Category: Epiphany

Epiphany

1/9/2022

Adoration of the Magi, Claude Vignon, French, 1593 - 1670, Public Domain.

Matthew 2:1-12
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
January 5, 2022

The word Epiphany comes from the Greek for appearing or manifesting. It is commonly used to refer to the manifestation of God. So, in the Epiphany season, we celebrate God’s manifestation to mankind, that is, that God shows himself to us. What is truly remarkable about this Epiphany of God, is that he manifests himself to the gentiles.

Gentile simply means nation. In the Bible the gentiles are all the non-Jewish nations. If you read through the Old Testament, you get the sense that the children of Israel are the good guys and the gentiles are the bad guys. God commands the children of Israel to destroy the gentiles that are in Canaan, so that they may possess it as their own nation. God forbids the children of Israel from marrying the daughters of the gentiles, lest they draw them to worship false gods and turn them away from Him. And of course, that is exactly what the children of Israel do. They marry foreign women and worship their false gods, even sacrificing their children to these demon idols. God punishes Israel for their unfaithfulness by sending the gentiles to make war against them. Again, the gentiles are seen as the enemies of God’s people. The children of Israel are constantly praying to the Lord for deliverance from the gentiles. And finally, Assyria takes the northern kingdom of Israel captive, scattering the children of Israel across her empire, and then Babylon takes Judah captive, scattering the children of Israel throughout her empire. Babylon is the epitome of evil. God’s people pray against Babylon. God’s prophets prophesy the destruction of Babylon. The gentiles are the enemy of God’s people. God’s people, the children of Israel, look forward to a redeemer, the Christ, who will finally rescue them from their enemies.

And so, it seems so strange that these gentiles from a far distant land to the east have come to Jerusalem and ask where is he who is born King of the Jews, because they have seen his star and have come to worship him! These gentiles seek him who is born King of the Jews. And to locate him, King Herod asks the chief priests and scribes where the Christ would be born, the Christ, who was promised by God to redeem the people of Israel. This seems strange, but this Christ, born King of the Jews, is born for these gentile pilgrims as well. He is born for all people to save them from their sins.

And how do we know this? The same way we know that he was born in Bethlehem: through Holy Scripture. The wisemen followed a star in search of the Christ. But when they got to Jerusalem, the star appears to have set. So, they go to the palace, a natural place to look for a king. But it is not until after they consult Holy Scripture and read from the Prophet Micah, that they discover that the Christ-child is born in Bethlehem. The star was not enough. They needed God’s holy Word.

And if you read through the Old Testament, you will find that God is not the God of the Jews only, but the God of the gentiles also. Rahab, Ruth, and Naaman are notable gentiles, who abandoned their false gods to worship the God of Israel. And the prophets frequently made prophecies of the gentiles gathering to worship the Lord. The patriarch Jacob prophesied of his son, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” (Genesis 49:10). So, even before the twelve sons of Israel became twelve tribes, Israel prophesied that the gentiles should come and pay tribute to the Christ. We heard the Prophet Isaiah declare, “For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising.” (60:2-3) This also shows that the gentiles would be enlightened by the Gospel and come to worship Christ.

Psalm 67 declares, “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon the earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!” And Psalm 117 states, “Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples.” These passages show that all nations will worship the God of Israel. And again, Isaiah prophesies of the Christ, the root of Jesse, when he says, “In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire” (Is. 11:10) And there are many other passages from Scripture that show that the Christ, who is born King of the Jews, comes to save not only the people of Israel, but also the gentiles. He comes to save everyone.

Yet, how did these gentile wisemen know this? And how did they know that they should follow the star and that the star would lead them to the Christ, the King of the Jews? Some say that they received a revelation from the Lord, which makes sense, since an angel of the Lord did speak to them in a dream warning them not to return to Herod, but to go home another way. Yet, I think it is more convincing that these gentile wisemen read about the Christ and his star in holy Scripture.

When God punished Israel and Judah by sending them into captivity and scattering them among the nations, he did not do this only for the sake of punishing them. God never does that. God’s primary desire is to show mercy. God scattered the people of Israel across the nations, not only to bring them to repentance and salvation, but in order to save the gentiles as well. Because, when God scattered the people of Israel, he also scattered some of the faithful. And these faithful brought the holy Scriptures with them. This is how so many gentiles became proselytes, that is, converts to the true faith. These gentile wisemen likely read about the Christ in holy Scripture and heard how he comes to save them from their darkness of sin and unbelief as well.

