Mr. Laurie Redpath, January 3, 2010
Epiphany; 8:30 and 10:00 am, Holy Communion
“Whom Doth Lay in the Manger Bed?”
Matthew 2:1-12
Opening Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the gift of Jesus. Thank you for sending him to show us who you are and why you care so much for us. Let us hear afresh how close you are with us through Jesus your son and may he again light our path like the Eastern Star led the three wise men. Amen.
Have you ever had an Epiphany? Some mind blowing idea or thought that made something in your mind totally clear? When your life path made sense again, and all the confusion surrounding a recent move or starting a new relationship seemed to make a little more sense. An epiphany is a powerful word and one we use sparingly in our vocabulary today. I have not heard that word spoken in conversation very many times, and I think it has to do with the weight the word “epiphany” carries. I hope today’s sermon is not an epiphany for you because I believe many of you know who it was laying in the manger. But for some of you, today’s sermon will be an epiphany about who Jesus is and why he was given to us Christmas morning.
Epiphany Sunday reminds us that a group of wise men, magi from the East came many miles to find the King of the Jews. They followed a Star that God had raised for such an occasion and that shone above the Roman ruled Palestine. The wise men are important figures because they were Gentiles and in true biblical fashion they anticipated the Messiah ahead of the Jews. Their visit is very important as it represented the first announcement to Herod and the officials in Judah that a threat to their regime was imminent. They were searching for a king, and to Herod’s ears that meant at the most a replacement and at the very least competition. Herod had killed members of his family and high ranking officials to maintain his authority and position, so a threat was taken very seriously. He quickly got the chief priests and Jewish scribes together to find out where the Messiah was to be born. We must remember the entirety that the Messiah represented to the Romans. The picture of the Messiah that the gospels paint, from the Jewish perspective, comes close to a zealot revolutionary who would stand up to the Roman oppressors. He would lead the people against the Romans and fight for the freedom of the Jews. That is why Jesus surprised the people in Judea so often because he undermined their expectations of who the Messiah was and what he would do. For Herod the Messiah could not be taken lightly.
The Scribes told Herod that Bethlehem is the chosen birthplace for the Messiah as scripture makes clear. So he sends off the magi and bids them to quickly return so he can also pay homage to the Messiah. We all know what Herod would have done to Jesus if the Wise Men had not been warned by God to never return to him.
But the Star led the magi to a humble setting in a very ordinary and earthy stable where a little baby boy was covered in his mother’s blanket. And Jesus was who they found and they knew he was one they sought. So they knelt and worshipped him, opened their treasure chests and gave him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It was an epiphany moment in Bethlehem for the shepherds and those whom shared in the wise men’s homage to Jesus. Clear heavenly writing was on the wall, “This is “Your Messiah.” As a writer explains in an Epiphany article, the significance of the wise men pointing out the Messiah was to show the Jews that their Messiah came not only for them but “for all people, of all nations, and of all races.”[1]
This epiphany I ask you, “Who was he that lay in the manger bed?” Who did the wise men discover there under the bright shining star? Pastor Ken told us last Sunday of the great gift Jesus was and how God had freely given him to us. And all God wants in return is for us to give ourselves back to him in submission and obedience. The wise men discovered the gift of the incarnation. They were the first on the scene. The word of God was there in front of them in the flesh.
With the incarnation came an invitation to know the Messiah and to worship him. Homage was an interesting action for strangers to offer to a baby without royal ascent or lineage. He was not part of Herod’s family.
The epiphany that baby Jesus was the Messiah meant that two opposing worldviews were now to be in front of each person, waiting to be chosen. Herod epitomized the first worldview with power, assertion, and deceit, while Jesus represented God’s worldview with a meek and humble existence. God had delivered his promise to the Jews that there would be a judgment on rulers and oppressive human governance.
God sent Jesus into the world to fulfill all that was missing in our world. All that God was and is could be packaged in Jesus. The gospel of John repeatedly says that Jesus came from the father and only did what he saw his Father in heaven do. Jesus told Philip in John 14 verse 9 “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.”[2] Jesus represents God to us.
