Sermon: Responding faithfully to rage (January 26, 2025)

Epiphany 3C

January 26, 2025

Luke 4:14-12

INTRODUCTION

Today, during this epiphany season of revelation, we will hear about God’s revelation through the Word, especially in our first reading, from Nehemiah, and our Gospel reading. Let me contextualize each of those for you. 

The book of Nehemiah is actually part of a pair, Ezra-Nehemiah. Ezra was a priest, and Nehemiah a governor, and together they helped to rebuild Israel (which had been destroyed) after they returned from 70 years in exile – Nehemiah physically, in the form of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and the Temple, and Ezra spiritually. Ezra, you see, has been working with other priests to put together what would become the Torah, the law, what we know as the first five books of the Bible. During the exile, when Israel was dispersed and was away from the center of their faith, many had begun writing down what had previously been purely oral tradition. Now Ezra and others were working on compiling that work, and in today’s reading we will witness the very first time the people are hearing Torah read to them, the first time they are encountering Holy Scripture. And, as we’ll see, they are deeply moved by it.

A few centuries later, we find Jesus in the Temple, and this is also an important first: according to Luke, this sermon Jesus gives in his hometown is his first public appearance. He reads the words of Isaiah and says they are fulfilled in this hearing. And like in Nehemiah, the people are amazed.

Hearing scripture read and interpreted is still an essential part of our worship life – it’s happening right now! – and still a moment in which we believe God to be revealed to us. So as you listen, watch for God! Notice how the Spirit is moving in you today. What word or phrase hits you in a particular way? What comforts you, or what feels uncomfortable, either in the scripture or in the sermon that follows, and why do you feel that way? All of that is the work of the Spirit, and a way God is speaking and being revealed this day. So… let’s listen!

[READ]

Let us pray. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you O God, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

The story that has dominated the news, at least in my circles, this week is that of Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s sermon at the Inaugural Service of Prayer for the Nation at the Washington National Cathedral. Bishop Budde preached about unity, and what it takes to achieve it: honoring the inherent dignity of all, honesty, humility, and seeking the sort of love for one another that is based in the pursuit of justice. I watched the full 13-minute sermon, and I encourage you to do the same. I found her words to be gentle yet convicting, faithful, courageous, and biblical. 

        But it was the last two minutes of the sermon that got most of the media attention, because these words she addressed directly to the newly inaugurated President of the United States, in the prophetic tradition of speaking truth to power. First acknowledging that millions of people have put their trust in him, speaking to his authority and position, she then pleaded, “In the name of God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.” She went on to mention those with gay, lesbian or transgender family members, who fear for their lives. She mentioned undocumented immigrants who hold crucial jobs in our country, and their children who are afraid their parents will be taken away. “Have mercy,” she pleaded, and added, “Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were once strangers in this land.” 

It was powerful and bold; as a preacher, my jaw was on the floor, just imagining saying these words to the president in such a public way. Predictably, the public response was mixed, even among Christians. Many praised her courage, and her faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, saying, “This is what speaking the truth in love looks like.” Other Christians criticized her, interpreting her preaching as a direct attack on the president, using such words as “disgusting,” “disrespectful,” and “pathetic.” The president himself demanded an apology. She gently responded, “I’m not going to apologize for asking for mercy for others.”

As someone who was very moved by her words and their rootedness in the gospel, I tried to get curious about the opposite reaction, that of those who found her preaching worthy of such condemnation. What was so offensive, I wondered, about a bishop proclaiming a need for unity, for viewing others with dignity and being humble and honest, and loving one another? Why did people who proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord find it problematic to plead for mercy for those who are afraid? Aren’t mercy, humility, compassion, and love of neighbor at the very heart of the gospel, and Jesus’ teachings? 

