The Light Has Come
Preacher: Marcia C. Wilkinson

January 7, 2007

Matthew 2:1-12

We’re into the season of Epiphany- God showing forth the brilliance of his plan for us.  Even the sound of the word, “Epiphany” sparkles. Every hope of promise, all expectations we have anticipated this Christmas season, is captured by the word, “Epiphany”, or God’s shining forth.

I find it both fascinating and profound how the words of Scripture draw us into God’s master plan from different gospel perspectives.  In our weeks of Advent, God shined forth his plan for the coming of the Savior in the words of the angels who spoke to Elizabeth and Mary.  Later in Luke’s gospel, God shined on the lovely and familiar humble birth of Jesus, while giving deep thoughts to Mary; and, personal words to the lowly shepherds to go meet the Christ Child.  In John’s gospel, there is no manger.  Christmas means God’s brilliant Word became flesh, and leaped down to us in the person of Jesus Christ.  And, today, in Matthew, we have God shining forth over a period of months.  God’s light is the star that points to God’s plan of salvation that includes, not only the Jews, and people of humble origins- but gentile pagans throughout the whole world.

The brilliance of God shining forth in each of these gospels is God’s intent to shake up our seemingly ordered lives and our sense of comfort and stability.  God came close so that we might come to him.  God’s light invaded the world for one reason: the world suffered in darkness.  The light has come, because God saw what the world needed then, and what the world needs now.  The questions for us to explore this morning: how does God coming affect my life and yours?  And, will His coming make a difference to us as the Body of Christ this New Year?

In our staff discussion this week, we spoke of the two parts of the nativity from Luke and Matthew that Christian tradition has melded together, yet are two separate events.  The manger scene in Luke is the place set apart for the birth of Jesus.  Later, the wise men arrived to worship the young child, after several months on their long journey.  I know we will keep our nativity tradition because it holds special meaning for us.  Yet, I believe that if we view each event separately, we will see just how extraordinary God’s plan of salvation is.

The coming of the magi or wise men followed a particular star that shined to lead these pagan astrologers from the east.  We have given them the title of kings based on our psalm today and O.T. reading from Isaiah.  They were obviously men of means because of the gifts they brought to Jesus, but the magi were not necessarily kings.  They very well could have been experts in the occult from the priestly class of Persia or Babylonia.  Matthew’s gospel brings together the hopes of gentiles who follow the star to find a new king, and the hopes of Jews throughout O.T. Scripture who wait for the promised Messiah.

This is God’s brilliant answer to save the whole of his creation. These magi from the east did not even know they needed a messiah when they went looking for a king.  But, ironically, when they saw Jesus and worshiped him, they found much more than what they hoped to find.  This king was the Messiah, and would be their Savior.  God led.  They followed.  And, brought gifts, but received for themselves the greatest of all, the presence of God.

I have thought because of O.T. prophecy that the magi were men of faith who waited patiently for this holy event, yet it was totally God who used their vocation of studying the stars to inspire them.  God’s purpose was for the magi to experience the good news of Christ’s coming and then to carry the news back into their world- not as pagans, but as new believers who came and saw Christ and now returned home to tell the good news.  They were emissaries for God, God’s missionaries.  The light of Christ coming meant Christ came for everyone near and far.

However, we cannot speak of God shining forth for the world if we do not emphasize the power of Satan.  King Herod has been in our readings 3 times, and, this morning we need to expose him.  Herod represents the ‘why’ of God’s coming.  He was a ruthless, tyrant of a ruler engaged in wickedness to save his own title as king.  Herod would not only search to do away with Jesus when he heard of Jesus’ arrival as the Messiah, he stooped to the lowest level possible and ordered the killing of infant sons just to make sure no one took his rightful place on the throne.  The slaughter of the innocents is not what we want to hear at Christmas, nor first thing into the New Year.  Yet, this terrible tragedy is Satan at work!

Herod’s life- his inner hatred and self –absorption- was manifested outwardly with acts that we cannot even fathom.  Yet, such is the way of sin. Herod lived in darkness and despair, and captures the plight of our human condition.  Sin has left such a mark on all people that Jesus is the only way we can be reconnected with God.  Certainly we are not like Herod, are we?  Yes, we are!  Sin is going off under our own initiative without the guidance and leading from God in our lives.  Sin is separation, and taking pleasure in our own company rather than God’s.  Rebellion against the ways of God, and a willful self- centeredness give quite a description.  Maybe that is why the word sin is so odious to us. 

If sin goes against God then sin demands a response.  We call this judgment.  We often say God’s judgment is punishment in the suffering we experience.  Although Sin does bring pain, isolation and a certain loneliness to be sure, the truth is:  God’s judgment is not punishment for our waywardness, but an announcement that we have abandoned the way of life that is God’s way to live.  Throughout Holy Scripture, and in the life of Jesus, we see that it is not God’s purpose to punish and hurt us.  We do that pretty well on our own.

No, God allows our failures in sin to effect us.  They are painful, and, the consequences go deep.  And, God must expose our way of life that is lacking and destructive.  For what is lacking in God’s eyes is the good, just and right.  These cause a broken relationship and everything seems out of whack.  So God must shed light on our hearts, and our personal situations to show us what keeps us apart- with him, with each other.

We began with the word epiphany, God shining forth his brilliant plan for salvation for the world.  We come to the climax of epiphany today with the One who answered for our sin, and offers us the grandest gift of all- the gift of Jesus.  The cross of Christ is God’s final judgment on sin.  Because of his relationship with his Father, Jesus would endure Calvary and the cross for you and me.

The essence of Jesus’ baptism is his standing in our place so that our relationship with his Father, and ours can be made whole again.  His baptism is a preview of what will come in his passion- dying for sin that is not his. So what does this mean for you and me today?  Somehow God wants us to face where we are and where God created us to be.  Somehow we must discover his master plan.  The somehow is the ‘Someone’ whose name is Jesus.  The light of Christ has come, and we are invited to come to him face to face, either for the first time at the manger, or at the cross, or as one who has been searching on a journey a long time.  Whatever your story, today God calls us to come to the Light.  Come to Christ and see for yourself, and then go and tell the good news.

You may be thinking of all that needs to be done in the new year- things to improve our health and waistlines, new projects at work, what involvement we’ll have in our community, and hopes for the world situation.  We have many new things in ministry to consider, including the mission conference in February.  But God is not concerned first of all with what we are going to do or what we aren’t going to do in 2007.

Rather, everything begins with Epiphany.  God wants us close to Him, to shine his light on us and in us.  God asks us to stay close, to experience and live in his Light.  If in Christ, we will radiate his light and others will come to him.  God’s brilliant master plan is for all to come and see.  This is what God wants for you and me, for all the people of All Saints’.