The gift of the incarnation is far more than those things. It is the salvation of people. God gives us the opportunity of surrendering our inabilities to a capable God who designed us with that in mind. God wants to be the captain of our ship. And the second part of the gift of Christ on Christmas is that it includes an invitation to come to know Jesus just like we know our own family and friends. Because if we accept that invitation to begin a relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit we are beginning to understand a very deep and awesome person. Whom doth lay in the manger bed? I would like to unpack who Jesus is this morning and why the wise men came all the way to Judea to honour him with gifts. A symbol of our own need to give Jesus honour and glory for the timeless personal saviour he is.
As our saviour, Jesus represents the best in all of your friends and family. As we have just had family gatherings and get-togethers, this will be fresh in your minds. Think about the characteristics you cherish most in your favourite uncle, aunt, cousin or sibling. Maybe it is the trust that you have in them being there for you when you need them to listen or help. To bake you a cake for a shower, or lend you money when things get tight. God is reminding us this epiphany that he gave us Jesus out of love for us so that he could fill the holes in our lives. He is a companion for every Gentile, Jew, African, Chinese, Italian and Canadian. In all nations, races, and people Jesus is the best of us, given to show us just how whole, healthy and rich life in this world can be.
Now you might be thinking that I have misrepresented Jesus, because I have not said Jesus was a man of sorrow, pierced for our transgressions. Well, I want us to think of Jesus that way because it is what scripture tells us. A man who carried so much love and compassion for everyone he was with and around could not help but suffer with them. I know as a prayer team member how much sorrow and compassion I feel for the members of this Church when I hear the suffering they are going through. How much more does Jesus take on our suffering himself.
But sometimes we think Jesus and God are the source of our suffering. We blame God for our lack of health or finances. Somehow we confuse what is in our control and what is in his control. Did God spend all our money or did we? God does not put job stress and illness in our life to beat us into submission or get back at us for sins we have committed. Instead he is a forgiving person who is there for us, showing us the way through our circumstances. But we insist on badgering God for things that are not his fault. Why are we so happy to blame him, curse him, and leave him during our greatest time of need? Surely you would not see this as the way you would treat your family. If you lose your job do you think your family member had any part in you losing your job? Are they responsible? No, we rely on their support and encouragement to help us find a new job. It is interesting however that because God is all powerful we believe he controls all our business and can keep us in fine jobs without pain, or sickness. Friends, when you look at the world as a global living organism, it cannot possibly function on that logic. We wish it would for our sakes. It would give us all more stability. But I want us to think of Jesus like a friend and family member. They are not responsible for the trials and tribulations we face. They do not control those factors. And I don’t believe God promises to do that for us either. Sickness, loss of work, relationship problems all come as a result of many reasons. God needs to be praised and thanked for keeping us in his care through those transitions and being our companion, just like the famous Footprints story describes.
Thomas Long, a great biblical commentator, makes an important point about the continued care and impact God has in our lives. He says, “There are numerous contemporary “stars in the east,” whether through events in nature, personal experience, and history that point toward the mystery of God.”[3] God continues to show us signposts of his activity amongst us. Whether it is as Long describes, “the seemingly permanent Berlin Wall comes swiftly down in a sudden political storm, a daffodil opens in all its spring beauty and glory, a troubled relationship is healed, a child is born—all these experiences and countless others draw our attention to the divine mystery that pervades and pushes through human experience.”[4] It is through scripture that we understand these signposts for what they are. God reveals his plans and purposes in the timeless word he wrote in this book. Let us continue to read the Bible and search for God this epiphany to know his son and live in a vibrant relationship with them. Continue to look up for those starry nights when God might be leading you to the king of the Jews. Amen.
[1] www.crivoice.org/cyepiph.html
[2] John 14:9-10, NRSV.
[3] Long, Thomas. Matthew. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997.
[4] Ibid., 19.