I found some insight, as I often do, in our assigned Gospel reading today. Jesus, visiting his hometown of Nazareth, reads a text from Isaiah that is all about care for the most vulnerable. Good news for the poor, sight for the blind, release for the captives, freedom for those who are oppressed, and that last bit about the year of the Lord’s favor refers to a massive economic reordering resulting in a fair distribution of wealth. This good news has been promised for centuries – but here, Jesus says, “This has been fulfilled in your hearing.” In other words, “It’s happening folks, right now. This good news for the poor is coming about right now.” 

Now at first, people are digging this news. The residents of Nazareth, Luke tells us, “spoke well of [Jesus] and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.” Good news is wonderful when it is for you!

        But, their amazement doesn’t last. Because then Jesus goes on. “I’m sure now that you’ve heard this,” he says, “you’re going to ask me to bring healing upon you here in Nazareth – like that proverb says: ‘Doctor, heal thyself.’ Take care of your own. You’ve probably heard about what I’ve done in Capernaum, and now you’re hoping I’ll do the same here.” They look at him expectantly – well, yeah, Jesus! Of course! But then Jesus shocks them again: “Well, I have to tell you something: no prophet is ever welcomed in his hometown.” Wait, what? Of course he was welcome! Welcome to bring all the healing and grace he has already brought elsewhere! Jesus goes on. “Remember back in the time of the prophet Elijah,” he says, “during that long three and a half years of drought when famine devastated the land? The only widow to whom God sent help was – who? The widow of Zaraphath in Sidon – a foreigner! And you remember when there were many lepers in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha? And the only one who was cleansed was, yes, another foreigner – Naaman from Syria. You see, in both cases, God reached out not to those who see yourselves as the chosen, as God’s priority, but rather, to those on the fringes, the outsiders, the people that you all would likely have nothing to do with! Because that is who God is about – God is about serving those people.” 

        And that is the part that really upsets people. The Jesus portrayed in Luke’s Gospel does not mince words when it comes to serving the poor, the outsider, and disenfranchised. We saw it right at the start, when mother Mary sang about bringing down the mighty and lifting up the lowly, filling the hungry and sending the rich away empty. And now Jesus says the same: God is about serving those who are suffering on the margins. The foreigners. Those who are hungry. The outsiders. Those who fear for their lives. Those who are oppressed. 

        It sounds like good news, right? Unless, of course, it doesn’t fit with what we think ought to happen. Then it sounds, well, a bit threatening – to our perspective on life, to our wellbeing, even to who we are. And that is what happens in this Gospel story. These hometown Nazareth folks think they ought to get special priority, but Jesus points instead to God’s care for those who are oppressed. And Luke tells us that the people, upon hearing this, are filled with rage – such rage, that they drive him out of town! Such rage that they lead him to the edge of a cliff, intending to throw him off, to kill this man who just a moment ago amazed them with the gracious words he spoke. So much rage, they want to kill him.

        I read that Bishop Budde also received death threats after preaching her sermon about love, unity, compassion, and mercy. One person publicly said she, an American-born citizen, should be deported for her words. That, too, is rage at work. It is what people are capable of when we feel threatened or afraid or called out, or even if we are just told that the way we have seen things is not right. I have never issued a death threat myself, but boy oh boy, when I am criticized in a way I believe is unfair, in a way that challenges my previously held belief about myself or the world, I can feel my heart start to race, my skin prickle, my fists start to clench, and I am ready to go on the attack – to throw an insult right back at the person who dared to question my motives or actions. It’s a very human response.

        But it is not the response Jesus models. Did you notice how he responds to their rage? He simply walks through the midst of the angry mob and goes along on his way. He is confident in his message, rooted in ancient Holy Scripture – his message of redemption, love and compassion. He doesn’t engage the rage. Bishop Budde’s response to attacks has been similar – she has remained on the side of mercy, saying she does not hate the president, and has been and continues to pray for him, but she will not compromise on her plea for mercy. 

        What is our response? How do we respond faithfully when we feel threatened, fearful, enraged? 