What’s more, I think it is very probable that these gentile wisemen, who studied many things, including the stars and constellations of the sky, saw a star they had never seen before rise out of Israel, so they consulted holy Scripture to discover its meaning.   And they found this prophecy from the Prophet Balaam, a strange gentile prophet, who prophesied for the LORD God of Israel, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” (Numbers 24:17) And these gentile wisemen concluded that that star rising out of Israel would lead them to him who is born King of the Jews, the very Christ.

I become more convinced of this by the faith the wisemen continue to have in God’s holy Word. They leave the fabulous palace of King Herod to seek the King of the Jews in a humble village, because Scripture tells them to. The chief priests and scribes don’t follow them. King Herod has no intention of worshiping this child. Just as there are today, there were many wisemen studying many great things, but few would travel to Bethlehem to worship a child. Few would listen to the promise of Scripture. And as the Chief Priests and scribes, who had access to the promises of God, but didn’t bother to believe it, and travel just a few miles and worship their God in the flesh, so professors of the Bible at the most exalted seminaries and colleges in the world reject the Bible as the Word of God. The most powerful and influential bishops and pastors of the world preach nothing of Christ and completely ignore his Gospel. But, like the wisemen, you must follow the holy Scriptures and find Christ where he promises to be.

The star represents the light of the Gospel. Only the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins won by Christ can bring you to know your Lord and Savior. The wisemen found Jesus in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is Hebrew for House of Bread. Jesus is the Bread of Life from heaven. And so, like the wisemen, we must find Jesus in Bethlehem, that is, where his holy Word is preached and where his Sacraments are administered. This church is our Bethlehem. Here we feed on the Bread of Life in faith by hearing and believing his Word and eating his body and blood in the Sacrament. Your home should also be your Bethlehem. God’s Word should be read there and confessed, so that the Bread of Life fills your home as well.

The wisemen brought gifts to Jesus: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. So, we too should bring our gifts to the Christ, who was born to save us. Gold: We should acknowledge Christ as our King and pay tribute to him with our tithes and offerings. These offerings should be given freely with a willing heart. This means that first of all, we must have faith in Christ. He has redeemed us with his blood. He gives us eternal life. So, our offerings are given freely and joyfully.

Frankincense was burned as an offering to the Lord in prayer. The sweet aroma rising to heaven represented the prayers of God’s people rising to his throne. And so, we should pray to Christ Jesus and acknowledge him as our God. Our prayers and hymns of praise should rise as incense to Christ Jesus at all times, and especially when we gather to worship as the church.

Myrrh is a spice that was used to anoint dead bodies, so that they would smell good when they were buried in the tomb. This myrrh symbolized that Jesus would die for the sins of the world and rise again. And so, we should offer our myrrh by mortifying our sinful flesh and rising as new Christians each day, that is, we should repent of our sins, put to death the old Adam, and rise to do good works through faith in Christ.

So, we rejoice this Epiphany that the wisemen found their Savior in Bethlehem. God made himself known to them. And God makes himself known to us. He is our Savior. Christ was born to save us too. May we always worship him.Amen.

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Epiphany 2019: Christ is the Light to the Nations

1/7/2019

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January 6, 2019

“He says:
‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’” (Isaiah 49:6)

