Sermon Index
Epiphany Sunday, January 5, 2014
On Christmas Eve we celebrated the Birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In faith, we journeyed to Bethlehem and heard the Angels who sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Through the reading of the scriptures and in song and prayer, we went to the Manger and saw the New-Born Christ Child who was to become the Savior. Today we return to Bethlehem as we travel with the Wisemen. What will we see new today?
The thing that we will emphasize today is that Jesus was to become the Savior of the whole world. At Christmas, the shepherds and all who were there were Israelites. Jesus first came to the chosen people of Israel. Jesus was born under the Jewish Law. He fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament. But today, as we celebrate Epiphany, we celebrate that Jesus was the Savior of not only the Jews, but of the Gentiles, too.
The Wisemen were not Jews, but rather they came from the east, probably from the area of modern-day Iraq. They were not Jewish believers, rather they were pagans. They are called "Magi,h from which we get the English word "magic" and gmagician.h They were "Wisemen" because they studied many things, for example, the stars. They were not astronomers who studied the stars for science, rather they were more like astrologers, who wanted to cast fortunes and tell the future. We Christians denounce astrology and horoscopes because we trust God to take care of us now and in the future. So, the profession of the Wisemen is embarrassing for us. But, you know, for all our embarrassment, God worked a miracle in the sky so that the Birth of Jesus could be proclaimed throughout the entire universe. Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Modern theologians and modern astronomers do not know what star @or special phenomena the Wisemen saw. There are a number of guesses but that is all they are. Maybe it was a comet or a nova or the position of the planets in a constellation. But somehow, God revealed to them the meaning of the star.
And so they came to Jerusalem and said, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." It is interesting that even though they knew the child was the king of the Jews, the revelation of the star in the sky was not enough to guide them to the Christ Child. The detailed revelation was in the Bible, and it took the Bible scholars to reveal the information about the birth place of the Christ to the Wisemen. w'In Bethlehem in Judea,' they replied, 'for this is what the prophet has written: "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel." ' x And then the Wisemen went out and were overjoyed when the star led them right to the house where Jesus was! Then "they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of frankincense and of myrrh." These treasures just right for Jesus: gold is fit for a king, incense is fit for a priest during worship, and myrrh is fit for the Savior who would die on the cross. The gifts revealed the truth about Jesus.
And then God makes another revelation to the Wisemen in a dream, to return to their country by another route and not to tell Herod about Jesus.
In the story of the Wisemen, God has revealed to us a great mystery. It is not revealed by a star or other natural wonder. Natural wonders of beauty can reveal the power and glory of God, but true understanding is given through the Word of the Bible. In the Bible, the great mystery we learn is that Jesus, the King of the Jews, is also the Savior of the whole world. The Wisemen were only the first Gentiles to come and worship Jesus. Not only Jews, but Gentiles also are saved through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus' death on the cross was to forgive the sin of the world and so give the "peace on earth" about which the Christmas Angels sang. In today's Epistle lesson from Ephesians, St. Paul clearly reveals God's plan to save all people.
The Wisemen were told not to tell anyone, but rather to return home in secret. But we have been told something different. We have been told to tell everyone about the Christ Child. Jesus revealed the Great Commission to the Twelve Disciples and to all people who have become his disciples. gAll authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.h
When we give our offerings in Church, we are like the Wisemen. Our offerings are a symbol of our worship and faith. But our gifts to God are only a fraction of the wonderful gifts that he has given us. He has given us life, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life. And these are gifts that we can give to other people too, as we proclaim the Gospel. We tell the message that the Gospel is not for just a few people, but for all people who believe that the Christ Child is the Savior of the World.
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church