“Arise and Shine!”
“Arise and Shine!”
EPIPHANY Reflection for January 7, 2024
for Churchill and Gilford Community of Faith
Sunday, January 7, 2024 SCRIPTURES:
Isaiah 60:1–6
Arise, shine, for your light has come!
Matthew 2:1–12
The magi (three wise men) visit the baby Jesus
Scripture Summary:
In Third Isaiah, the Israelite exiles have returned from Babylon. But they have lost everything. It is still full of hardship, and loss. The prophet promises transformation. God’s Light will shine, and all previous heartache, violence and bloodshed will be forgotten. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is born, the Messiah, but unlike Luke’s gospel with the virgin Mary, shepherds, and angels, we have King Herod and three magi or wise men from the East, astrologers travelling by a star leading to the little child of Bethlehem. Strangers discover this blessed child, the One who is God.
SERMON
Yesterday was EPIPHANY.
Epiphany means “divine manifestation”
or a sudden revelation or insight.
God tries to WAKE US UP by sending us something
UNEXPECTED, something we’ve never seen before.
Has anyone ever had a sudden “epiphany”?
Maybe we went through a hard time like an illness, job loss, death of a family member. And suddenly we were open to new insights. We are often more open when we go through something hard.
Epiphanies also may come to those we do not expect – Jesus came to those who were least appreciated in his society – children, outcasts, sinners, lepers, widows, orphans. Jesus came to bring them hope.
STORY: KIDS PERSPECTIVE – LOSS, CONFUSION
Over the Christmas holidays, I had a chance to reconnect with my children. And it was wonderful to finally see them after many months or years since they moved out.
As a minister, I have been wanting to connect more with youth and teens, to understand their perspective, and this was an important step.
Frankly I was worried about youth – the opioid crisis, increased numbers of suicide, isolation, lack of purpose or clarity, confusion, and their fears of the future.
The world is changing. Whether we like it or not, agree with it or not. Each generation comes and challenges the previous one, and points toward a new direction.
For example, do you remember when Rock and roll and the music of Elvis was considered devil’s music? Then it became the norm. In the sixties, the flower children completely turned the world on its head with free love and peace not war.
Each generation doesn’t understand the next. That’s OK. Growth and change are inevitable, and healthy. And sometimes messy. Even though it’s hard to see or hear something new, or have differing opinions, it’s important to listen, to be open to a new perspective.
So when I had the opportunity to connect with my children, I listened, and shared.
We spoke for many hours about various topics and challenged each other. (I like to think I am neutral or in the middle, but none of us is ever impartial. We all bring with us certain ideas and prejudices. But I tried.)
One thing I learned is that my kid’s generation cares very deeply. They care about each other, and their world. They are very passionate. They read and watch voraciously; they are exposed to more information in one day than most of us could even begin to fathom in a lifetime in the past.
Before the days of the internet, we’d have to go the library or watch satellite television, or go visit places far away, or read encyclopedias that were out of date the moment they were written.
Or rent countless DVDs to learn even a fraction of what is possible NOW.
Don’t even mention AI – and no that does not just mean Artificial Insemination for the dairy farmers. Artificial Intelligence. Our kids and grandkids are absolutely in a unique situation. This has never happened before at such an exponential rate, it’s explosive.
Information changes rapidly, they can see it coming from halfway around the world in seconds.
That can be terrifying.
Fear-based news floods their systems daily (and ours), affecting their mental health.
They see catastrophic things up close like: fires burning across our countries, hurricanes, pandemics, wars, and the like, and fear worse things to come.
Some of you may have seen war or poverty up close. But for them the war is in their minds and on the screens. They don’t know what to believe or to focus on. How to discern reality when politics motivates every discussion and corporate monies rule the world.
With all this technology they feel isolated, addicted and even angry. It’s like they can’t get out ofthe matrix.
THE MATRIX
Do you remember that movie The Matrix from the 90s?
They have a choice between the red pill or the blue pill.
The red pill helps them see the truth of what’s going on so they can be free. The blue pill keeps people stuck inside the matrix. So the kids today may feel they’ve taken the red pill seeing what is wrong in our world, and the adults have taken the blue pill and don’t want to see it or want to keep things the same.
