“A Light
to the Nations”
Without
blinking an eye, Christmas has come and gone already. I took the ornaments off the tree yesterday
and put many of the other decorations as well.
It feels so emptying, the celebration is over and now to clean up. But, in the church calendar year, the message
of Christmas is not over, this is the season of Epiphany, the season of naming
and understanding the light that God has sent into the world.
In
the early church, Epiphany was celebrated as the big holy day rather than
Christmas. It was celebrated on Jan. 6
as the wise men, arrive to the Christ child.
This was an important event in the life of the early church since it
signified God’s presence, God’s salvation, extended beyond the Hebrew people to
all people, to all nations. The arrival
of the magi signifies that the nations beyond Israel are not only invited into
God’s grace, but have accepted that invitation and have come. All of these generations later, the message
and love of God has traveled the world.
It has been received by people of all nations.
So,
does Epiphany still have a message for us today? If the gift of God’s light, love, joy, and
peace has been extended and received throughout the world, what message might it
be for us today? Just as we celebrate
Christmas as the birth of God’s love and salvation in this world, we can
celebrate Epiphany as the naming of how God’s light is shining, is shining, not
was shining, but is shining.
The
wise men followed a star, there was light in the night sky to guide them. The Gospel of John speaks of Jesus as the
light of the world, a light that shines through the darkness and the darkness
does not overcome it. Epiphany is the
time where the church celebrated the full inclusion of all people into God’s
love, but it is also about light. It is
about how God’s light shines, and how it shines in the darkness.
If
the star had not shone through the night sky, the wise men would never have
found the Christ child. They needed a
map, a guide, a constant to ensure them they were headed in the right
direction. We too, we too need a map, a
guide, a constant to ensure that we are headed in the right direction. In a way, Epiphany reminds us that life is a
journey, not a destination. We may have
lived in one place all of our lives, but we are still on a journey. Life throws all kinds of obstacles in our
way, and we need a map, a guide, a constant to remind us that we are still
headed in the right direction. The wise
men had a star, God sent us a light that shines in the darkness, known as Jesus
Christ, do we trust in that light to guide us through the dark nights?
Through
this season of Epiphany, we are going to use the imagine of a lighthouse to be
our symbol of how God’s light shines out into the world. In our modern world, we have so many devices
to navigate us, we have flashlights, gps, even night vision goggles, but
everyone still seems to love lighthouses.
All along the coasts from nation
to nation, light shines out in the darkness, warning ships in the sea of they
are too close to the shore, as well as welcoming ships home after long journeys
at sea.
We
may be putting all the decorations away, but Christmas is not over, Ephiphany
is not an event of the past. The Christ
Child continues to be born in the world and the light continues to shine in the
darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it. For over 2,000 years people have wrestled
with the darkness, plagues, wars, famine, extreme poverty, injustice, and
oppression. And for 2,000 years, people
have fought the good fight, have risen to leadership, have spoken the voice of
God, have embraced God’s light and become a beacon of hope to others.
As
we embrace God’s gift of the Christ child in our lives, let us also embrace the
light, the light of the star that guides, the light that shines in the
darkness, the light the rights wrongs, the light that brings purpose and
meaning and sacred love into all that we do.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment