ἐπιφάνεια: The Dawning Of Light Upon The Darkness

Sunday January 4, 2009 Rev. Robert L. Clark II Epiphany Sunday Matthew 2:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 2:1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2:2 asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." 2:3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 2:4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 2:5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 2:6 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" 2:7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 2:8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." 2:9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 2:10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 2:11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 2:12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

ἐπιφάνεια: The Dawning of Light upon the darkness On January 6, two days from today the church will celebrate Epiphany or “Dia de Reyes”. On this day we celebrate the arrival of the Magi, the wise men from the east, who have traveled a great distance to pay homage to the infant King, the baby Jesus. Their story is a familiar one. Perhaps it is too familiar. The word ‘epiphany’ comes from the Greek “ἐπιφάνεια” and signifies the dawning of light upon the darkness. A new light shone in the heavens and the Magi followed it in search of the 1

light which had come into the world. They came seeking the one of whom John wrote, “What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” The Magi saw a distant light in the sky and when they did they dropped everything, risked everything, in order to worship that which the light illuminated. They did not know where the journey would take them or what dangers, what trials, they would face along the way, nor what they would find if and when they arrived at the place toward which the star guided them. In this they remind us of Abraham. Abraham, who also set out on a journey into the unknown in search of …in search of what? What would compel a man, a king, three kings, to leave the comforts of home behind and set out on a journey into the unknown? Why does the moth leave the darkness only to be consumed by the flame, the light, to which it is inexplicably drawn? There is something in human and moth that longs for light; longs for it with such intensity that it would be better to perish in the quest for it than to live comfortably in the darkness. There is in every human being an inborn longing for the sacred, for the sublime. It is as if God crafted the creature in such a way that it is incomplete until and then only when consciously experiencing God’s presence. “in ipso vita erat et vita erat lux hominum (In him was life; and the life was the light of men.)” To live without the light is merely to exist. To merely exist is to deny our God given potential for life. Jesus came to bring life and to bring it abundantly. To trade the dangers of seeking the light amongst the craggy sunlit peaks for the comfort of the dark familiarity of the cave is to deny the life that Christ purchased for us with his blood.

2

We are created by and for the light. We are created by and for God. Yet some of us, many of us, prefer the cave, prefer the darkness. As John testified concerning Jesus, “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.” (NRSV John 1:9-11) It is sometimes easier to believe in the reality of the shadows than it is to believe in the light that is their source. Mankind marvels at the faith of Abraham, the faith of Moses, of the Magi. We should rather marvel that these are unusual. The marvel is that anyone should prefer the shadows to the light. The marvel is that anyone should prefer a life half lived to the abundant life that is to be found in Christ Jesus. Of course, there are costs. I do not wish to mislead anyone concerning the costs. The faith journey, the journey into the light, is not always the easy. T. S. Elliot described the Magi’s journey with these words: 'A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a long journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter.' And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory, Lying down in the melting snow. There were times we regretted The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces, 3

And the silken girls bringing sherbet. Then the camel men cursing and grumbling And running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly And the villages dirty and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it. At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches, With the voices singing in our ears, saying That this was all folly.

When we choose to turn toward the light, those who are still focused on the shadows will deride and ridicule our decision. One who has not experienced the light, one who has not experienced an epiphany, a moment of blinding brilliance, cannot possibly understand. For one who has known nothing but shadow, reality has no other form. It is impossible to imagine life in the light. It is impossible to imagine life in Christ. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (NRSV John 3:16) The move from shadow into light is both birth and death. It is a new beginning and it is an end. To live in the light is to leave the life of shadow behind. Abraham never returned to Haran, nor Moses to Egypt. Again from T.S. Elliot: All this was a long time ago, I remember, 4

And I would do it again, but set down This set down This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly, We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death.

Once we have experienced the light that is Jesus Christ nothing else will satisfy. We who have become creatures of light, we of whom Jesus said, “You are the light of the world” can no longer find pleasure among the shadows. We cannot live comfortably in the darkness. It is the price we pay. It is the cost of freedom. It is a very small cost! A very small cost for eternal life lived in the presence of the light, the true light, Jesus Christ.

This morning we will be sharing together in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. John Wesley taught and we believe that the Lord’s Supper is what he called a converting sacrament. That means that through participation in this sacrament one’s eyes can be opened, one who has lived always in shadow may see the light, may experience an epiphany. As you come forward this morning to receive the elements, the bread and the cup, I urge you to pray that God will open

5

your eyes, that God will send the Holy Spirit to fan the embers glowing in our hearts into a roaring flame, a flame that will purify our souls and consume all traces of darkness in this place this morning. Amen.

6