It's a hard question, and one to sit with and get curious about. And maybe that is really the key – to respond with curiosity rather than accusations, to listen rather than yell. After reading Isaiah, about the ways those who are suffering would get what they need, Jesus told the crowd that these promises were being fulfilled in their hearing – and I believe that is still happening. It is happening in us, as we hear those words today. We too, are drawn into this promise of redemption as we do the work of the Church – during worship, after worship as we decide where to give away our $100,000, during our annual meeting, and throughout the week as we interact with people in need, and hear people’s stories and their joys and their fears. We are all a part of the redeeming work Jesus lays out today. We do that work imperfectly and at times falteringly, as we try to build and live into the kingdom of God on earth. And yes, sometimes we might find ourselves enraged – at injustice, or at others’ response to that injustice, or at disrespect or disregard, or at people’s willingness to say aloud things we thought should have remained silent, or people’s unwillingness to say what needs saying! That rage is a part of being human. But what we do with that rage is a part of being a Christian. And what we do with it, is to respond with humility, dignity, compassion, and above all, love. 

        By ourselves, we cannot do this. But thanks be to God that we are not left to do this by ourselves. We do it as a part of the whole body of Christ, the Church on earth, and we do it with Christ alongside us all along the way. Together, we show the world what Christ’s Church is about: a love that transcends division and disagreement, that heals and redeems, that brings good news to those who suffer, and that shows our hurting world a way toward new life.

        Let us pray… Redeeming God, so much in this world fills us with rage. Help us, when we feel threatened, to respond with curiosity and humility, with dignity and compassion, and most of all with the love shown to us by your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen. 

Sermon: Our gifts are needed now (January 19, 2025)

 Epiphany 2C
January 19, 2025
1 Corinthians 12
John 2:1-11

INTRODUCTION

We have now moved out of a season of festivals and into the season called Epiphany. In these weeks between Jesus’ birth, his manifestation to the magi, and his baptism… and on the other side, the beginning of Lent… we will hear lots of stories about how God has been revealed and made manifest to people of faith throughout time, and reflect upon how God is revealed and manifest to us still today. 

And we’ll kick all that off with the story of Jesus turning water into wine. It is one of his most well-known miracles (or signs, as John calls them), known even to people who have never stepped foot in a church. We know the outcome, but let me set the context for you a bit. This is Jesus’ first public appearance in John’s Gospel. The Gospel started with the beautiful prologue, some of which we heard on Christmas Eve when we lit candles. The prologue says that “through [Christ’s] fullness we all have received, grace upon grace.” The rest of John’s Gospel will show us what “grace upon grace” looks, smells, tastes, sounds, and feels like, and here is the first glimpse: grace upon grace tastes and smells like the best wine, looks like abundantly full jugs, and feels like a celebration!

Looking at the other readings, in Isaiah we’ll see echoes of the wedding theme from the Gospel. And in Corinthians, we will hear about what gifts emerge when God’s Spirit is manifest in us, and learn how our different gifts share a source (the Spirit) and a purpose (to serve the common good). As you listen, watch for ways that God’s “grace upon grace” is manifest, in each of these readings, and in your life. Let’s listen.

[READ]

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

There’s a cute, animated movie made by Pixar called The Incredibles. Anyone seen it? It is about the members of a superhero family (Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, and their three kids), who, due to a government mandate, are forced to hide their superpowers, and live quiet, ordinary lives. One day, the middle child, Dash, who has super speed, is lamenting that he has to hide his powers. “I thought our powers made us special,” he complains. “Everyone is special,” his mom replies (total mom response, right?). Dash rolls his eyes and says, “That’s just another way of saying no one is.”

I get where he is coming from! In an age of “everyone gets a trophy,” we begin to wonder, “But who is most special?” Turns out this is an age-old longing, to be special; we see it in the Corinthian community, this early Christian church planted and cared for by the Apostle Paul. The community was riddled with divisions about all manner of thing, including authority, communion practices, and as we see today, spiritual gifts. The question seems to be: what are spiritual gifts, and are some better than others, as some folks have been claiming? All the controversy is making it difficult for the community to live into their newly forming Christian identity, and making it difficult to love each other. In fact, in the very next chapter, Paul will take the time to explain, in a beautiful poem, what love looks like: love is patient, kind, not boasting or rude, etc. 

