Matthew 2:1-12
Last Tuesday, on New Year’s Eve my facebook feed was full of people posting their New Year’s resolutions. I joined in and posted a couple myself, but with my second child on the way I am sure I will have plenty of new things to work on in the upcoming year. Right after reading all of these resolutions about losing weight, spending more time with family, relaxing more and things like that, I came across an article about the very low success rate of New Year’s Resolutions. I can’t say I was surprised to learn that most people fail to uphold their resolutions, it’s commonly known that the gyms will be packed in January and empty by April. The truth is, most people just don’t really do change well. We have to make specific resolutions and promises to ourselves just to try to do something to make our lives better, and all the while we know it probably won’t work. We are creatures of habit, stuck in our ways, in love with the familiar.
We churchgoers are especially known for our dislike of change. Churches have lost members over a change in the color of the carpet. I was just recently talking to a pastor friend who heard a woman angrily listing everything that had changed in the church since the last time she was there a year ago as she left Christmas Eve service. Sometimes our inability to accept change can get in the way of our joy or ability to experience God’s presence.
But today is Epiphany Sunday and it is a day when we hear, experience and reflect on change, a big change. We tell the story of the wise men coming to see Christ and think about the change this meant for the entire world. You see the arrival of the wise men showed that this birth in a stable in the small town of Bethlehem would have world wide implications. It was not just good news for one family, or local shepherds, or even just for the people of Israel. This birth, this news, this epiphany is for everyone, even foreigners and outsiders.
And the news of Christ’s birth reaching King Herod also shows that this big news has big implications. It is going to change things, realign things. This baby born to poor parents is shaking up even the mighty King Herod. Change is here and for Herod and even “all Jerusalem” this is frightening.
And I get it. If someone were to tell me that a baby was born in a stable, somewhere outside of town and the baby was actually God incarnate, Jesus Christ, here to save all of humankind … I might be frightened, or maybe just concerned for that person’s mental well-being. Change is scary. Sometimes, even if a change is good, it is easier to just keep things the way they are rather than try something different. In our day to day existence as we go about our routines, trying to find the best ways we can live our lives and do the things we enjoy, we can forget that life is actually very short, we are mortal and sometimes a change is worth the risk.
In the Gospel passage read today we hear about two different reactions to change. First is the reaction of the wise men. These guys observe the star and immediately set off to find it. They are prepared to pay homage, to be humbled, to show respect and accept this unbelievable position of a tiny baby. They are “overwhelmed with joy” upon finding the star and bring gifts. We don’t really know much about these wise men. Some Biblical commentators believe that referring to them as kings or astrologers or even wise men is a bit misleading and not quite catching the exact translation, so many prefer to call them “magi.” Which seems to somehow uniquely capture this mix of astrologer/wise man/king that would have made more sense to people at that time. We also do not know any of their back story- why these three, why this star, what did they do with the news, how did it change them? All we knows is they saw the star, they followed it, they knelt down, offered gifts and were on their way home. We would like to think they are an example of wholeheartedly embracing change. That they had open hearts and open minds and so were able to readily receive this news from God. That they went back and spread the Good News and taught others about God in Jesus Christ. And that could very well be. Or they could have been curious, looking for a divine experience, ready for a journey and then after the excitement gone back to their normal lives and never really bothered anyone with their news.
Either way we at least know they were more receptive to the news of Christ than King Herod. Herod was conniving, afraid, jealous, threatened and ready to kill Jesus. Definitely an example of someone afraid or threatened by change. His heart was not open to new revelation that might challenge his position. He clung to his power and authority and any threat must be taken out. He would not be kneeling down to anyone, he would do anything it took to keep things just as they were- even if that meant slaughtering the innocent.
So now on this Epiphany Sunday we are given the news, the announcement of a change. God with us- Jesus. What will be our response to the change? Will we readily accept this with hearts open and feet willing for the new journey? Will we stare in awe and wonder at the beautiful Christmas event and then be on our way, cleaning up ornaments and pretending the story is over? Or will we never really hear the Good News, too afraid of change, too afraid of what accepting the news of Christ might mean?