“It is too light a thing... to raise up the tribes of Jacob.” Israel is awaiting a Messiah, who has been promised to them by the prophets. That is why when the wise men asked about him, who was born king of the Jews, Herod asked where the Christ, which is the Greek word for Messiah, was to be born. The people of Israel were waiting for the promised Messiah, who would rule the Jews. That’s what the Prophet Micah promised, “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” This is why Herod, an Edomite and not a Jew is so worried. He thinks that this descendent of King David will dethrone him and be king of the Jews in his stead. But what does the Lord say? “It is too light a thing...” Jesus Christ was not born simply to rule the Jewish nation. That is too little a thing for the Word-made-flesh to do. He comes to be a Light for the nations!
What does it mean that Christ is made as a light for the nations? Light here refers to salvation as is made clear in the very next phrase, “that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” The contrast between light and darkness is a major theme in Scripture. Light symbolizes truth, goodness, life, happiness, and salvation. Darkness symbolizes ignorance, sin, grief, woe, damnation.1 Light is good. It represents God’s glory. Isaiah 60 states, “Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Those who are saved will shine like the stars of heaven. Darkness is bad. Those who dwell in darkness dwell in unbelief, they live in sin and are under the dominion of the devil. Those who are condemned to hell, Jesus says, are cast out into the outer darkness.
This visual language is incredibly easy to understand. You lock your doors at night. Those, who do evil do it under the cover of darkness. Those who get drunk get drunk at night, St. Paul says (1 Thess. 5:7). So, obviously we want to dwell in the light as St. Paul writes in Ephesians 5, “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true).” And St. John says, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7)
Yet, there is a problem. Darkness covers the earth and thick darkness the peoples. Light exposes what is hidden beneath the darkness, which is wickedness and sin. That is not pleasant. Those who do what is evil under the cover of darkness do not want their wickedness exposed. And those who live under a figurative darkness, that is, they live ignorant that what they are doing is wrong and displeasing to their Father in heaven, do not want to become aware that what they do is wrong. That is why Jesus says, “the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” (John 3:19-20)
And so, it goes, robbers who break into a house under the cover of darkness do not want the flashlight of a policeman to shine on them. Then their evil work is exposed. The same goes for murderers, adulterers, liars, and all other types of criminals and sinners. No one wants the evil of their hearts to be exposed to the public or even to their own eyes. And so, like rats fleeing the rays of the sun, sinners and unbelievers shirk from the light of Christ, because the light of Christ is truth and the truth reveals all secret things.
This is very true. Light exposes darkness. Righteousness exposes sin. The light of Christ exposes the works of Satan and all under his control. And yet, what does God say through the prophet Isaiah? “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” The light of Christ is salvation. Christ does not shine his light on us simply to expose our guilt like the policeman catching the criminal. The light of Jesus changes those who dwell in darkness, so that they might dwell in light.
Our Lord spoke in John chapter 8, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (vs. 12) When Christ sent St. Paul to preach to the Gentiles, he told him that he sent him “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:18) And that is exactly what Paul preached as we can read from his letter to the Colossians where he wrote in chapter 1, “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (vss. 12-14)
And so, we should not shirk from the light of Christ, but rejoice that its rays have found us. But how is this done? Christ says in Isaiah 49, “He made my mouth like a sharp sword.” Christ does not bring salvation with brute force. He is not a policeman catching criminals. His sword is the words of his mouth. Jesus preaches. He calls sinners to repent of their sins and believe in his Gospel, that he has borne their sins himself and washed them away in his blood. The light of Christ does not simply expose sin, but it vanquishes sin, erases it from the memory of God, and makes those who were stained by it radiant and white.
This is how St. Paul is able to tell us in Romans 1l, “cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (vs. 12) Paul does not teach us to reform ourselves by our own powers. He is telling us to repent of our sins and trust in Christ Jesus for forgiveness. The light of Christ can be uncomfortable, because it calls your sin, sin. But the light of Christ also removes your sins from you by placing it on Jesus, who in return clothes you in his own righteousness.
This is what the preaching of Christ does for sinners. It gives them a solution to their sins. The solution is forgiveness won by Christ. This is not your work, but God’s, as St. Paul says, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son.” God has done this through his word. He has baptized you into his name and placed in your heart the Holy Spirit. He daily and richly forgives all your sins for the sake of Jesus’ blood and merit. Every time you hear the preaching of Christ crucified or hear the absolution or eat Christ’s body and blood in the Sacrament, and believe it, the light of Christ has removed whatever darkness you have and armed you with the light of Christ.
The light of Christ makes you righteous and free from sin before you have done anything good, purely by the work of Christ. Yet, you cannot walk in the light of Christ without yourself shining with that reflective glow. This is why Jesus says, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Let the light, which God has put in you shine!

The wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh just as Isaiah said that they would. Yet, the wise men were just the first of many, who would bring their treasures of light to the source of light. Scripture says that all nations will come to this light and bring their gifts. As so they have. Wherever the light of Christ has shone through the preaching of the Gospel, Christians have sung praises to their King. They have confessed him before men and God, brought their tithes and offerings with a free heart to further the preaching of the Gospel, they have beautified God’s beautiful house by showing love to one another, by repenting of their sins and forgiving one another.

Isn’t this a marvelous thing? Those who were covered in thick darkness, stained with the filth of sin, Christ has made to shine with beautiful light, which he will use to beautify his already beautiful house. He has joined us foreigners with his native Israelites to be one nation, which shines brightly throughout the world. This is the work of him, who was called from his mother’s womb, Jesus Christ. He has called us out of darkness to be children of light, And, he gathers us to beautify his beautify house even today. So, let us shine with the light given to us, singing praises, bringing gifts, confessing Christ and rejoicing in our shared salvation, and in this way the Lord will deck his halls with light. Amen.

