The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Leaving the Manger to Heal Broken Relationships

Scripture Readings

Isaiah 60: 1-6 (NRSV)
  

Arise, shine; for your light has come,

and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

For darkness shall cover the earth,

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the LORD will arise upon you,

and his glory will appear over you.

Nations shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around;

they all gather together, they come to you;

your sons shall come from far away,

and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.

Then you shall see and be radiant;

your heart shall thrill and rejoice,

because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,

the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

A multitude of camels shall cover you,

the young camels of Midian and Ephah;

all those from Sheba shall come.

They shall bring gold and frankincense,

and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.

Psalm 72 (Book of Common Prayer, page 685)

1

Give the King your justice, O God, *
and your righteousness to the King's Son;

2

That he may rule your people righteously *
and the poor with justice;

3

That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
and the little hills bring righteousness.

4

He shall defend the needy among the people; *
he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

5

He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
from one generation to another.

6

He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *
like showers that water the earth.

7

In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.

10

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *
and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.

11

All kings shall bow down before him, *
and all the nations do him service.

12

For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *
and the oppressed who has no helper.

13

He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
he shall preserve the lives of the needy.

14

He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.

Matthew 2: 1-12 (NRSV)

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 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." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

`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.'"

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 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." 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. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Blog Reflection

Esther de Waal in her book: "Living with Contradiction: An Introduction to Benedictine Spirituality" she writes:

Our God, the God of love, does not want a broken and divided self.  He created us for fullness of life. He created each of us to be a free son or daughter, that son or daughter whom in our deepest being each of us longs to be, to become.  And we all know in our heart of hearts (even if we are unwilling to admit it) that this healing of our divisions, this search for wholeness, must be an ongoing process. There is no once and for all moment when we can say that at last we are whole, the past is buried and over, the hurts forgotten, the wounds healed.  Instead we find that it is a search that we  must expect to be continued throughout our lives (pages 11-12).

The Christian life, in fact all of human life is forever in a tension of contradictions.  Hot and cold.  Dry and wet.  Up and down.  Left and right.  Time and eternity.  Life and death.  Same and different.  Already, but not yet.  Fast and slow.  Love and hate.  Healed and broken.

The reality is that in this world there will always be those things we understand and do not make sense.  That is how life is.  The tension between what actually is; and has yet to be is constant.  No place is this more true than the relationship between God and humankind.  The God who is holy and merciful becomes human in Jesus Christ to heal a broken humanity.  Though Christ came and died for sins and rose again, sin and death still remain.

The Epiphany (revelation) of God in Jesus is a reminder that God has come to be with us in those tensions.  God's presence and grace came then, and is still with us in the Holy Spirit.  God's perfect revelation was manifested in the Person of Jesus, and the actions of one who is both God and human interacting with all humankind in one place to be found in many locations.

The arrival of the Magi to offer the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh are a reflection of Jesus' three fold life as king, priest and prophet.  At the same time, they reflect a servant, a Savior and One who's message of here and now; still has a future fulfillment.  The best has already been.  The very best is yet to come.

In Christ's Baptism the innocent man who never sinned, purifies the water by his humility to be there in the place of one who is most in need of repentance.   This part of our Epiphany celebration prefigures the death Jesus will die on the Cross as the spotless lamb who is slaughtered as a common criminal.

Jesus' first miracle at Cana shows how something as simple as water can become the sweetest and best tasting wine in John 2: 1-12.   The death of Jesus Christ that is so bitter and horrible, turns out to be the way to eternal life in the resurrection.

The manifestation of God to heal relationships will not happen without Jesus being in the middle of the brokenness of humankind. We must accept face the reality that we are so broken and wounded for us to seek healing and wholeness. We cannot find that healing on our own. We must look to the example of the life Jesus lived. We must witness his healing of those who are sick, vulnerable and on the margins of society and religion.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer (LGBTQ) people are constantly living in the midst of that tension of life.  In the story of creation, the Scriptures might read that God created male and female to be united in body and mind to be one.  However, the reality of our sexuality and identity says that we do not function quite that way.  Supposedly, our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression is chosen; a consequence of original sin.  Yet, when we try to change and run from the reality of who we are; the more miserable we become.  It is only when we accept ourselves as we are and settle the question between God, others and ourselves that we are able to find some true and redemptive peace. That something that is not suppose to be; is exactly what it is and there is no changing of how things are. Christianists and those continue to use our religion and the Scriptures to condemn us as if God is as prejudiced as they are.  Yet, our experience is one that when we are honest with God within the quietness of our own hearts and minds what we find that God loves us as we are.  God comes to us to heal that broken relationship between who Christianists say we are vs the reality of who God has created us to be.

LGBTQ people are an Epiphany of Christ in our modern times.  We are the change in the tension of those who want things to remain the same.  We are the call to acceptance that contradicts those who want to reject us.  We are the one's loved and cherished by God, our friends and families amidst constant messages of hate and degradation.   We are the ones settled about God's love for us while those who cannot settle problems of their own insist on creating chaos.

The marginalized of the Church and society are the one's who remind humankind that gifts do not always come neatly packaged.  Those who make us and others uncomfortable with our being so comfy, cause us to notice different things beyond ourselves.  When life stinks for others, we have the opportunity to be the best deodorizer with the sweetest of fragrance. Unconditional and all inclusive love can heal while hate continues to destroy.

If we are going to walk with the Magi and "go to our homes on a different road" from the Manger, we must be willing to walk with Jesus as he walks with us.  The new road should be one that we should want to travel as people who are being transformed by God's healing and abundant mercy.  Those broken relationships will always be there for us to work on.  There will be days we work on them better than others.  Sometimes we will be like the Pharisees who want to accuse the healer of creating a new problem.  Sometimes we will be the one who needs Jesus to heal us.  Other times, we will be called to walk the way towards Jerusalem to join Jesus on the Cross and experience resurrection with him. 

Are we ready to leave the Manger and begin to witness God's Epiphany of Jesus to us and all humankind?


Prayers

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son
to the Peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by
faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to
face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen. (Epiphany, Book of Common Prayer, page 214).

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, page 815).

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.  (Prayer attributed to St. Francis, Book of Common Prayer, page 833).