Right now we might still be trying to figure out what exactly has changed? What is the epiphany? The reading from Ephesians gives us some insight into what this means. Paul is explaining the far-reaching news of Jesus Christ, that it is for the Gentiles too, it is for everyone. The mystery of Christ is made known to all. We are all members of the same body of Christ. This salvation is for us, we who were not at that original Christmas scene, we who live far away, we who are outsiders for whatever reason.
When we say these things about the mystery of Christ or God incarnate or Emmanuel, or Good News for all what we mean is that God has chosen to be with us, to love us, to save us. When God chose to take on our flesh and be born as a baby, it changed everything- for everyone. I suppose all of that can be summarized by simply saying that Christmas means God is here and Epiphany teaches us that God is here for everyone.
This is the news, big news, life-changing news. Now how do we respond to this change. Are we able to really open our hearts and lives to Jesus Christ, to live in the light of his love, be strengthened in our faith and be one body in Christ? Can we really change our ways? Can we allow the love of God to cast out the sin and darkness? Can we let go of fear and embrace hope? If we can’t even keep a New Year’s resolution to exercise more, are we really capable of embracing this big change? Or living as followers of Christ? I believe that with God’s help we can. We can change.
As difficult as change may be and as resistant as we may be to change, the truth is that we are all changing all the time. The Holy Spirit works on us in ways that we never thought possible. I don’t know about you, but as I reflected back on the year 2013, I realized I have changed a lot. So many wonderful experiences, life lessons, relationships and challenges have molded me and opened my heart in ways I could not have predicted. We live in a world of rapid change, some are good, some are bad, some we fight and some we embrace- but it’s always happening. God is never finished with us, we are always being called to new things, new faces, new ways of experiencing grace. So even though we may struggle to keep that resolution, to lose those 10 pounds, save that money or stress less … the Spirit is at work in and through us, all of us, here and now … and that is epiphany.
Last Tuesday, on New Year’s Eve my facebook feed was full of people posting their New Year’s resolutions. I joined in and posted a couple myself, but with my second child on the way I am sure I will have plenty of new things to work on in the upcoming year. Right after reading all of these resolutions about losing weight, spending more time with family, relaxing more and things like that, I came across an article about the very low success rate of New Year’s Resolutions. I can’t say I was surprised to learn that most people fail to uphold their resolutions, it’s commonly known that the gyms will be packed in January and empty by April. The truth is, most people just don’t really do change well. We have to make specific resolutions and promises to ourselves just to try to do something to make our lives better, and all the while we know it probably won’t work. We are creatures of habit, stuck in our ways, in love with the familiar.
We churchgoers are especially known for our dislike of change. Churches have lost members over a change in the color of the carpet. I was just recently talking to a pastor friend who heard a woman angrily listing everything that had changed in the church since the last time she was there a year ago as she left Christmas Eve service. Sometimes our inability to accept change can get in the way of our joy or ability to experience God’s presence.
But today is Epiphany Sunday and it is a day when we hear, experience and reflect on change, a big change. We tell the story of the wise men coming to see Christ and think about the change this meant for the entire world. You see the arrival of the wise men showed that this birth in a stable in the small town of Bethlehem would have world wide implications. It was not just good news for one family, or local shepherds, or even just for the people of Israel. This birth, this news, this epiphany is for everyone, even foreigners and outsiders.
And the news of Christ’s birth reaching King Herod also shows that this big news has big implications. It is going to change things, realign things. This baby born to poor parents is shaking up even the mighty King Herod. Change is here and for Herod and even “all Jerusalem” this is frightening.
And I get it. If someone were to tell me that a baby was born in a stable, somewhere outside of town and the baby was actually God incarnate, Jesus Christ, here to save all of humankind … I might be frightened, or maybe just concerned for that person’s mental well-being. Change is scary. Sometimes, even if a change is good, it is easier to just keep things the way they are rather than try something different. In our day to day existence as we go about our routines, trying to find the best ways we can live our lives and do the things we enjoy, we can forget that life is actually very short, we are mortal and sometimes a change is worth the risk.