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Epiphany/ Baptism of our Lord Sermon: The Word of the Lord Reveals Your King

1/8/2018

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Matthew 2:1-12; 3:13-17
January 7, 2018

The wise men followed the star until they got to Jerusalem. God caused this celestial phenomenon to lead these Gentiles to the promised King of the Jews. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they thought, certainly this is the place. Jerusalem is the great city of the king, the capital city of Israel, where the Jewish temple, one of the great marvels of the world stands. Jerusalem is God's city, where he dwells. So, certainly the star was leading them to Jerusalem. Yet, when they got to Jerusalem it wasn't clear where in Jerusalem this king would be born, so they had to ask for directions.

Of course, the King of the Jews was not born in Jerusalem, he was born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is a short distance away from Jerusalem, about 6 miles. So, you could see how the wise men got confused following a shining star. It appeared to be leading them to Jerusalem. And that would be the logical place for the King of the Jews to be born, as important of a city as it was. Bethlehem was but a one-horse town of no consequence. But when their logic failed them, the wise men had to ask for directions. Herod asks his chief priests and scribes and they look to Scripture, Micah 5:2, "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient of days." The wise men's logic had to be corrected by Scripture. God promised in his Word that his Christ would be born in the little town of Bethlehem.

The wise men expected that the promised Christ would be born in a palace or a fine house near the temple, clothed in fine linens in a soft bed framed with solid gold and adorned with jewels. But they submitted their thinking to the revelation of Scripture. And when they saw the star before them affirming what the Scripture said, that the Christ was in Bethlehem, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. How strange it must have been for those Gentiles to go off to Bethlehem alone to worship the long-foretold Christ and King of the Jews, while the Jewish priests and scribes stayed behind in Jerusalem. This certainly is stranger than a king being born in poverty to a pair of vagabonds with a manger as his first bed.

But there is a difference between hearing God's Word and believing it. Herod, the chief priests and scribes heard the promise from God's Word that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem. But only the wise men believed it. And not only believed it to be true, but believed it to be for their benefit. And so, they left the palace to go and worship the King living in a shed.

Here God humbles the proud and exalts the lowly. He who is from of old, from ancient of days, the great I AM, is born in poverty. You won't find him in a palace or surrounded by important people. No, you must listen to God's Word to find him. And you will find him in the lowliest of places. And God does this, to show that Christ has come to have mercy on us. He humbles himself, so that he can join us in our meekness. It is as we have sung this past Christmas:

Come from on high to me; I cannot rise to Thee.
Cheer my wearied spirit, O pure and holy Child;
Through Thy grace and merit, Blest Jesus, Lord most mild,
Draw me unto Thee! Draw me unto Thee! (Now Sing We, Now Rejoice, LSB 386:2)

So, since we cannot elevate ourselves up to heaven to meet our Lord and King, he comes down to us, all the way down, so that even shepherds and foreigners can come and see him.

Now, we don't have a star to follow to find our King to worship him. So, what shall we follow to find him? We follow the star of Scripture, as St. Peter writes in 2 Peter chapter 1, "And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention to as a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." (vs 19) Scripture, the Bible is God's Word. It is the lamp to our feet and the light to our path. It will light the way to our King, if we will follow it.

About three decades later, Jesus goes to the Jordan to be baptized by John. Here again, Jesus is found in an unexpected and humble way. Our Lord approaches John the Baptist in order to be baptized by him. At first, John refuses. It makes sense that John would refuse. John's Baptism is a Baptism of repentance. People were coming to John to be baptized by him and confessing their sins. Jesus has no sin from which to repent. He cannot confess to any transgression. Jesus is holy and without any sin of his own. John only baptizes sinners sorry for their sins. How could he baptize Jesus? John's refusal makes perfect sense.

Yet, Jesus bids John to submit his infallible reason to the will of God. "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." These are God's Words. God's Words trump John's logic. So, John, like the faithful wise men, lets go of his reasoning and acquiesces to God's Word.

But why would Jesus get Baptized? Why must Jesus enter the sinner's bath? As many of you know, I come from a family of many children. And as you might expect, when we were little my mother would fit quite of few of us in the bathtub at a time to wash us. Yet, it always raised a protest from us five- and six-year-olds when our mother put a non-potty-trained brother into the bath with us. You know what toddlers do in bathtubs. And so, we would promptly get out, lest we get dirtied.