Today, the controversy around spiritual gifts is not our most heated one. But we do know a thing or two about division, controversy, and the difficulty we sometimes find in loving people on the other side of the issue from us. So, let’s take a look at Paul’s discussion of spiritual gifts, in this divided community, and perhaps this can begin to help us sort out our own approach to whatever we consider to be our current challenges.

First of all, Paul points out, there is a lot of diversity here. A variety of gifts, a variety of services, a variety of activities – in short, lots of ways of being in and interacting with the world and each other. And yes, that can be very difficult! I’m sure we have all worked with people who approach things differently, and then you butt heads and you go home to your spouse or your friend and say, “Uuggghh this person is driving me bonkers!!” The struggle is real. But, Paul says, in all our difference, there is still something that unifies us: one Lord. The same Spirit. And that Spirit, that Lord, that God, is the source and giver of all of our gifts. Yes, even the gifts in other people that drive us bonkers. Even the ones we admire. They all share a source: the same God who activates them in everyone. I find I have an easier time dealing with the reality that others’ gifts might clash with my own, or even that I might be jealous of someone else’s gifts, when I remember this: that God has gifted each of us – gifted us abundantly and graciously, though we do not deserve it – and so in the midst of all our differences, we still share that. 

Still, this comes with a caveat: God has gifted us, yes, and now we become stewards of these gifts, just as we are stewards of our financial gifts. And to be a good steward of God’s gifts, is to use those gifts toward the benefit of others. “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit,” Paul writes, “for the common good.” Too often we hoard our gifts for ourselves – both financial and spiritual! We have an attitude of scarcity, or we are driven by greed, or a bit of both. But that is not how spiritual gifts are intended to be used. Our unique abilities to teach, serve, love, pray, sing, hope, trust, write, nurture, or heal, are not given to us for our own self-promotion. They are given for the purpose of common growth and blessing of the church, that we might, through our gift, proclaim that Jesus is Lord, by bringing the love of God to a hurting and broken world. 

I was thinking about this during our council meeting this past week. Can I just say that I really love our council? This group is a joy, that so beautifully encapsulates this idea that we were each given unique and wonderful gifts, and when we use them for the common good, we become something greater and more glorious than we ever could alone. A couple people on council bring financial know-how, helping us steward our resources. Another brings a depth of spiritual thoughtfulness, often bringing the group to deeper reflection on how our actions reflect our faith. Another is always ready with a joke, and keeps us from taking ourselves too seriously. Another always holds us accountable to good legal process, so we don’t find ourselves in a position to get sued. Another is always willing to do a craft-related job, which comes up more than you’d think! Another brings and shares delicious food, transforming meetings from business only, into a gathering of friends doing the business of the church together. Each of us were given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good – and it shows! This diversity of gifts is God’s intention, and it makes us all on the council, and the wider congregation, better – and that, in turn, makes our wider community better.

A final note on spiritual gifts, and I’m going to jump over to the Gospel reading for this one: we may be called upon to use our gifts in ways different from how we expected or how we have before. I just love this interaction between Jesus and his mother. Jesus is at the wedding, doing his thing, and Mary sees a need, an opening, into which Jesus can make his entrance. She tells him so, but that is not where his attention was. “Not the time, mom,” he replies. This is not how or when he envisioned revealing himself. But almost immediately, he reconsiders, and as a result, completes one his most famous miracles, “revealing God’s glory,” and bringing his previously skeptical disciples around to believing in him. 

