+ The Epiphany of Our Lord – January 6th,
2017 +
Redeemer Lutheran,
HB
Isaiah
60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
There’s something intriguing, suspenseful, and enjoyable about
a good mystery story. Whether it’s tracking the crook with Scooby Doo, Shaggy
and the gang, reading Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Father Brown or Sherlock
Holmes, watching NCIS, Law and Order, or CSI, or even playing Clue with family
and friends…we love a good mystery. We want to know, whodunit!? Was it Colonel
Mustard in the library with a candlestick or Miss Scarlett in the kitchen with
a lead pipe?
According to Paul in Ephesians 3, there’s an Epiphany mystery
afoot. He even uses the Greek word mysterium
(mystery) four times.
The prophet Isaiah gives us a few clues.
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee… And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the
brightness of thy rising.
Even St. Matthew plays the part of a good mystery writer and
casts the wise men as the inquisitive detectives:
In the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from
the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the
Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
There’s even a villain in this Christmas caper. Herod will
stop at nothing to keep his self-appointed title of “king of the Jews”. He
sends the Magi to do his dirty work for him and later murders all males under 2
years old in Bethlehem as the Holy Family escapes to Egypt
In the Scripture’s way of speaking, a mystery isn’t so much a
problem to be solved, but a hidden word and promise of God that He reveals. So,
when St. Paul speaks of a mystery he’s speaking of a revelation, not of
information but of the appearance person. Not a case to be closed, but more
like a gift to be opened, revealed and received.
The Good News that was hidden before in the prophets has now
been revealed in Jesus. As St. Paul declares…
This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through
the gospel.
According to Paul, in our Lord’s Epiphany, Jesus the Savior is
revealed for all people. Jesus the Savior is revealed to you and for you.
That’s what that little word “Epiphany” means; to reveal,
appear, make known. The star revealed the birth of a king to the wise men. The
prophet Micah revealed to Herod and the wise men that the Messiah (the Christ)
was to be born, not in Jerusalem, but in Bethlehem. The magi’s gifts and
worship reveal their faith in Jesus: Gold confesses Jesus to be a king;
Frankincense confesses him to be God in human flesh; and myrrh confesses his
death, for he came to be a sacrifice for you. And God’s dream sent to warn the
wise men reveal Herod’s true wickedness.
And just like the wise men, we are blind without God’s Word.
As Isaiah reveals for us, the darkness of sin covers the earth. Thick darkness
of death, doubt, despair, and wickedness shroud our hearts. Apart from God’s
Word reveals, not only are we blind in sin we are blind to the true depth of
our sin. Herod has nothing on our murderous, treacherous, two-faced sinful
hearts. If we want to join the wise men in finding Christ, we must close our
eyes to all that glitter in the world and find in this humble child our true and
only treasure. Put away all selfish desires. Look to the concern of others and
count our neighbor as more important than ourselves. In other words, to repent.
And rejoice with the wise men in the revelation of the
Epiphany mystery. To find in this holy Child the One who finds you and rescues
you. In our Lord’s Epiphany, Jesus the Savior is revealed for all people. Jesus
the Savior is revealed to you and for you.
And like any good mystery story, our salvation happens in the
most unexpected of ways with a most unexpected Savior.
God becomes man and is born, not only as the King of the Jews,
but the Gentiles as well. Jesus is born to lowly, unknown, humble people. The
Almighty God and Lord of all is born of a Virgin and laid in a manger for all.
Jesus’ birth reveals the kind of Savior he is: Jesus is born for the outsider,
the foreigner, the outcast, lowly, losers, and sinners. Jesus is born for you.
To demonstrate his mercy Jesus takes on all our misery. To
reveal his grace Jesus bears our guilt. To make known his salvation Jesus becomes
our sin. To manifest his deep love for you Jesus dies in your place. And not
just for little sins and little sinners, but for the chief of sinners: the
likes of Paul and you and me.
We who were not God’s people are now his children. We who were
dead in our trespasses and sin are made alive in Christ Jesus. We who were lost
in sin, death and darkness have been found by the Divine Detective himself,
Jesus Christ who is the Light of the world.
This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through
the gospel.
In our Lord’s Epiphany, Jesus the Savior is revealed for all
people. Jesus the Savior is revealed to you and for you.
A blessed Epiphany to each of you…
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
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