Epiphany of the Lord

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

Twelve days after our celebration of the birth of Jesus on Christmas morning, the world has certainly moved on. While the glitter and bling of New Year’s Eve festivities drew our attention from a lowly manger to the sky where fireworks exploded and confetti rained down, we oriented ourselves to look ahead to what is coming and what will be.

But hearing Matthew’s gospel account of the magi traveling to honor the infant Jesus, we are invited to pause and allow ourselves again to be filled with wonder and joy at the presence of our Lord and Savior, in the flesh. In Jesus, God comes to all the people of the world as our Redeemer, and at Epiphany, we celebrate that the light Jesus brings into the world is neither dim nor narrow, leaving swaths of people in darkness, but it is bright and shining, illuminating our lives and beckoning us to participate in God’s kingdom.

Like the exilic people of Judah whom the prophet Isaiah was addressing, we too are called to arise, shine, lift up our eyes and look around.

The Isaiah text we heard is from the third book of Isaiah, the portion most likely written after the people had already returned to Judah from their exile in Babylon. A whole generation had passed since people had lived in Judah and their return was not easy. This section of the book was written to help the people recall what God’s promises are and remember what it means to live as God’s people, even when there are problems or despair.

The prophet’s first command is, “Arise!”
Maybe you hear echoes of the prophets telling us in Advent to get ready, stay alert and prepare. Faith is active and participatory, and at Epiphany we are invited to find our places in the procession to see our King.

The next command is, “Shine!”
Each of us is created and gifted uniquely to take part in God’s kingdom on earth. Later in Matthew’s gospel, when Jesus is addressing the crowds during the sermon on the mount, he describes the light that we each carry and warns his followers not to hide it. This command to “Shine!” is to look at the light we carry — the gifts we bear — and share them with the world.

Our Lutheran understanding of faith is that God’s grace is freely given and received; it is not earned, and nothing we do or don’t do separates us from God’s love. Therefore, any response we make to God is in gratitude for what God has first given us.

Today as we install our congregation council, we gratefully recognize the gifts that each person gives to God and to the Church as leaders in our congregation, but each one of you here has gifts that are uniquely yours and can be shared.

The final command Isaiah gives is, “Lift up your eyes and look around.” Sin can be defined as being curved inward, focusing on ourselves; others may call it navel-gazing. At the prophet’s insistence, we must raise our eyes up to take our eyes off ourselves, and see not only the people around us but also see how God is already active and dispelling the darkness:
to rejoice at the goodness that we witness when God’s people unite instead of divide;
to celebrate the reconciliation and reunion of families separated by war or conflict;
to delight in the ways God’s love is being made known through local and global ministries that are making a difference.

As followers of Jesus, we are compelled to extend God’s love to others, and to respond to our neighbors’ suffering and need. So, when we look around with our eyes open, we must not ignore the tremendous need the world has and the needs that still exist right here in our community: for caring adults in the lives of children; for basic clothing and hygiene, safe shelter and access to nutritious food; for protection from violence and abuse; and for compassionate care for older adults who are living with chronic or terminal illness.

As the Church we are invited to be God’s presence, God’s hands and feet, on earth, so, Dear Church, arise, shine, lift up your eyes and look around, and may we shine forth the light of Christ in all we do and say.

Let us pray…
Redeeming God,
Thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus, the light of the world whose birth we continue to celebrate.
By your grace, you make each one of us a sharer in the promised light that we may bring light to those in thick darkness, hope to those no one cares for and act as a voice to those no one speaks for.
By your Spirit empower us to live as Your people, remembering your promises and participating in your kingdom.
We pray in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.