In the Gospel passage read today we hear about two different reactions to change. First is the reaction of the wise men. These guys observe the star and immediately set off to find it. They are prepared to pay homage, to be humbled, to show respect and accept this unbelievable position of a tiny baby. They are “overwhelmed with joy” upon finding the star and bring gifts. We don’t really know much about these wise men. Some Biblical commentators believe that referring to them as kings or astrologers or even wise men is a bit misleading and not quite catching the exact translation, so many prefer to call them “magi.” Which seems to somehow uniquely capture this mix of astrologer/wise man/king that would have made more sense to people at that time. We also do not know any of their back story- why these three, why this star, what did they do with the news, how did it change them? All we knows is they saw the star, they followed it, they knelt down, offered gifts and were on their way home. We would like to think they are an example of wholeheartedly embracing change. That they had open hearts and open minds and so were able to readily receive this news from God. That they went back and spread the Good News and taught others about God in Jesus Christ. And that could very well be. Or they could have been curious, looking for a divine experience, ready for a journey and then after the excitement gone back to their normal lives and never really bothered anyone with their news.
Either way we at least know they were more receptive to the news of Christ than King Herod. Herod was conniving, afraid, jealous, threatened and ready to kill Jesus. Definitely an example of someone afraid or threatened by change. His heart was not open to new revelation that might challenge his position. He clung to his power and authority and any threat must be taken out. He would not be kneeling down to anyone, he would do anything it took to keep things just as they were- even if that meant slaughtering the innocent.
So now on this Epiphany Sunday we are given the news, the announcement of a change. God with us- Jesus. What will be our response to the change? Will we readily accept this with hearts open and feet willing for the new journey? Will we stare in awe and wonder at the beautiful Christmas event and then be on our way, cleaning up ornaments and pretending the story is over? Or will we never really hear the Good News, too afraid of change, too afraid of what accepting the news of Christ might mean?
Right now we might still be trying to figure out what exactly has changed? What is the epiphany? The reading from Ephesians gives us some insight into what this means. Paul is explaining the far-reaching news of Jesus Christ, that it is for the Gentiles too, it is for everyone. The mystery of Christ is made known to all. We are all members of the same body of Christ. This salvation is for us, we who were not at that original Christmas scene, we who live far away, we who are outsiders for whatever reason.
When we say these things about the mystery of Christ or God incarnate or Emmanuel, or Good News for all what we mean is that God has chosen to be with us, to love us, to save us. When God chose to take on our flesh and be born as a baby, it changed everything- for everyone. I suppose all of that can be summarized by simply saying that Christmas means God is here and Epiphany teaches us that God is here for everyone.
This is the news, big news, life-changing news. Now how do we respond to this change. Are we able to really open our hearts and lives to Jesus Christ, to live in the light of his love, be strengthened in our faith and be one body in Christ? Can we really change our ways? Can we allow the love of God to cast out the sin and darkness? Can we let go of fear and embrace hope? If we can’t even keep a New Year’s resolution to exercise more, are we really capable of embracing this big change? Or living as followers of Christ? I believe that with God’s help we can. We can change.
As difficult as change may be and as resistant as we may be to change, the truth is that we are all changing all the time. The Holy Spirit works on us in ways that we never thought possible. I don’t know about you, but as I reflected back on the year 2013, I realized I have changed a lot. So many wonderful experiences, life lessons, relationships and challenges have molded me and opened my heart in ways I could not have predicted. We live in a world of rapid change, some are good, some are bad, some we fight and some we embrace- but it’s always happening. God is never finished with us, we are always being called to new things, new faces, new ways of experiencing grace. So even though we may struggle to keep that resolution, to lose those 10 pounds, save that money or stress less … the Spirit is at work in and through us, all of us, here and now … and that is epiphany.
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