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Today we begin a season the church calls
Epiphany. Epiphany is a fancy, ten-dollar theological word that
means a revelation from God. The season is associated with light,
with our baptism, and with our mission to the world. Epiphany is
connected with the image of light, an image we understand. In
cartoons, for example, the image that the artist uses to indicate
the character has an idea is, yes, a light bulb!
Indeed, the star of Bethlehem is a reminder of how the light comes
to those who look up for insight. The story of the wise men from the
East is about a "light" coming into their consciousness and how they
followed that light--that star. We'll look at that story today,
readings from Epiphany, which we always celebrate on January 6 – the
12th day of Christmas.
Epiphany is a season when we remember the connection between
understanding and mission, between thinking and doing, between
believing and living the gospel, between our calling to love God and
the our commission to go for the God we love, and between the
hearing the good news of Christ for ourselves and speaking the good
news of Christ to others.
Recall the story of the wise men, which, as the story says, came
from the East. We don't know how many there were: just that they
came in the plural – there were more than one. And they came from
the East. And that is significant. Here’s one important point of the
story: We are not alone in the world. There are many people in this
great world, and most of them are different from us. But Christ has
come for them all, and Christ's love is for all. For everyone.
What does that mean? To say that Christ's love is for all is to
remind ourselves that we can learn from those who are different from
us, and we do well to accept, learn from, and understand other
cultures.
Just this morning on BBC World Service, I heard a report about a
college student in Australia who started a FaceBook page in which he
complained about the people in his country that spoke languages
other than English. For him, it started as a bit of joke; tongue in
cheek. But soon it was overrun with comments, many of in broken
grammar or with poor spelling, to the effect that people speaking
other than English should just be banned from the country. The
FaceBook page become so vicious, in fact, that its creator decided
to have nothing more to do with it. The point of the report was the
depth and the passion of a certain number of these FaceBook
participants. Theirs was a deep xenophobia, a fear – or a hatred –
of people unlike themselves. This is just the opposite of Matthew’s
story about the magi from the East.
Think about this: what does “www” stand for? It is an abbreviation
for “World Wide Web.” As our children know, and as we are beginning
to understand, we live in a world-wide culture. We are connected –
through the internet, yes. But we are also connected through
television, through music, movies, telephones, satellite dishes and
text messages. We can talk and text from one side of our world to
the other. McLuhan was right, thirty years ago: we live in a global
village. And because we live in a global village, we cannot allow
ourselves the luxury of violence or even suspicion or hatred. We are
all too connected.
Matthew, the gospel writer who wrote most for his own Jewish people,
also understood our place in a global culture, all of which is loved
by God. So Matthew, the most Jewish of the gospel writers, the one
who loves to say, 'This happened to fulfill what the prophet wrote,'
this same Matthew has, at the very beginning of his gospel, a story
about wise men – from the EAST.
What is East of Bethlehem? In their geography, they would have said,
“Persia, and Babylon.” In our geography, with know these lands by
their modern names: Iraq and Iran. Back in Bethlehem, all knew the
story of Babylon and its defeat of their country centuries before.
So, these hated countries – even these! – are the first recognize of
the Messiah in Bethlehem! Not in Jerusalem, not in the holy city,
not in the favored nation. No. But in the hated land. They
understand first. Why is Matthew telling this story, in just this
way? I think he’s making the point that God’s good news is not for
us alone: the gospel is World Wide.
So this morning, as you come to this table set by Christ, remember
that it is a holy table, and an international table. I invite you to
give yourself, indeed to open yourself to that light coming on for
you, to taking up, as a covenant with God, what God would have you
to do. With many of you, I’ve gone to see “Avatar” in the last few
days. I commend it to you on many levels. The new culture imagined
by James Cameron and others has an interesting greeting that you may
remember. When the people of the imagined planet meet, they look
into each other’s eyes and say, “I see you.” It’s a common courtesy
and a deeply spiritual blessing. In the language of today’s lesson,
it is also a moment of God’s light shining in and between two
individuals.
I commend to you that kind of seeing – seeing the light of God in
your own life and in the lives of others. Do you remember the great
affirmation of the light by Nelson Mandela after he came out of his
dark prison and helped lead South Africa toward a new time of mutual
respect and shared power? As someone who had seen both the darkness
of despair and the light of a newly dawning time for his people, he
called his nation to the light, and to its power. Listen: “Our
deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that
we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness,
that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented and fabulous?" Actually, who are we not to be?
You are a child of God. ... We were born to make manifest the glory
of God that is within us. ... And as we let our light shine, we
unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”
Claim the power you see in yourself and in others. Live in the
light, the light of Christ.
Use your power for good, in this season, in this dawning New Year.
And may God’s light shine in your heart and in your life, making a
difference for you and for others.
Live in that light, this day, and in coming days.
Amen.
Mamaroneck United Methodist, January 3, 2010.
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