We never know when and how our God-given gifts will be called upon to serve the common good, when they will be needed to reveal God’s glory. Tomorrow our country will transition to a new administration. And in the coming years, we may find our God-given gifts will be called upon in different ways. Some of our neighbors will need us to use our gifts to love and serve them in new ways, to reveal God’s love. Making the government more 'efficient' will mean some will lose access to services they depend upon. Neighbors with a different land of origin will have increased fear of being sent away from the place they have made their home. Those suffering from mental illness may find symptoms worsen (already, counselors have seen a huge influx of need). For some, just existing in this divided and vitriolic political climate is extremely stressful, simply because their views are different from the majority and they feel judged and disparaged for it. And more – the needs of our neighbors are and will be varied. But thankfully, so are our gifts. How will our gifts be called upon in this time? How will we respond? How can we all use our Spirit-given gifts, whatever they are, to proclaim “Jesus is Lord” through our acts of love? Or, as Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”

Whatever your particular spiritual gifts are – prayer, song, art, care-taking, nurturer, health and wellness, mediation, financial or legal know-how, community organizing – they are desperately needed: today, tomorrow, in ten years, all the time. God has given us these gifts for a reason, to serve the common good. And if God has asked this of us, we can be sure that God will accompany us, abide with us, and give us what we need to accomplish it. God will help us to participate in God’s continuing purpose of redeeming this hurting world, in whatever way we have been gifted to do.

Let us pray… Gracious Spirit, you have given us grace upon grace, and more gifts that we could possibly deserve. Give us the wisdom to know how you are calling us to use this diversity of gifts for the common good, so that together, we might proclaim Jesus as Lord, and share your love with the world. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sermon: Two essential baptismal promises (January 12, 2025)

Baptism of our Lord (C)
January 12, 2025
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

INTRODUCTION

Today is the festival of the Baptism of our Lord. Each year on this first Sunday after Epiphany (January 6), we hear the story of how Jesus was baptized. Each of the Gospels has a slightly different take on how that happened – so I’ll mention a couple things that are unique to Luke’s telling. One is that the voice from heaven speaks directly to Jesus – “you are my son” – where in the others that heavenly voice speaks to those gathered – “this is my son.” In Matthew, Mark and Luke, the Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus “like a dove,” but where the other Gospels say this happens as Jesus comes out of the water, in Luke it doesn’t happen until later, when he is praying. Speaking of prayer, no other Gospels tell us that Jesus prays after; in fact, the others send Jesus immediately into the wilderness after his baptism to be tempted, where Luke takes his time with that, offering us Jesus’ genealogy before Jesus is led by the Spirit out into the wilderness. 

However it all came about, hearing about Jesus’ baptism invites us to reflect upon our own, and our other readings will help us to do that. Acts shows again the importance of prayer after baptism, and how the Holy Spirit comes to us in prayer. The Psalm describes the power of God and of how God works through water. Isaiah 43 is a beautiful text written for the Israelites who have grievously sinned against God, and yet still, God loves them and claims them and promises to restore and redeem them. Just like God does for us in baptism! As you listen today, hear and give thanks for all these marvelous promises of God that we receive in our baptism. Let’s listen. 

[READ]

Grace to you and peace from the Light of the World, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

“What happens in baptism?”

This is the question I usually ask parents preparing to have their child baptized. Before we go through with this major event – and I do understand baptism as a major, life-changing event – I always take the opportunity to talk about it with parents, and make sure they understand what, exactly, they and their child are getting themselves into. The answers I get vary, usually including something about washing away of sins, or becoming a child of God – both true. But I have to wonder… does any of that mean anything to them once they walk out the door of the church? 

So with that in mind, what I really want to ask you today is: why does baptism matter to us, and to you? My guess is that day-to-day, you probably don’t think much about your baptism, right? So, why does it matter… or does it? What role does being baptized play in your daily life?

We can find some clues to how to answer this question by looking at today’s Gospel lesson. The first thing to notice is who the actor is here. In Luke’s version of Jesus’ baptism, who baptizes him? … [assume people will say John the Baptist…] Ah, but Luke never says John the Baptist did it. Luke doesn’t mention any human actor here, perhaps to highlight that in fact, humans are never the actor in baptism. Rather, it is God who is the actor. It is the Holy Spirit, who “descended upon him in bodily form like a dove.” The very same Spirit that baptizes us! And then, who does the talking? … Presumably, the Father! A voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the beloved. With you I am well pleased.” 

