January 8th 2017 Epiphany - Truth
Readings: Isaiah 60. 1-6; Ephesians 3. 1-12; Matthew 2. 1-12
May I speak in the name of the Father, of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today we celebrate Epiphany, which was actually on Friday, the last of the twelve days of Christmas, which is when the wise men come to take down the Christmas decorations, or something like that.
In today’s Gospel, the theme of truth was ever present
in my mind, where is there truth, where is there deception, where can we find
truth which will guide us, like the light of that star which led the wise men?
What is it about Epiphany which makes it a cause worth celebrating? It really is worth celebrating, because amid all of the local, Jewish and Old Testament prophecies being fulfilled, the wise men from the east were something different, they weren’t prophesised about and yet they were arriving in Bethlehem, a little lost but still following a star. This was highly unorthodox for many reasons, for example, how often do magi come to see a new born baby?
I’m not sure what the equivalent would be today, perhaps the Queen going to the maternity unit in Damascus hospital which has recently been bombed. It was certainly unusual, but the real epiphany was precisely the fact that these visitors, like the shepherds, weren’t from one of the twelve tribes, but they were gentiles, foreigners, outsiders, they represented us, this was the point where we begin to understand that Jesus was not only for Jewish-Christians, but a living truth for everyone, everywhere.
They were astrologers and their tradition was that major events were foretold by celestial, heavenly and astronomical events. They saw a star, linked it to prophecies they already knew and came to adore the baby Jesus as a king. It’s here that Matthew uses the phrase, “king of the Jews,” for only the first of two occasions, it actually bookends the whole gospel, as the second time it appears is when it is, written on a sign above Jesus, mocking him as, a so called, king of the Jews as he hangs on the cross.
We know, even if the wise men and Herod don’t, that Jesus would never be a king in any sense they would understand. Jesus wouldn’t rule a nation or lead an army, he would rule our hearts and lead us to salvation but no one with any power really understood this then, it only started to became clear after Jesus’ death, as Paul’s letter today makes clear. Paul knew the truth, that through Jesus we were all members of the same gospel, members of the same body, all one with Christ.
Unfortunately, Herod, did not know the truth, or even want to know the truth. His motives were led by fear. He was a leader in Roman occupied Jerusalem, but clearly felt his position was weak, he had already had two of his sons executed for treason.
Rulers like this, who serve their own ends over the needs of the people they rule over, are difficult to predict. While the wise men only wanted to pay homage and offer gifts, Herod’s thirst for power and fear of losing his position meant he felt threatened by this new king and so had to act.
With all this in mind Herod summoned the wise men and the final part of his flawed character became apparent, because when he chillingly said “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” There was no intention in his heart to pay homage, not only was he desperate for power, lived in fear of losing it but he was prepared to lie to get what he wanted and eliminate competition.
This is in contrast to the wise men, overwhelmed with Joy, they paid homage, worshipped Jesus, as we do today, bringing gifts.
The wise men demonstrated wisdom later when they returned home by another route and didn’t tell Herod what they had found. Of course, Herod’s reaction was completely in character, because just after this passage, we hear of his orders for all children under two in Bethlehem to be killed, the slaughter of the innocents.
Joseph then leads his family to a safe refuge in Egypt and they only return when Herod has gone.
Herod’s inability to be truthful, paradoxically, enabled him to hold onto power, but for not for long. Even today, the last year has shown us that being truthful isn’t always a quality that some people look for when there are choices to be made. Understanding this is going to be important if our communities are going to be healed.
At the moment, decisions are still being made from places of fear or anger or both. They are being made from places where success or wealth are more important that truth, facts or honesty.
All this says to me is that we have to try and look past what the media and the loud charismatic voices are telling us, and listen to each other and not just people we know or agree with, but especially those we think we disagree with. There is nearly always common ground or a misunderstanding we can unite on.
Then, even if we can’t agree on a point, reconciliation can be built from a place of good disagreement, where we learn to accept the others point of view by listening, really listening to each other. It really does come down to loving your neighbour.
Perhaps another approach is to see this through the lens of Jesus, this is a pattern based on John chapter 14, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”
When we are trying to discern the truth, in life, in the news, the media, in politics or world news, trying to understand where the real truth lies can be almost impossible. The lens of Jesus, means many things, but especially, loving my neighbour, showing compassion for the homeless, the widow, the orphan and the stranger in the land.
It means putting others needs before mine, working for the common good and not for my selfish needs. I have to be quick to add that I’m not necessarily any good at this stuff myself, only that I’m trying, and I invite you to join me in following Jesus, perhaps we can try and follow a way of truth together, and pray that others will join us.
John’s Gospel talks about truth more than the other Gospels, but he doesn’t talk about how Jesus was born, instead in John 1, verse 14 “the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth”
So as we look forward in hope through 2017, with the light of Jesus, applying his lens of truth and grace, we can trust that in following Christ, we are not alone, he is always with us through the spirit and with the example of the three kings, we can celebrate the epiphany of knowing Jesus has come in truth, love and hope for absolutely everyone.
