year started 5 weeks ago with in Advent and as today is the 10th day of Christmas we also need to say Merry Christmas! And today is also the day we celebrate Epiphany – the day the Christ child was revealed to the Gentiles. Is your brain now as befuddled as mine? But what is clear is that this is the day that it became gloriously clear that there is nothing and no one outside of God’s gracious dominion. It began with a star and may lead us a new way home.
The Magi travelled to Jerusalem to ask where the True King was to be found, for they observed his star at its rising. They did not know where Jesus was to be found. They just knew that Christ’s birth was revealed in the stars, and that was enough. As non-Jews they did not speak the language of scripture, but as ones who would now be known as astronomers, they do speak the language of stars. They saw the star rise, and they began their journey.
Their arrival must have gotten people talking because word got to King Herod. And their question of Jesus’ whereabouts frightened King Herod and all of Jerusalem with him. For Herod, to be frightened meant his power was being called into question. For the people, their fear was in not knowing how Herod would respond to having his power being called into question.
King Herod consulted the Jewish chief priests and scribes to see if what the Magi were saying was true. They looked to Scripture and found it written “and you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
So we then learn that Herod had a secret meeting with the Magi to learn the exact time when the star appeared to confirm if their sighting matched Scripture’s prophecy. But though Scripture told of the town of the new King’s birth, it didn’t reveal the exact whereabouts. And the Magi didn’t have that information either. So the directive was given that when the Magi found the Christ Child, they were to secretly tell Herod of the exact location so that he could also go and worship. We know that worship was not his intent.
We then read, “When they heard the king, they set out, and there ahead of them went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.” The Magi learned of the Christ Child through the observation of the astrological and astronomical signs. Then, in the interpretation of the movement of the stars and the messages of those movements, the Gentile Magi were so moved that they sought out the wisdom of the Jews and their Holy Book. But then they, again, returned to the language of the stars.
We really don’t know very much else about the Magi, and they asked only one question of the Christ’s whereabouts. And upon seeing the child they were overwhelmed with joy and that they gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh
God made it possible for the Christ Child to be revealed in a way that was unique to the Magi, and the gifts given were unique as well. And it is the same today. God still reveals himself today in ways that are unique to each one of us. What was our guiding star that began our journeys of faith? Has it changed over the years or months or days? Does God keep helping us return to the language, to the interests, to the places where we can begin again on our journeys of faith both individually and as a community of faith? Has God or is God asking us to return to God via a different road as well? And are we being asked to return home in different ways as well?
We didn’t hear much about the Magis’ journey to get there, and we learned even less about their journey home. Knowing the complications and the unexpected gifts of our own stories of in our journeys of faith, it seems like there should be more of a story attached to the journey of the Magi. But maybe the story isn’t about the journey but about Who was encountered on the journey.
The story is still about the Christ Child. And it is the story of the revealing of the Christ Child to the Gentiles. And we haven’t even talked about the Christ Child! That doesn’t seem right, yet in some way I think it is as it is supposed to be. Most of us in power, like our power to be acknowledged, to be acclaimed, maybe even to be worshipped. Jesus did not come into this world in fanfare or pomp or huge celebration. No, he came into this world with only the silent stars announcing his presence. The weakness of the power of the Christ Child becomes our greatest strength.
This Epiphany story becomes our story too. We too, have been given the invitation to visit the Christ Child. And the reading from the prophet Isaiah reminds us to keep looking up. Arise, Shine! Lift up your eyes and look around you! The Glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and rejoice. The stars announced Christ’s presence, and the light of Christ’s presence within us can be a beacon for others to see.
Our stories now shine with the light of Christ. Even the hard stories that are hard to share. The shine of the glory of the Lord needs eyes to see, and yet the darkness of the night is needed for its radiance to shine. Sometimes we are called to be the light and sometimes we are called to dwell in the dark.
And where might we find the Christ Child in all this? Will God use the stars – perhaps, but maybe the birds or the lilies of the field speak more to your heart. Maybe Christ will be revealed as we journey through Scripture or as we gather with our communities of faith. And maybe there will be moments that God will meet us in the silence of our hearts, in the solo-ness of our own journeys, or in a conversation with a stranger. And I sense that the way we came will not be the way we leave.
An encounter with Christ changes us. It might change our mind, our heart, our direction, our beliefs, our plans, and even the way we breathe. I don’t know how or where or when, but I do know that in the unexpected moments and the unexpected places, there the Christ Child will be. And it may even be possible that it will be through us that Jesus will choose to reveal Himself to another in a new way or maybe even for the first time. Our joy and our sorrow will bring others closer to see what we are seeing. And then they may return home via another road as well.
So may today be another New Year’s day. The day we, once again, accept God’s invitation to be like the Christ Child. To offer our very selves, as fragile as we are, to be the beacons that light the path to Him. To be the interpreters of the signs of God’s presence amongst us. And to be the givers of God’s gracious love, for there is nothing and no one outside of God’s gracious dominion.
And so, my friends on this first day of this season of Epiphany, Christ’s revealing, we will open wide our eyes and ears and hearts. I pray that though the road home may be different, our steps will be more sure. And I pray that, whether in light or in darkness, God’s glory will shine.
Amen.