And so it is, in our own baptism. God does the work. Not the pastor. Not the water. God does the work. This is the response to why we in the Lutheran church typically, though not always, baptize babies. While Christians who are of the Baptist, fundamentalist, or evangelical persuasion insist upon an adult baptism, a so-called “believer’s baptism,” in which the one being baptized has the opportunity to state his or her own faith, we baptize these helpless, vulnerable beings who have not done much of anything for or against God. They are mostly passive participants in the reception of God’s grace in the sacrament.

But isn’t that a wonderful image for us for how we come before God? Passive as they are in the face of God’s grace, infants remind us of how we are to receive God’s love: with humble gratitude, knowing that we don’t do anything to deserve this, but God gives it to us anyway. God acts on us and in us. God forgives us. God claims us as sons and daughters. And there’s nothing we can do to mess up that relationship that God establishes with us. Nothing!

The second thing we can learn from our text today about what happens in baptism is from that voice that comes from heaven. “You are my Son, the Beloved. With you I am well pleased.” In baptism, you see, we are given an identity: we become God’s child. Identity is something we all desire to find and know about ourselves, but it can be difficult. We spend a lot of energy masking, trying to be what other people need or expect us to be, hiding things that we’re ashamed of. Our circumstances change, and we are asked to be someone or something different. We lose track of the essence of who we are, of our identity. But in the midst of all of that, there is one part of our identity that never changes: we are God’s beloved children, through good and bad, and we always will be. 

There are many things to know about baptism, but these points are good ones to hold close: first, that God has given us this amazing gift of love, forgiveness, belonging, identity, and grace, all of this completely, as Luther says, “out of fatherly and divine goodness, though we do not deserve it.” And second, there is nothing we can do to mess it up. I find this gift to be both humbling and liberating. I am amazed that God would bestow such goodness on insignificant me, bestowing it not because I am something extraordinary, but because God is. And to think, that God will never take this gift away from me – not when I feel ashamed, or when I do something that hurts or upsets someone else, or when I doubt my abilities, or when I make a huge mistake, or when I don’t live up to someone’s expectations… All of these things, which have happened and will continue to happen in my life because I, like all of you, am human – they all make me want to doubt that God made the right call in bestowing on me all the wondrous gifts of baptism. If I were God, I might take it back. “Never mind, Johanna, you weren’t worthy of these gifts after all.” But God doesn’t. God does not renege on this offer. God offers anyway.

And that is liberating. What I mean is that suddenly, I start to believe that if God views me as worthy to receive God’s gifts… maybe I shouldn’t doubt myself. And if I don’t doubt myself, then just think what I could do in and for this world! And this is where we start to answer my earlier question to you: what does baptism have to do with your daily life, and why does it matter? It matters because it is a profound statement of God’s unconditional love for you. It matters because it promises us every day that we are forgiven, and in showing us that, it also urges us to “forgive those who trespass against us.” And with forgiveness comes healing, and with healing comes transformation. It matters because it assures us that even when we fall short, we still carry with us, everywhere we go, the gift of the Holy Spirit – the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of Lord. 

What does that Spirit, the Spirit we receive in our baptism, move you to do in this world? What does the assurance of God’s love, grace, and belonging, give you courage to pursue? For me, that promise emboldens and enables me to love people that I find difficult to love. That includes people I encounter in my daily life, and family members who are more difficult to get along with than others, and even people whom I don’t know except that I know they look and believe and act differently from me. Loving these different people doesn’t look the same for each person, so the Spirit pushes me to figure out how to love all these different people, what it looks like with each. The Spirit urges me not to sit still and be quiet in the face of injustice, but rather to use what gifts I have to make sure all of God’s children have what they need – as the late President Jimmy Carter, whom we mourned and celebrated this week said of his own faith, “My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.” 

In short, the Spirit encourages me to do things I’m scared of, to get out of my comfort zone, to go out on a limb for the sake of the gospel, because I can trust that if and when I fail in my efforts to live a life guided by Christ, God will still not renege on the gifts of my baptism. And to me, all of that matters quite a lot.