Amen
What is it about Epiphany which makes it a cause worth celebrating? It really is worth celebrating, because amid all of the local, Jewish and Old Testament prophecies being fulfilled, the wise men from the east were something different, they weren’t prophesised about and yet they were arriving in Bethlehem, a little lost but still following a star. This was highly unorthodox for many reasons, for example, how often do magi come to see a new born baby?
I’m not sure what the equivalent would be today, perhaps the Queen going to the maternity unit in Damascus hospital which has recently been bombed. It was certainly unusual, but the real epiphany was precisely the fact that these visitors, like the shepherds, weren’t from one of the twelve tribes, but they were gentiles, foreigners, outsiders, they represented us, this was the point where we begin to understand that Jesus was not only for Jewish-Christians, but a living truth for everyone, everywhere.
They were astrologers and their tradition was that major events were foretold by celestial, heavenly and astronomical events. They saw a star, linked it to prophecies they already knew and came to adore the baby Jesus as a king. It’s here that Matthew uses the phrase, “king of the Jews,” for only the first of two occasions, it actually bookends the whole gospel, as the second time it appears is when it is, written on a sign above Jesus, mocking him as, a so called, king of the Jews as he hangs on the cross.
We know, even if the wise men and Herod don’t, that Jesus would never be a king in any sense they would understand. Jesus wouldn’t rule a nation or lead an army, he would rule our hearts and lead us to salvation but no one with any power really understood this then, it only started to became clear after Jesus’ death, as Paul’s letter today makes clear. Paul knew the truth, that through Jesus we were all members of the same gospel, members of the same body, all one with Christ.
Unfortunately, Herod, did not know the truth, or even want to know the truth. His motives were led by fear. He was a leader in Roman occupied Jerusalem, but clearly felt his position was weak, he had already had two of his sons executed for treason.
Rulers like this, who serve their own ends over the needs of the people they rule over, are difficult to predict. While the wise men only wanted to pay homage and offer gifts, Herod’s thirst for power and fear of losing his position meant he felt threatened by this new king and so had to act.
With all this in mind Herod summoned the wise men and the final part of his flawed character became apparent, because when he chillingly said “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” There was no intention in his heart to pay homage, not only was he desperate for power, lived in fear of losing it but he was prepared to lie to get what he wanted and eliminate competition.
This is in contrast to the wise men, overwhelmed with Joy, they paid homage, worshipped Jesus, as we do today, bringing gifts.
The wise men demonstrated wisdom later when they returned home by another route and didn’t tell Herod what they had found. Of course, Herod’s reaction was completely in character, because just after this passage, we hear of his orders for all children under two in Bethlehem to be killed, the slaughter of the innocents.
Joseph then leads his family to a safe refuge in Egypt and they only return when Herod has gone.
Herod’s inability to be truthful, paradoxically, enabled him to hold onto power, but for not for long. Even today, the last year has shown us that being truthful isn’t always a quality that some people look for when there are choices to be made. Understanding this is going to be important if our communities are going to be healed.
At the moment, decisions are still being made from places of fear or anger or both. They are being made from places where success or wealth are more important that truth, facts or honesty.
All this says to me is that we have to try and look past what the media and the loud charismatic voices are telling us, and listen to each other and not just people we know or agree with, but especially those we think we disagree with. There is nearly always common ground or a misunderstanding we can unite on.
Then, even if we can’t agree on a point, reconciliation can be built from a place of good disagreement, where we learn to accept the others point of view by listening, really listening to each other. It really does come down to loving your neighbour.
Perhaps another approach is to see this through the lens of Jesus, this is a pattern based on John chapter 14, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”
When we are trying to discern the truth, in life, in the news, the media, in politics or world news, trying to understand where the real truth lies can be almost impossible. The lens of Jesus, means many things, but especially, loving my neighbour, showing compassion for the homeless, the widow, the orphan and the stranger in the land.
It means putting others needs before mine, working for the common good and not for my selfish needs. I have to be quick to add that I’m not necessarily any good at this stuff myself, only that I’m trying, and I invite you to join me in following Jesus, perhaps we can try and follow a way of truth together, and pray that others will join us.
John’s Gospel talks about truth more than the other Gospels, but he doesn’t talk about how Jesus was born, instead in John 1, verse 14 “the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth”
So as we look forward in hope through 2017, with the light of Jesus, applying his lens of truth and grace, we can trust that in following Christ, we are not alone, he is always with us through the spirit and with the example of the three kings, we can celebrate the epiphany of knowing Jesus has come in truth, love and hope for absolutely everyone.
Amen
Preached at St Georges Church, Cam and St Cyrs, Stinchcombe.
Comments
Post a Comment