Personal Epiphany-Your Break-Out Season Is Here
Mark 12:30-31
(30) And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
(31) The second is this: ’You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these."
EOLS: God brings us revelation in simplicity to make sense of our lives for our growth in Him.
Today is Epiphany Sunday-which celebrates the day when the Magi found the baby Jesus at the end of their long journey.
Epiphany (from Koine Greek ἐπιφάνεια "appearance", "manifestation") is a Christian feast day which celebrates the revelation of God made Man in the person of Jesus Christ. (Wikipedia).
Western Christians celebrate Epiphany as God’s revelation of Christ to the Gentiles-symbolized in the Magi.
Consider for a moment the Epiphany of the Magi. These gentlemen had studied for their entire lives, and based their study upon their forefathers. They were the intellectual elite of their society. They studied scientific data, religious and philosophical volumes to attempt to bring some sort of an illumination and sense of meaning to their lives. Perhaps their reward would be the acclaim of advancing their society, adding to the accumulated wisdom of the ages.
We don’t know a whole lot about the Magi. It’s tradition that says there were three, because there are three gifts mentioned. Some people believe they were priests and practitioners of Zoroastrianism or some other ancient religion. Personally, I reject that notion and I believe that they were Gentile followers of Jehovah; born into a tradition in Babylon which was planted by the Hebrew Prophet Daniel several hundred years before.
Daniel 2:48
(48) Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.
While they were followers of Jehovah, their information was very incomplete. Perhaps it had been tainted by the influence of other religions or by the infusion of man-made tradition (sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it?). The one thing for sure is these guys were seekers of truth. They were willing to give all, including the sacrifice their own comfort, safety and well-being to seek the Real, to find the Truth. They gave it all for that true epiphany moment that they may not have really understood that they would find when they set out.
Consider for a moment the gifts that they brought: gold, frankincense and myrrh. We could study each of these and go into their qualities, but the bottom line is they were expensive items, fit for a king. They were rare and precious. Gold we can relate to, but in that day perfume and spices were imported from thousands of miles away in the far East and were so precious they could actually be used in trade as a type of currency. While there may be great spiritual significance in the gifts themselves, I see the practical side as this-Joseph and Mary along with their new baby boy hit the JACK POT! It was a windfall, out of the blue. Overnight they received gifts of wealth that were provided by God months before they were actually manifest.
We know that Joseph and Mary were not rich people. They were likely on the average side, just like us. Do you think it had crossed their minds-just how they would be able to raise this very special child? He would need not just normal provision, but rabbinical schooling which was very expensive. God does not guide where he does not provide! They surely didn’t save those three gifts for family heirlooms-nor did they jack up their lifestyle and blow it all. They moved on with their quiet lives to raise their son, knowing that the Father had provided for all their needs according to His riches in Glory-in Christ Jesus!
So, in this quick look, I see an “epiphany moment” on both sides of this event. Those Magi left to never be the same. They had looked square in the face of God in the Flesh. I can guarantee you it changed them. In that moment, their lives may well have culminated in the joy and peace they had sought and devoted their lives to finding. It was so simple-just a cute little baby boy who by now was several months old. All the data from hundreds of years suddenly made sense. He may have laughed and played with them. The little baby boy changed them.
Mary and Joseph saw God’s miraculous provision, their own epiphany moment. Perhaps they realized in that very moment that even when they were worried sick about how things were going to work out, God’s plan was heading toward Bethlehem. I wonder if they were just “blown away” by that and perhaps it changed their faith to a new and higher level, never to return to the way it was?
Have you thought about this: God’s plan is already in motion for you-and you may not have even seen it or heard it yet? He knew you’d be in this position today. He has ordered events in your life which may well bring your personal epiphany moment, just at the right time. I could testify of this happening in my own life, several times. Each time it has blown me away to realize that God’s plan was working before I ever even realized I was going to need it!
Don’t you love those moments-when you suddenly see the “big picture”; when a huge jigsaw puzzle suddenly takes form and shape in your mind?