How about you? Why does baptism matter to you? What does it have to do with your daily life? I gave you my answer. I’d love to hear yours.

Let us pray… Spirit of God, in our baptism, you have promised us forgiveness, belonging, identity, and unconditional love, and we can trust that you will not renege on these gifts. As we celebrate the baptism of our Lord, help us to remember our own baptism, and help us also to discern what you would have us do with this abundant gift to love and serve your world. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Photo attribution: 

Zelenka, Dave. Baptism of Christ, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56385 [retrieved January 13, 2025]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baptism-of-Christ.jpg.

Sermon: Your light has come! So what? (January 5, 2025)

Epiphany (year C)
January 5, 2025
Isaiah 60:1-6
Matt. 2:1-12

INTRODUCTION 

Merry 12th Day of Christmas! And Happy Epiphany! Epiphany, observed on January 6th (tomorrow), is the day we celebrate the arrival of the Three Kings, but there is more to it than that, and our readings (as well as hymns and prayers) illuminate some of that for us. I assume you’re all fairly familiar with the story of the three kings, so you’ll likely notice that Isaiah will mention camels and kings and two of the three gifts brought by the magi. The Psalm mentions how “kings will bow down before him.” And Paul’s letter to the Ephesians will talk about how the mystery of God is made known to the Gentiles, the “nations,” that is, the non-Jews – which of course, the magi were. That’s remarkable, because when these gentiles, the magi, come to see God-made-flesh in Jesus, in that encounter, we see that God’s promises are made known even to those outside of God’s chosen, the Jewish people. It shows us something important about who God is, who Jesus is: namely, that Jesus is for the whole world! That’s good stuff! As you listen to these texts, notice all the connections throughout the texts, all the ways God has been making promises throughout time, and how they are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Let’s listen.

[READ] 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The story of Epiphany is one of the most beloved parts of the story of the incarnation. The star, the mysterious visitors from the nondescript “east,” the gifts no expectant parents would register for, the dreams. Even the name of the day, “epiphany,” the big “A-HA!” at which the truth that God would go so far as to become one of us is made known even to strangers who previously knew nothing of this God… It’s all so captivating. But maybe what I love the most about Epiphany is that it is a totally Christian celebration, untainted by any Hallmark or cultural interpretation. It is wholly a celebration of God made manifest to us through Christ, of the light that he has brought into the world, and it is a day that urges us to continue looking for the light of Christ, even in the darkness of this world.

That all sounds lovely, right? On Christmas Eve we focused a lot on the dawn breaking, the light coming, about God showing up among us in our darkest, scariest, loneliest moments, and today we get to celebrate it some more! Arise and shine, people, for your light has come! The glory of God has dawned, arisen, upon you! It is certainly a promise that brings me hope and comfort! 

And yet… I can’t shake that there is also some discomfort in this promise. Because when light is shining upon us, it becomes harder to hide. The darkness hides a multitude of sins, but in the light of Christ, we cannot pretend that our sins do not exist. In the light, we see that our words did really hurt someone we love, that we have been negligent in serving the poorest and weakest among us, that we have judged people, for good or bad, based on their background or what they look like, that we have been focused more on satisfying ourselves than serving others. Our excuses that worked so well in the dim light suddenly sound hollow in the brightness. If we would rather not face the reality of our brokenness, perhaps we would be better off in the darkness after all.

