“Arise, shine! Your light has come!” (Isa 60:1-6; Matt 2:1-12)

Isaiah 60:1-6
Matthew 2:1-12

Listen to Sermon

Pastor Tom Johnson, January 7, 2018

I’m always intrigued by how people still use the biblical word “epiphany.” They have had a moment of sudden revelation, insight into a certain truth, a fuller and more meaningful understanding. Epiphany means manifestation or revelation. For us it means that God’s love for the whole world has been revealed in Jesus. Today we see God reveal his love for the Gentiles by drawing in the Magi from the distant east. They follow the star to the place where Jesus has been born. Their gifts of gold, frankincense, myrrh fulfill prophecy. The Magi show that this Child is the promised Prophet, Priest, and King—the Messiah who will give his life for the world. They seek the Light of Christ. They radiate Christ’s Light for the world. They arise, shine. For their light has come.

As a child, I remember going to football games at night. I was captivated by the thousands of insects flying up to the beaming lights. There was a steady stream of creatures coming from the north, south, east, and west drawn to the brightness. That is what the Magi represent—the world—the nations from all corners of the earth who are mesmerized by the light of Christ. They are drawn in by his beauty, his promise, and the love of God so powerfully revealed. The Magi are our forerunners and example. They have curiosity for the Light. They are seekers. They want to find brightness and truth in this oftentimes dark and confusing world. They have courage to leave the comfort of the familiar. They go on a long, spiritual journey as sojourners in a foreign land. “Arise, shine! Your light has come!” And so they do not rest on their laurels but get up to the dawn of a new day. They experience the joy of discovery. They radiate a hunger for truth. They go on a spiritual journey with God.

I believe this is why we can be so ineffective for the Kingdom. We become complacent in our faith. We do not want—or feel the need—to grow. It is a blessing to be born into a Christian home and baptized as an infant. But we still need to cultivate a curiosity about the world and God who created us. We are all seekers. We may need to navigate through generation and after generation of religious practice. We may need to find our way through the maze of competing world views. None of us is born mature in Christ. Even Jesus himself grew in wisdom and stature before God and people (Luke 2:52). The Magi want to grow, learn, and discover Christ and what he means for their life’s journey. Mary and Joseph welcome these strangers. Their hospitality is handsomely rewarded. Imagine the blessings they would have denied themselves if they were not open or did not see the value and dignity of these foreigners.

All of this could have been killed by pride—the pride of the wise men that were wise enough—the pride of Joseph and Mary that they were from the house of David—not some remote, gentile tribe from the east.  Pride will kill our mission. It is arrogance and a lie to think we are God’s people because of who our parents are. It is delusion to think we are believers because of how smart we are. If so, I believe we will never attract people to the light of Christ the way God has designed. We are all on a journey of discovery. None of us has arrived. Maybe some of us have spotted Messiah’s star earlier than others—like the Magi. But that only means that we get to bring more companions with us on our shared adventure.

The epiphany is how great and awesome God is! It’s humbling to realize that we do not deserve God’s love and forgiveness. It is a gift. It is freely given. It comes through that little bundle of joy wrapped in swaddling cloth in Bethlehem. And we have the privilege of unwrapping God’s gift on a life-long journey of discovery. We have had that epiphany. The love of God has been finally revealed in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God born into time and space in a manger—the Light who overcomes our darkness. The epiphany is a life-long journey for Jesus. He continues to unfold God’s plan. He reveals day by day the love that God has for the world. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). Jesus demonstrates God’s mercy by forgiving us of our sins. He manifests God’s grace by rising from the dead to assure us of eternal life. In Christ we discover that God is love (1 Jn 4:8). We are blessed with epiphany after epiphany.

And so God calls out to us, “Arise, shine! Your light has come!” Wake up to the day God has made—rejoice, be glad in it. The Morning Star has risen upon you. Our sins are forgiven. The Lord is with us. His Word is living and active. We see the flicker of light burning at the baptismal font. Here God reveals his love for us and especially little William. God will reveal William’s adoption as a child of God before our very eyes. We will share an epiphany through the water, Word, and Holy Spirit. We will will share an epiphany through the bread and the wine. Here God reveals his love, forgiveness, and ongoing nurture of our faith: Christ’s Body and Blood given and shed for you…and me. We share a journey of discovery. We grow in the love of God day by day and hour by hour as we are drawn toward his light. And…and we get to radiate that love to the world. “Arise, shine! For your light has come!”