It’s interesting that in modern parlance, we’ve come to use the word “Epiphany” in a much more generalized sense. I use it myself often in my own thinking and in describing certain “light bulb” moments. A very good description of what we call a personal Epiphany-
…the sudden realization or comprehension of the (larger) essence or meaning of something. The term is used in either a philosophical or literal sense to signify that the claimant has "found the last piece of the puzzle and now sees the whole picture," or has new information or experience, often insignificant by itself, that illuminates something deeper… (Wikipedia article for personal Epiphany)
Do you understand where I’m coming from? Epiphany moments by definition are rare and I call them precious. They’re not supposed to come every day. Usually they come following a long hard struggle, sometimes for years and years. Yet sometimes they can seemingly just fall out of the sky. We’re amazed by the simplicity of the answer, after the long struggle bounding through volumes of data and turmoil.
Part of the deal that is non-negotiable is the asking of the questions, the struggling with the facts or the circumstances, considering all the alternatives. If epiphany moments were common or easy to come by, they would lose their significance!
Many of you here are in need of a personal epiphany. You’ve struggled in some way, you know you need to change, you want to change. You’re sick and you’re tired, you wonder if things can ever change.
The infomercials are ready right now to take every bit of money you can come up with. There’s exercise equipment, videos and nutritional supplements that will work magic! There’s one long-lost nutrient in your diet that if you will just drink this juice or take this pill, suddenly you won’t be hungry anymore. There’s a book and a set of DVD’s that will show you that missing element in your life where you can have that relationship you have dreamed of, or improve your marriage to perfection. And it all happens the first week of January!
They come in a contract that we write for ourselves, and we call them “resolutions.” We don’t even need to talk about them; my guess is that your history with resolutions is much like my own. They aren’t worth the paper their written on or the mental effort to store them in your brain! They expire in about two weeks at the most.
What I wish for you is a personal epiphany. I need that for myself. I need a new understanding of how God works in my life, and what He expects from me. I really believe that God does want to change us but when He does it won’t be by our own efforts. We take part by showing up, and by letting Him have control of our lives.
In a day when the religious masters had extrapolated God’s Law into six hundred and thirteen detailed commands which had to be followed meticulously to stay in favor-a young man asked Jesus “which command is most important of all?” It sounds like he was looking for some light, a silver bullet, the very key or essence of the whole ball of wax. He may not have understood it but it sure sounds like he was in need of a personal epiphany, a revelation.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
(31) The second is this: ’You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these."
Ten Commandments, which had become six hundred and thirteen, now become two very simple steps, one a subset of the other. And it came from the mouth of God himself. Easy to remember, easy to follow and THE KEY to everything else!
A good friend and brother in Christ named Eddie Robbins inspired this sermon with some thoughts that he wrote on Facebook. Eddie is a rabid Braves fan and in the past year he has seen a personal epiphany in that his life has changed radically. He has gained control over his health and eating habits and shed over one hundred pounds, reaching the weight he held in college. Eddie’s enthusiasm is contagious, and he wrote something that I found very meaningful, in the form of a baseball analogy applied to our lives.
Listen to this:
In baseball terms, a breakout season is one in which a young player has that one season in which he reached his potential. Maybe, he played 3 or 4 years and struggled somewhat and fans begin to wonder if he is ever going to be what was predicted. Some players never make it. They have potential from the first day they enter the major leagues but just never make it.
My hope and prayer for EACH one of you who have never reached your full potential is to have a breakout season in 2010. May this be the year that you look back on and realize that it was your breakout year. It can happen if you keep your priorities correct and abide by Mark 12:30-31. Decide that you will have a breakout season and work hard to achieve it!!
Eddie Robbins
How many times have we heard how a batting coach or a pitching coach may have observed a young, struggling player? They change one little thing about their pitching motion or their batting stance and suddenly, almost magically their game is transformed. They go from a struggling minor leaguer to the “big show” overnight. They hit their “break-out season.”
I’ve struggled for a long time, in many areas and my guess is that many of you have too. Our struggles are different, but know this-that the commonality is the struggle. If you’re asking the questions, that’s good because it means you’ve taken the journey; you haven’t given up. So don’t!
Where do you want to change? What is it that you have sought for years? It may be something simple that you just feel has never happened for you. It may be something complex and it may be something tangible or intangible. It could be several things at once, even interrelated!
And it’s here-it’s a choice. You don’t need a book, a DVD or a legal pad of written resolutions.
Mark 12:30-31
(30) And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
(31) The second is this: ’You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
I’m ready for my break-out season. I want you to have yours too.
Conclusion and Prayer
