The following is Pastor Sobers’ sermon for

The Epiphany of Our Lord

January 6, 2008

 

I can remember early in my ministry in Harrisburg someone coming up to me and asking if I could tell them what “epiphany” meant. I explained to them that it was a church festival occurring on January 6 which marked the visit of the Wise Men to the infant Jesus probably a year or so after his birth. Obviously the Holy family was no longer living in the stable or cave or whatever it really was and the baby was no longer lying placidly in the cattle feed trough! Also, for people living in Harrisburg, Epiphany is the name of one of our churches in the Conference named after that rather significant event. And finally, generically, epiphany simply is a Greek word translated to mean “manifestation” or “showing forth.” By that point the person was probably sorry they had asked me!

But, today we are to celebrate the Epiphany of Our Lord on a Sunday, and there are all kinds of things that we can say about the festival. I hope you won’t be sorry!

We always round out the manger scene with a formidable camel on the Sunday closest to this festival after bringing it and the three kings from the last window sill on the Epistle side of the nave. We sort of follow tradition here even though as I said the Holy Family was no longer posed in and around the manger! I am always amused by some folks who live up our street several blocks who at the very beginning of Advent set out a plastic nativity set that in the thirty something years that we have been here has become more and more dingy. The odd thing is that rather than shepherds, the only characters in the scene other than the Holy Family are the three kings! And then, the clincher is that they take the whole thing down well before Epiphany.

Were there three wise men or kings? We really don’t know because the Bible does not say—anywhere. The number of gifts presented would seem to be the only indication of the number of visitors from the East. Just who were these strangers who traversed afar? Were they royalty or where they astrologers or astronomers? Were the stars their “business” or did they just happen to notice this outstanding heavenly body that intrigued them so?

Matthew’s account of the Epiphany is attractive in many ways. It features exotic visitors (Whatever or whoever they were) a wicked king, court intrigue, a mysterious star, precious gifts and a newborn child. It stands in stark contrast to the lovely soft rendition by Luke of the nativity of our blessed Lord.

Lest we miss the point, Matthew is pointing up for us the opposition that swirls around Jesus literally from the time of his birth. Those around him, namely the Holy Innocents, die because of him, and there is turmoil, danger and suffering. Today’s text is a harsh reminder that the Word became flesh amid the harsh political and social realities of human history.

At the same time (and this is the good news) the Epiphany is a festival of Light. The Light of the World has come and shines brighter than any darkness that might try to overcome it. The seemingly useless gifts for an impoverished family most likely financed the trip to Egypt that Herod’s cruelty and treachery caused and could well have helped to settle the family in Nazareth until Joseph could establish himself as a carpenter.

I have always thought about it as the reverse of what happens among us as we present the most humble elements of bread, wine, and water, and they become for us the very Body and Blood of this one who comes not only into the world in an abstract way, but is truly present in our midst each week because he promised to be!

This Jesus whom now the whole world honors as part of the significance of this day will bring his triumph over sin, death, and the power of the Satan to fruition in us his beloved children, and he will guide us into the way of peace. Amen

--K.T.S.

First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Second Reading: Ephesians 3:1-12