Matthew 2:1-12
Every year the church celebrates Epiphany on January 6 and honors the story of the wise ones, astrologers who followed an amazing star to find a newborn king. In our time Epiphany falls right after the Twelve Days of Christmas, so we think of the journey as taking 12 days. In traditional Christmas pageants this story comes at the end, right after the shepherds, so it takes about 5 minutes. Last week we read that King Herod tried to eliminate this new king and murdered baby boys two years and younger, so that implies that the journey took much longer, which makes sense as there would be planning involved and camels aren’t the fastest mode of travel. No matter how we understand the timing, this story is about Jesus being recognized as royal by people of other faiths and nationalities. Matthew tells it as an infancy story, and we love it that way. It’s also about people conviction that no matter who you are, where you live or how you worship, Jesus’ message is important to you.
The theme of Epiphany is light. It’s symbol is the bright star that amazed everyone who saw it. Light has many important meanings and all of them apply here. We say Jesus is the light of the world and mean that he’s inspiring, that he illuminates our understanding of God and God’s will and ways. When Jesus talked about God during his teaching, people were introduced to a god who was loving and just, rather than judgmental and capricious. They “met” God in a new way, different from the religion they’d been taught by the priests and rabbis. It was a “revelation” that God could care for them and not just require difficult obedience.
Jesus as the light of the world also means that he shines the light of truth into situations which are deceiving. The religious authorities of his day talked about God in ways that benefited them financially or with power. The political authorities used religion to reinforce their own power which benefited them financially as well. When Jesus spoke of God as loving, encouraging us to be compassionate and merciful, he exposed the lies people had been told. This light helps us today see how leaders can manipulate religion for personal gain.
Jesus as the light of the world is inclusive. Matthew wants people to know that Jesus isn’t just for the Jews but can be a benefit to everyone. It took generations for the message of Jesus to spread past the Jewish hope for a Messiah to impact the Gentile world. Early church leaders argued back and forth about who can be included as a Jesus follower, and inclusive won. Jesus included rich and poor, men/women/children, those who were ill and scary to their neighbors, and those whose employment led others to ostracize them. The message is meant to be expansive. We celebrate that when we highlight that everyone is welcome in the life of our congregation. In the twenty-first century we understand this to apply to people of all faiths, not just those who call themselves Christian. The values and principles Jesus taught are held in common by Christians, Jews and Moslems. They are matched by the teachings of the Buddha and by other eastern holy ones. Jesus’ vision is bigger than one person or even one movement. It embraces everyone and invites all people to see what’s here and how it enhances their own beliefs. (And invites us to see what gifts people of other faiths bring to us – the gold, frankincense and myrrh of their teachings.)
Jesus as the light of the world is hopeful. Scripture tells us that “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.” I don’t know about you, but often when life overwhelms it feels good to light a candle in the room. Candlelight represents hope. When we worship, we light candles. When we march or protest, we carry candles. When we pray, we light candles. Light represents our conviction that there is always hope. Jesus lived in terrible times – war, slavery, poverty, despair – and he told people that God cared about them and they could care about each other. He taught them that they could change the way things are and establish life in the pattern of God’s good vision. Using contemporary language, we say Jesus believed in the power of evolution – life getting better bit by bit. Jesus believed in the ability of people to change – to become more honest, kinder, fair, generous. Jesus invited everyone to become creators of God’s future and to believe they could make a difference.
In the northern hemisphere Christmas and Epiphany fall when the solstice has turned and light is growing. All these hopeful themes get tied up with our longing for longer days and warmer times, for growth and renewal.
In our country they mark the beginning of a new year with its resolutions and commitments. We’re still hoping, at least for a while, that we’ll make things new in our own lives this year.
They also come as legislative sessions are beginning, with folks of all persuasions thinking about laws and programs that will be helpful to our common life.
And at the beginning of a new semester with new classes to discover and new people to meet.
We are given the opportunity to reflect on how our faith and our learning, our work and our connections to people all work together to make something good, something better for everyone.
This is the time of light and hope and discovery. May God bless what we make of it this year.