The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ: The Astrologers Got It Right

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 60:1-6, 9 (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 (BCP., p.685)


Ephesians 3:1-12 (NRSV)

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles-- for surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

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

This past Sunday, Jason and I took a small day trip to visit the historic Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault, Minnesota.  It is historic in that it was the original Episcopal Cathedral of Minnesota  in which the cornerstone was laid by The Rt. Rev. Henry Benjamin Whipple in 1858.  It was also the first Cathedral in The Episcopal Church.  We were warmly welcomed and enjoyed ourselves immensely. 

The Very Rev. Justin Chapman, the new Dean told us all in his sermon some incredible things.  Among them, is that we Christians have often gotten the Christmas story all wrong.  The inn that had no room for Mary and Joseph was not like a Days Inn.  It was an inn with a family space and a guest house.  The reason there was no room is because the guest house was already occupied and the family room also had one guest.  The Manger would not have been a wooden cradle with hay.  It was a cave where straw and food for the animals would have been.  Therefore, the Child Jesus would not have been in the cold, He was laid in a very warm place.  Fr. Chapman also gave me a bit of an education about the Magi.  Notice that no where in the Gospel of Matthew do we read the word "kings."  Instead we read about the "wise men" and we do not see the word "three" in there.  How many men (or possibly women) were there?  Additionally, the Magi would have been the outcasts of the outcasts of their day.  They were astrologers who read the stars.  Some very good insights indeed.

On this celebration of The Epiphany, the center of our worship today is the manifestation of God in Christ.  Another word for Epiphany is "revelation."  Jesus Christ was the perfected revelation of God's Self in The Word Incarnate.  The visit of the Magi and the offering their gifts to the Christ Child turns the page on the Christmas story.  The twelve days of Christmas are over.  Now a new chapter begins.  The Lord shows forth God's glory by not limiting God's Self to only one people with one way of thinking and/or believing.  Jesus Christ is the revelation of how God seeks the healing and reconciliation of all people with God, even those who are not the most included or accepted.  On the contrary, in Jesus, God manifests the presence and grace of God upon the lowly and poor.  For "He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, and dear shall their blood be in his sight" (Psalm 72:14).  "He shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, and the oppressed who has no helper" (Psalm 72:12). 

As the Church continues to struggle to be more inclusive and to share the Good News of Jesus in a world full of oppression, poverty and prejudice; the greatest challenge we have is facing the ways in which we have failed in our mission.  The Church too has our history of keeping the outcasts out because of our biases that we have in many cases nurtured.  Each time we discover something that we Christians have been getting it wrong, we begin a journey towards the Christ Child with the Magi to learning the truth about our faith in a new way. 

Maybe our journey will be guided by the astrologers who study the stars and their meaning again. 

Maybe heterosexual couples will learn how to better understand the value of their own relationships as the freedom to marry for same-gender couples becomes better known and accepted.

Maybe we will develop a greater understanding of how to eliminate gender bias, by learning to embrace and love transgender people. 

Perhaps if we allow our hearts to be punctured by the excessive racism that we saw in 2014, we just might do something about it in 2015.  

If all of us are really sick of our communities and schools threatened by gun violence; we might do more than just talk about reducing the violence, but actually become responsible and act to protect our children citizens and law enforcement.

Maybe we just might become better stewards of the earth and its many resources, and address the issue of climate change.

If the astrologers as in the Magi got it right about who Jesus was (and is), then so can we.  If the Magi can change the story about Jesus in a way that makes Him the Savior of those marginalized by society and the Church, so can we.  The Light of Christ is our guide to finding Jesus present in our sisters and brothers who cry out for justice, equality and peace.  If we follow the example of the Holy Family and the Magi, we can and most likely will make an impact on humankind that will be told in the here and now, and eventually into eternity.  

Wouldn't that be just wonderful?

Amen.


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.  (Collect for The Epiphany.  The Book of Common Prayer., p.214).

Gracious Father, we pray for thy holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen.  (Prayer for the Church.  The Book of Common Prayer., p.816).