Sermon (St. Philip’s –
Holy Eucharist, Rites I
Isaiah 60:1-6, 9 Arise,
shine; for your light has come.
Psalm 72:1-7,
10-14 He shall have pity on the lowly
and poor; he shall preserve the lives of the needy.
Ephesians
3:1-12 I have become a servant
according to the gift of God’s grace.
Matthew 2:1-12 Wise men from the East came to
For minds to think, and
hearts to love, and hands to serve, we thank you, God. Amen.
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe, but this is already the
first Sunday of 2008. I hope you were
able to ring in the New Year in a way that was most meaningful to you. I was able to celebrate with a small group of
good friends this year.
Our conversation was lively
and far-reaching as we gathered by the fire on a chilly New Year’s Eve (chilly
by
I think it’s a natural and
wonderful thing to pause at this time of year for reflection, for stepping back
and discovering the longer view, and considering the wider perspective of what
we have experienced… and what we hope to experience in the future. Certainly, many among us are pondering our
New Year’s resolutions for 2008! This is
a season for reflection and expectation.
This is a day of looking back and looking ahead.
It’s also hard to believe
that it’s already been twelve days since our wonderful celebration of
Christmas. If you are anything like me,
you are probably still sifting through a cascade of memories. We gathered with family and friends, in a
season that even here in
We gathered here in this
church for beautiful services of lessons and carols that stirred our memories
and engaged our lives of faith. The
music and prayers were transporting, lifting us to profound places of faith and
recollection.
And now it seems, before we
know it, we have reached the twelfth day of Christmas, for today is
Epiphany. This is the feast the ancient Church
came to call Epiphany. Today is the
beginning of a season that lasts until Lent, during which we recall and
celebrate a great theophany, or the manifestation of God, in the newborn baby
Jesus.
This is the feast day on
which we recall the inspiring story of the coming of wise men from the East. They came to pay homage to the newborn Christ
child, and offer precious gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The tradition of the visit of
the Magi grew through the early centuries of Christian tradition. Symbols with rich meaning emerged from this
account with time. Names were attributed
to the so-called kings: Balthazar, Melchior, and Gaspar.
The
Magi were a learned class in ancient
The story of the Magi may
have started simply, but from the beginning this has been a tale that struck a
special chord with Christians. And so,
as the story was told and retold, faithful believers passed down wisdom that
speaks to the heart of our Christian tradition.
Symbolic meaning was revealed
in each of the gifts offered to the newborn Christ child. According to renowned scripture scholar
Raymond Brown, “[along with] this symbolism which related the gifts to
different aspects of Jesus ([that of] king, God, [and] suffering redeemer),
there developed a symbolism relating them to different aspects of Christian
response: gold symbolizing virtue, incense symbolizing prayer, and myrrh,
suffering.”
All this remarkable symbolism
invites us to unpack the richness of our religious experience as we reflect on
the birth of Jesus. That’s really the
point of this story after all. Brown
notes that Matthew’s infancy narrative can be seen as a gospel in
miniature. “The gospel is the good news,
but the gospel must have a passion and rejection, as well as success.” We witness hardship: there is no room at the inn and soon they
must travel by night to
Still, even in the struggle,
undeniable hope is revealed. Something
that quickly emerges from our reflection on the story of the Magi: the realization that Jesus is the Messiah,
the bringer of Good News to all people.
It is striking that this band
of Persian wisdom seekers enters the Christian story, early in the gospel of
Matthew. This is gospel that brings good
news to all people, in all places.
It seems Christians have been
reaching out and meeting diverse people from the very beginning of our
tradition. Brown explains, “In the
persons of the magi Matthew was anticipating the Gentile Christians of his own
community. Although these had as their
birthright only the revelation of God in nature, they had been attracted to
Jesus; and… they had come to believe in and pay homage to the Messiah.”
Brown: “the presence of
Gentile worshipers in Matthew’s community was not the result of the failure in
God’s plan for
It is important to note that
this encounter with people outside the gathered community of faith was
foundational to development of Christian tradition. Matthew emphasizes this by showing that the
first to pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews were Gentiles from the
East.
These key figures, the Magi,
were witnesses to God’s incarnation from outside our tradition. The Magi represent people outside our inner
circle, joining on a journey to discover God’s action and presence. They also invite us to open our awareness to
all that God is doing around us, including in the lives of people outside our
inner circle.
This well-loved story may
well have been telling of the first interfaith encounter in Christian
tradition. More importantly, our
encounter with the Magi in our reflections this morning foreshadows the many
encounters Christians have had with peoples of diverse faith through our
history.
This past year we have seen a
remarkable turn here at St. Philip’s. In
a mode not unlike the Magi who left their familiar surroundings and sought to
pay homage to the newborn Christ child, we have turned our gaze outside our own
four walls to witness the power of God at work in diverse people around us.
We have turned our attention
outside St. Philip’s reaching out to meet the needs of our wider
community. We have begun to embrace a
spirit of change and growth as a church that is moving from maintenance to
mission. You’ve probably heard the
phrase “M2M” many times.
M2M does not diminish the
wonderful ways we have witnessed God present in our midst at St. Philip’s. Rather, our work in moving from maintenance
to mission is an invitation to meet God in our changing outlook. Theologian Joan Chittister aptly observes
that “when life changes under our feet, despite our resistance, without our
permission, it is an invitation to growth.”
As we join in the work of God
in the world, we open ourselves to God’s transforming power in the lives of
people around us. Many from St. Philip’s
are already discovering this truth through their active work of outreach.
Our youth group recently
initiated a project with Ronald McDonald House over the holidays and now is
looking to build on this inspiring work in an ongoing relationship.
Later this morning, friends
from Interfaith Community Services will share good news about their compelling
work and how we can join with them. This
important interfaith effort is one of many ways that St. Philip’s is commitment
to joining with the work of God in the world.
It seems we have been
adopting an “Epiphany Spirit” for quite some time. The New Year invites us to widen our welcome,
as we join with others who are striving build a stronger community; with others
who are striving to witness God’s transforming presence in our world.
The wise men encountered God
in Jesus, and were overwhelmed with joy.
They offered their gifts and returned home by another road. At Epiphany, we, too are invited to witness
God’s transforming power, offer the gift of ourselves and in so doing be
changed forever. Amen.