Yet, Jesus willingly enters the filthy waters made putrid by us sinners. Jesus, who has no sins of his own, dirties himself with our sin. Jesus enters the baptismal waters not to wash away his own sins, but to take possession of ours.

Jesus has two births. The first is from eternity when he was begotten from the Father. By this right, he is the eternal Son of God. Jesus' second birth is from the flesh of the Virgin Mary, whereby he becomes our brother in the flesh. We Christians too must have two births. Our first birth is in the flesh, born of our mothers in sin. Yet, our second birth is of the Spirit. This is how we are joined to Christ and receive adoption as sons. Jesus joins himself to the waters of Baptism, so that Baptism might be a spiritual rebirth, where all that we have becomes Christ's and all that is Christ's becomes ours. So, Christ becomes a sinner and we become children of God.

Now many have said and still do, "How can water do this? It's just water!" Well, it would be just water if God had not spoken a word. Yet God spoke. And so, although the rivers of Damascus are much better than the rivers of Israel, by the power of God's Word the Jordan river washed away Naaman's leprosy. And so, since Jesus entered the Baptismal waters, he turned baptism into a washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit descended on him. This was prophesied in Isaiah 42, "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations." Yet, this same Holy Spirit, who descended on Jesus as was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah, also descends on us through the same waters of Baptism, as Isaiah also prophesied in chapter 44, "For I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams. This one will say, 'I am the LORD's,' and another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, 'The LORD's,' and name himself by the name of Israel." (vss 3-5) And so Jesus calls this baptizing with water being born again of water and the Spirit (John 3:3, 5) And St. Paul writes in Galatians 3, "For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Through Baptism Christ puts his name on us. We become his own. God no longer looks at us according to our first birth according to sinful flesh, but according to our second birth through the Spirit.

In Jesus' Baptism, the Holy Trinity was made manifest. In the water with sinners is the Son of God, as he is pronounced by the voice of the Father in heaven. And the Holy Spirit descends gently in the form of a dove. This assures us that Jesus' Baptism isn't just a show. God is working in these waters. And Jesus assures us that the same Holy Trinity is working in our Baptism, when he declares, "Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit..." (Matthew 28:19). To be baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity means that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are working in your Baptism. To be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is to be baptized in Jesus' name, because Jesus commands us to be baptized in this way. This is why St. Peter says, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)

Yet, even with Jesus' Baptism and the declaration of God the Father and the Holy Spirit, and with the consistent declaration in Scripture that Baptism washes away sins and gives the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ, people still can't get over how plain water can do such great things. It must only be a sign and nothing more! But here, we must join the wise men and John the Baptist in forfeiting our wisdom in exchange for faith, for God delights in using simple means to do great things, as St. Paul writes, "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are," (1 Corinthians 1:27-28)

And so, God chooses the little town of Bethlehem to shame the great kings of Jerusalem. He picks poor shepherds and foreign outcasts to shame the priests and scribes. He chooses the cross where Jesus is nailed, bleeds, and dies, so that he might put to nothing our human pride and sin. And so, we should not be hesitant to accept that God uses simple water to do such a great thing as to give us his Holy Spirit, the forgiveness of sins, and Christ's very name. This water has God's Word and promise. Who are we to argue?

So where will you find the King of the Jews, Jesus Christ today? Not with lofty wisdom in high and mighty places. You will find him in his Word and in his Sacraments. In the humiliating preaching of Christ's crucifixion and death for sinners, you will find your King. And in true repentance you will receive your Savior not through human wisdom, but through humble faith in God's promise. It is through this humble faith that God will exalt you, even as he has exalted the once lowly Jesus, who now lives and reigns at the right hand of God the Father.
Amen.

