Epiphany Sunday
Matthew 2:1-12
’Who Did Jesus Come For?"
1* ¶ Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,
2 "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him."
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
4* and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5* They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet:
6* ’And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.’"
7* Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared;
8* and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him."
9* ¶ When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy;
11* and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
12* And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus the Christ!
"There is an old tale concerning Elroy T. Higgenbottoom a seemingly nobody from Indianapolis who had a way of giving others to believe he could get access to anybody he desired. A wealthy friend, who’d know Elroy from their youth and who knew him to be "just a nobody "decided to call his bluff. He came to visit him one day and said,’I’ll bet if I phone the mayor’s office he’ll laugh at you if you request an appointment."
"Go ahead,’ said Elroy. When the friend got on the phone, the mayor’s secretary said,’Can you hold a moment?’
After a pause, she came back on the line and said ’’The mayor wonders if Elroy could come to lunch ? "
Thinking it was u fluke, the friend took Elroy with him on a trip to Washington, D.C. It just happened that John F. Kennedy was coming down Pennsylvania Ave. in a motorcade as the two of them were standing on the curb. The entourage came to a screeching halt while Kennedy shouted, ’Hi, Elroy" How are things in Indianapolis?’
Stunned, the friend took Elroy with him to the Vatican.
As they stood waiting for the pope to appear on his balcony the friend discovered Elroy had disappeared. The next thing he knew two people were standing on the balcony. And two tourists with British accents started talking.
One said, ’Who’s that man with the white robe and the cross around his neck up on that balcony?’
Said the other one, ’I don’t know, but that guy next to him is Elroy T. Higgenbottoom from Indianapolis."’
A far-fetched tale, right? Not so far-fetched, because have another tale for you that seems even more far-fetched.
It is the story of this day and what it means for us who gather here to worship the baby born at Christmas. Today is the day of Epiphany, the festival of the church in which Jesus is made known to the world. The meaning of the word Epiphany is, "to show forth," " to make known", "to reveal."
Today in our lesson the scriptures tell us why Jesus came, or who did Jesus come for? And the answer to that question is as far-fetched a tale as the one I told at the beginning of this sermon in many people’s minds, hearts and eyes.
Who did Jesus come for? Who is he revealed to? The answer is everyone, period. That’s right! Jesus came for everyone. And that answer doesn’t seem right to a lot of folks. How can God come to everyone, surely, not everyone, they think. And so the story of the Epiphany becomes for many a tale of far-fetched nonsense.
"There is a story about a set of twins which helps to explain what I mean. It seems these twins decided to play Christmas, as they wrapped themselves in white sheets, used a yardstick for a shepherd’s staff, and rolling a doll buggy with the family cat wrapped in swaddling clothes to "be" the baby Jesus. But the cat didn’t entirely like the rules of the game, so he leaped out the the crib and ran away.
The twins raced through the house, trying to find the cat shouting,"Jesus--get back in your cradle!"
For many this season of Epiphany seems like another time to yell "Jesus get back in your cradle," as we see in the scriptures the pure glory, the toughness, the truly radical nature of the gospel story. This good news which came in the form of a baby at Christmas, becomes a a sword, a prod, a challenge to us during this season of Epiphany, as Jesus is revealed in all his glory and splendor, in all of His uniqueness.
This striking example of the truly radical nature of this baby is revealed in the story of the 3 magi, the 3 wise men who came to worship this baby. Notice, they were not Jews, but gentiles, wise men from the east. Tradition says the three were Caspar, Melichor, and Balthazar and each was of a different nationality or skin color. One was white, another black skinned, and another brown. These 3 wise men come to symbolize for the church and for the ministry of Jesus the radical call to be the God of every person regardless of skin color or nationality. And the gifts they brought even spoke louder of this radical nature of this baby for Gold was the symbol of a king. Jesus would be God’s king, God’s ruler over the earth.
Frankincense was the gift for a priest, Jesus would be the new priest for God’s people, and the word priest means one who is a bridge builder.
Jesus is God’s bridge builder between us, God’s children and Himself.
Finally, myrrh was the spice used to embalm the dead. This was a symbol of the sacrifice, the atonement which Jesus made on our behalf before God. Myrrh was the symbol that Jesus was to be the suffering servant, the one who would die for the sins of another, so all could have an opportunity for life.
This gospel message which begins to be revealed on day of the Epiphany shocks us, stops us in our tracks, makes us shake our heads in amazement and surprise. For we humane beings cannot understand one who would build bridges, forgive sins and sacrifice Himself for our salvation.
Gretchen Bly looked up slowly at her visitor. She was still half asleep ... probably due to all the pain medicine her nurses had administered. Finally, clearing her eyes, she recognized her pastor. "Oh, Pastor Gottsch. I didn’t realize it was you. Sorry."
"That’s OK, Gretchen," Pastor Gottsch replied. "I understand that you’ve been quite sick today. I came as soon as your daughter called. What’s bothering you?"
"My whole body is bothering me, that’s what," Gretchen Bly replied. "But the body isn’t the worst part, Pastor. It’s my soul that has me worried. All this talk of dying really scares me. I haven’t been able to sleep very well the past few nights. I just lay awake like I’m watching a replay of my whole life as it passes before my eyes. And you know what, Pastor," she said, with tears welling up in her eyes, "I don’t like what I see. I could have done a lot better with my life. I’ve been a religious person, I’ve been pretty regular at church and all, but I don’t know .... something is just not right. I don’t have any peace about it all. Actually, I think I’m afraid to die. I’m afraid to meet God. What will God think about a person like me, Pastor Gottsch? Does God’s love include me? Am I included in God’s eternal plans?"
The Epiphany answer to the question "Am I included in God’s eternal plans?, is a resounding YES!!
Epiphany shows that Jesus came for all people, no matter what!!
The light of the Epiphany season is shinning into our lives now.
Amen
Written by Pastor Tim Zingale, January 2, 200
