“Arise & Shine! Shining a Light Beyond Bethlehem” January 8, 2023
Churchill Gilford Epiphany Sermon January 8, 2023
Based on: Isaiah 60:1-8 (Arise, Shine! Future Glory for Jerusalem) Matthew 2:1-12 (Magi/Visitors from the East)
After three years of pandemic, war, and economic problems, it felt like Isaiah’s prophecy of hope was fulfilled when I looked around at our New Year’s Day service celebration. A light suddenly shone down on us. People came from our churches, but also from a neighbouring one, friends and strangers gathered and shared stories and sang, laughed, and ate too many baked goods!
During the pandemic it was like we were in exile, stuck in our houses far from family or friends, and now we were not only able to see each other, we could sing, clap our hands, and celebrate. It was wonderful.
In today’s Scriptures, God promises to bring this light – to restore us and bring us peace and joy. We may still hear of all the doom and gloom and unhappy reports around us, of sickness, death, and war. We might feel weighed down by worry and grief, asking when will it ever end, God? Then suddenly, God shines a light, like a happy bubble of hope amidst the challenges. Like the sun peaking behind a wall of clouds. Suddenly we feel hope and renewal and we thank God and celebrate!
It must have been like that for the ancient Israelites that Isaiah writes about in today’s reading. They were taken away to Babylon and lived in exile for many years. Suddenly, a new king defeated their enemies, and they were able to return home to Jerusalem. Their city had been shattered. Yet now they were allowed to rebuild their temple and worship God again.
It was going to be a lot of hard work, and it would take time, but they must have wanted to shout for joy. Suddenly they could sing their old songs, and their children could play in the streets, and the world felt safe and good again. Hallelujah!
Isaiah’s prophecy pointed to this day when he said,
“Arise, and shine! For your light has come.”
God wasn’t just talking to the Israelites, he was talking to us, right here and now. Arise and shine! The light of the world has come. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. A light for everyone. Come and see for yourselves! Look at that star in the east!
The magi must have been a little worn and weary as they pulled their caravan of camels along, looking for that star. They weren’t even Jewish, but they heard a great king would be born and they wanted to see for themselves. “This world has been through enough,” they must have said. “All the war and bickering among us. Can’t we just be friends and get along?”
“I know: we’ll go to King Herod and tell him the good news, that the messiah king has been born. We’ll bring gold and frankincense and myrrh, so he will know we mean to pay our respects. We’re not the enemy anymore. We will kneel and worship the new king of Israel!”
However, not everybody wants to hear the good news. Not everybody will celebrate with us. Some people would rather keep things to themselves, thank you very much. Herod represents all of us when we say no to God. When we try to have our own way. When we don’t want to see what’s right in front of us. When we turn a blind eye, hide what we have, or shut down for fear of change. NO, no, no! we say. But God has other plans.
The wise men sense something’s wrong with Herod. He’s a jealous king. They go ahead and follow the star, find the baby Jesus, pay tribute, and escape Herod’s wrath by going a different way. They were safe – and now all the world will know a great king has been born! They rejoiced.
We may experience a similar thing. We see a sign of hope in our lives or world and want to follow a new path. But some people in our lives, or the powers that be, may get uncomfortable or feel threatened and not want us to change. They want us to stay the same and do as they say!
But God pushes us in a new direction. God shows up as a LIGHT amid the challenges and gives us hope IF we are looking for it. Our Scriptures today point to this light. We celebrate Epiphany, the day God reveals himself to us as the light of Christ.
But it’s not enough to acknowledge this. First we get hope, then we must act. We need to share this light with all. It’s time to reach out and extend that light to others, so they will know God’s love exists, too. God asks us to ARISE and SHINE, to be that light in the world.
Sometimes that means we may need to step out of our comfort zones and walk an unknown path, like the three wise men with their camels to Bethlehem. There may be robbers on the road, or they might be turned away. But they go anyway. They trust in the light that shines above them. And they get to witness a miracle. A baby born in a manger, the future messiah and king of Israel.
Sometimes it takes a big change to stir us to move like that. An opportunity that opens up wide. A suggestion from a friend for us to pursue a new path. A spark of hope to give us courage, to dare to shine brightly amidst the nay-sayers and those who do not believe.
When this happens, We must act BOLDLY; to believe and hope, and to act on this hope, amid the problems of this world. When we do this, we can become a light that shines the way for others to follow. We can be like a beacon of hope on the hill.
Churchill Gilford has that kind of Moxy, what the Jewish people called CHUTZPA! that kind of spark to take a bold action. To go a different path and believe in the impossible.
The ancient Israelites hoped for their city of Jerusalem to be restored beyond its former glory. And it was. They returned in droves and rebuilt their temple. We might pray for a tiny village of Innisfil to be restored and grow beyond what it once was. Where our children and our children’s children have hope, and will benefit from the good work we do to build a great community of peace and prosperity. Where everyone is well clothed, fed, educated, and given new opportunities. Where people work together from different churches, faith traditions, communities and organizations, to benefit the whole. Where we celebrate and welcome each other, extending God’s love to the stranger –a beacon on the hill pointing the way home.
I am constantly heartened by the spirit of this place. I have seen God’s light in action. In the way you care for community and welcome each other – making everyone feel like family, including me. I have felt the joy of being together this past Christmas season after a long pandemic, like the Israelites when they returned from exile. It felt like God is still shining his light on us and the world.
Jesus says, I am the light of the world. Will you come and follow me? He shows us the way every day. His light shines from Bethlehem and beyond, into our homes and streets, from our local communities out into a world in need. Each of us carries that light in some unique way. What seems impossible can be done when we get together and believe, when we act on our hope and do something to make it happen.
How can we shine the light beyond our known boundaries, extending our reach to make everyone feel welcome? To share God’s love right here, right now?
Krista’s Three things:
1. Celebrate the little joys with your family and community – enjoy the good times when God shines light in your world.
2. Be the light and extend that light to others beyond your known community – offer hope to the stranger, invite in the neighbour, embrace others as your own family.
3. Take risks – shine a little brighter. Be a beacon for all to see – even if some disagree. Follow Jesus wherever the path leads. Believe!
The gift of Epiphany is God revealing himself to us as the baby Jesus born for all, coming down and being with us amid our challenges. It’s not a secret to be kept for ourselves. It’s a LIGHT of hope we must become. Arise and shine, for all to see! You are a sign of God’s shalom (peace) and love for the world. May we be that light for all. Amen.