I wonder if that’s what unnerved Herod so much. Herod, of course had a long track record of horrific sins, actions which perhaps he justified as being the work of a good, strong leader. When the wise men come to him and ask if he knows about this child king, Herod immediately recognizes that a new king of the Jews would pose a threat to him, to his power, to his illusion that he is in charge of his life and his world. The light already emanating from that child king has revealed to him the truth: that he is not as powerful as he thought he was. And his response to this realization… is fear. It is not repentance, nor self-reflection, nor humility, nor a vow to trust in God’s fulfilling of promises. It is certainly not to arise and shine, as Isaiah urges us to do. Indeed, Herod’s response is the opposite of all that. Anyone remember what happens after this charming story about the wise men? After the magi are warned in a dream not to return to Herod and go home by a different road, Herod goes completely off the rails, going on one of the murderous rampages he was so known for, ordering the death of all boys under the age of two, known today as the Massacre of the Innocents. Merry Christmas, huh? This is what happens when people realize the implications of having the light of Christ in the world, showing us the brokenness. When people are confronted with their own darkness, with their sin and fear and insecurity, they can lash out violently.

We’ve seen this sort of reaction from world leaders throughout time – not all as gruesomely as King Herod, though some, yes. And unfortunately, when someone with a lot of power lashes out, it has the potential to hurt a lot of people, often those who were already innocent or already vulnerable. But of course, it is not only those with political power who react to a threat to their self-image by harming someone else. I’m sure every one of us here has at some point experienced having their insecurities painfully revealed – maybe a bad review at work, or being a victim of bullying, or failing at something you thought you could do – and if you’re anything like me, you might have reacted to that situation in a way that ended up hurting someone else, even someone you care about. We have all felt like Herod at some point and we all act out Herod’s rage in our own ways. We do it by being passive aggressive with our spouse, or participating in gossip about our friends, or yelling at our kids when we know that they really don’t know better, or at least that they have their own stuff going on and were doing the best they could and didn’t deserve a tongue lashing. We do it by undermining whomever we see as our competition.

Suddenly this light that has come into the world is like those awful florescent lights in the dressing room – you know the ones? – and we are looking at ourselves in the mirror and thinking, “Oh dear… Is that really how I look?” 

But you see, there is grace and hope even in that realization! That light shining upon us helps us to see our sin – so that it, too, can be scattered, just like the light of Christ scatters the darkness of the world. The light of Christ scatters our own darkness, our own sin. And even though we sometimes engage in less than Christ-like behaviors, God’s light and promise do not cease to shine. In Herod’s rage at recognizing his own insufficiency, he tries to snuff out that light, but Mary and Joseph and Jesus get out of Bethlehem safely and find refuge in Egypt. Herod cannot put out the light. The light shines on. It shines still, even on us.

It’s good news! But the day of Epiphany, you see, asks us to go even one step further. Epiphany asks us, “So what?” God became truly human and dwelt among us and shone light into the darkness of the world… Great! So what? Now what we are gonna do about it? Are you gonna just soak up that light, count your own blessings, and call it a day? Or is there more to it than that? 

We find the answer to those opening words from our reading from Isaiah: Arise! Shine! For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. This is our Epiphany call, a refrain that needs to be in our bones. Arise, Church! Shine into the world! Don’t just sit there, basking in the love and grace of God. Do something! 

This is the call to the church. This is the faithful response to Christ’s good news. Arise, lift up your eyes, look around and find the dark corners of the world, and shine that same light into those corners. 

Do you think this is good news that God wants to spend time with the likes of us? (I do!) Do you find life in the fact that, even though we sometimes let loose our rage in different ways from Herod, they are still in ways that are hurtful even to people we love – do you find life in knowing that even still, God showers us with grace and forgives us and loves us anyway? (I do!) Do you find hope in knowing that God is not yet done with forming us into faithful disciples, but rather, keeps shining that light on us to reveal to us how we can better know and love God and one another? Does that all sound like good news to you? (It does to me!)

Then shine, people of God. Epiphany is a day not for Hallmark, but for the Church, for it tells us all about what it means not only to receive God’s gracious light, but also to share it with others who still long to see more clearly. Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has arisen upon you. Shine that same light into the world. Tell people where you find hope. Tell them where you find life. Tell them how good it feels to be loved by a gracious God. 

Let us pray… O Morning Star, you are the light that does not quit. Shine in our lives, so that we would see your intention for us, and so that we would be equipped then to shine your life-giving light into the darkness of this world. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.