A PROPHET IS NOT WELCOME IN THEIR OWN TOWN Often those on the outskirts of society are the ones who see the truth before those on the inside, or those who have power. That was true of the prophets like Isaiah in the Bible. They pointed to truth – they warned people what not to do, and how to draw closer to God.
It’s important to listen to those on the outside. Especially to our youth. They might be pointing to an important truth.
As Jesus said, “A prophet is not welcome in his own hometown.” I’m not saying all our kids are prophets, but we can all be blind to the words of the wise at times. It’s like the adage says,
“We can’t see the forest for the trees.”
We all get too busy living life, paying bills, taking care of kids or dogs, businesses, to worry about all the chaos out there. But kids today may be seeing the signs before we are.
EXAMPLE: THE THREE MAGI
Like the three magi. Or Three wise men, astrologers from the East who travelled hundreds of miles to see the Christ child. They were not Jewish, but they saw the sign before anyone else. They were walking along following the light of the biggest star shining in the sky – pointing the way toward Bethlehem.
KING HEROD AND THE MASACRE OF THE INNOCENTS
They went to see the King Herod, the King of the Jews to find out where the Messiah was born. But he didn’t know! He was too busy protecting his own power. He was fearful of change.
Those in power do not always know or see the truth.
Sometimes wisdom comes from a stranger, or a little child.
The three wise men found the Christ child, and knew he was very valuable. They gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then the magi were warned in a dream NOT to go back the same way, to avoid King Herod and his violence.
Herod was so afraid of this little child Jesus that he had all the children in Bethlehem under the age of two slaughtered. It was a devastating loss.
But the light always wins.
Joseph the father, also had a dream to take Jesus and Mary out of Judea and keep the boy hidden in Egypt until King Herod died. And so he did. And the child was safe and able to return when he was older to fulfill his mission.
To reveal God’s Love to all the nations.
His signs are still with us if we are open to receive them. But It’s hard these days to discern the truth. The news gives us all kinds of mixed information and powerful corporations rule us; there is very little truth to be found there.
Our children have lost connection to the faith we share today.
Many do not even know the Lord’s prayer.
The internet has not always been a blessing.
THE GOOD NEWS
But the GOOD NEWS is God offers us an EPIPHANY in Christ. Jesus comes to save us from the confusion –
Jesus is the truth we seek.
He teaches us to LOVE God and LOVE our neighbour as ourselves.
But we must seek this truth. And do our part.
We must be like the magi and go out to meet him. Go out to help the stranger, feed the hungry, help our youth thrive, offer hope. To believe and see the LIGHT when it comes. Even if it comes in the words of a child or young adult. Or a stranger.
We must rise up and follow that star wherever it leads us.
Even if it makes us quite uncomfortable.
Krista’s Three Things:
So… What are some ways we can be open to an EPIPHANY, something new we didn’t see before?
1. God often comes in the guise of strangers or children. Cherish and protect them, as God protected the magi and the Christ child.
2. Light often comes during difficult times. Look for the signs, remembering God comes to us in unexpected ways.
3. Be open to signs of hope. Turn off the news or internet for a while and have a nice conversation with a friend or loved one. Love is more important than knowledge. You might learn something new from them!
FINAL MESSAGE
After talking to my kids, I felt challenged and hopeful. Some of my own comforts were challenged, and we also shared a lot of hope. My children taught me to care for the world, not to ignore it, to pay attention and do what I can.
For example, I am growing a garden in my backyard.
We adopted rehomed pets, and I am hopeful to connect with youth in our community to help fuel their dreams.
I try to share my hope by reminding them:
GOD IS WITH US
JESUS is THERE for you
The season of EPIPHANY is the source of our hope:
“For God so loved the world, that God gave his only begotten Son that we might not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).
ISAIAH says:
“ARISE AND SHINE! For your LIGHT has come.”
The Messiah has come – a light for all nations and all generations.
God comes as a little child.
God comes to strangers in the night.
God comes to you and me in Christ,
but will we recognize his Light?
Will we welcome it?
The LIGHT comes to those who are seeking it.
Who are willing to step out of their comfort zones. So let’s step out in faith.
Let’s listen and share the GOOD NEWS.
May we be blessed with this LIGHT, and open to a new road.
May we follow that star wherever it leads us and
welcome the child Jesus
who is the answer to our prayers.
As Isaiah says, “and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6). May it be so.
Amen.