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Epiphany (Observed): A Light to Lighten the Gentiles

1/9/2017

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Matthew 2:1-12
Ephesians 3:1-12
Isaiah 60:1-6
In our Epistle lesson St. Paul tells us "that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." Yes, Jesus was born to be the Savior of every nation, all mankind. Not everyone thought this of the Messiah. The Jews hoped for a Christ to come and sit on David's throne and lead them as a people. But it was part of God's eternal purpose that the Christ would come for all peoples.
This of course is good news. When Adam fell into sin he plunged our entire race into the darkness of sin, not just a small nation in the Middle East. All peoples faced the wrath of God. All nations were stuck in the chaos of their own sinful condition. They all needed a Savior just as much as the Jews. And when God chose the father of Israel, Abraham to be his own nation he said, "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”(Genesis 12:3) And so God promised that a descendant of Abraham would bless all nations and peoples.
God spoke to the nation of Israel through the prophet Isaiah, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising." And so Isaiah prophesied in beautiful language that God would enlighten all nations through Israel.
Isaiah paints a picture of thick darkness, a plague of blackness like that, which cursed the Egyptians, which now covers all peoples. This darkness is sin. It rules by chaos and hatred. All people rebel against a God they don't even know. And then comes the light, God's very glory, which scatters the darkness. And it settles right on Israel. Israel gives birth to this light. And all nations and peoples crawl out of their darkened confusion toward this light. They escape from not knowing God to worshiping and praising the true God.
And this picture painted by Isaiah happened in history. Magi from the east traveled to Jerusalem in search of this light. The Magi were probably astrologers from Persia. They weren't Jews. They lived in a pagan land. They looked at the stars for answers. The people of their land did not know God, but worshipped false gods. They lived in complete darkness. Yet, God revealed to them what the Prophet Balaam prophesied in Numbers 24, "a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel" and these sages departed their land of darkness to be enlightened by the true light, who had come into the world.
They went to Israel, because "Salvation is from the Jews." (John 4:22) They followed the star God placed in the sky until they came to Jerusalem, the city of the great king. They went to King Herod and asked, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?" This was a verbal slap in the face to Herod. Herod wasn't born king of the Jews. He was made king by the emperor in Rome, in fact he wasn't even Jewish. These magi weren't interested in seeing him. They wanted to pay homage to a different king.
We know this enraged the jealous Herod so much that after the Magi returned to their country without telling him he ordered a massacre of all boys in Bethlehem two years old and younger. But the Magi weren't looking for the king of an earthly kingdom; a kingdom of paranoia and fear, chaos and murder and darkness. If they wanted to see a kingdom of such madness they could have stayed in their own country. But they traveled to see Christ's kingdom of grace, mercy, truth, forgiveness, and life. They came out of the darkness to be enlightened by God's light.
The gathering of nations to God's light in Israel really did happen in history. Yet, not only with the Magi bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The gathering of nations continues today. Sure we're not all congregating in Bethlehem to see the infant Jesus. But we are gathering around this true light, Jesus Christ.
Epiphany is an especially important holiday for us. Christ is revealed to the Gentiles. We are the Gentiles. Gentiles are the non-jewish nations. We are the families blessed by the promised descendant of Abraham, Jesus Christ. Like the Magi we too benefit from this gift given to the Jews. All nations gather to that light, which shown on Israel. Jesus Christ, who is born a Jew is that light. He reflects God's own truth and light, grace, and mercy. And we gather to him through faith in his word.
When the Magi looked for Jesus they came to Jerusalem. Jesus wasn't born in Jerusalem. But it was a good guess. Jerusalem was the capital city of Israel, the city of the King. So they asked Herod, where he was who was born king of the Jews, for they saw his star and came to worship him. But they couldn't find him. So Herod asks his chief priests and scribes where the Christ was to be born. They told him that Scripture promises in the little town of Bethlehem according to the prophet Micah, "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 will shepherd my people Israel."And so it was with the light of Scripture that they headed toward Bethlehem to find Christ.
Now the star that led the Magi is no longer in the night's sky. It won't lead us to Jesus. But the Scriptures still shine bright to light the way for all nations to discover the Christ. When Christ sent his disciples into all the world, he sent them to proclaim the truth as it is found in Scripture. This is why St. Paul writes, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17) And so it is through the revelation of Scripture that people are brought to the true Christian faith every day.
The Scribes knew the answer to the question, "Where is he who is born king of the Jews." They knew where the Christ would be born. Herod too learned this news. Yet they didn't accompany the sages to Bethlehem. Herod told them to report back to him so he could worship him too, but that was a lie. He wanted to kill Jesus, so the child wouldn't take his crown from him. How sad it is, Herod hears the truth, just as the Wise Men did, but he doesn't care. The Scribes and chief priests are descendants of the men to whom these promises were first given. They are Abraham's children according to the flesh. To them the prophets spoke. They are the heirs of Scripture! And yet they don't bother to go and see the Christ of whom Scripture speaks, just a few miles away. They rejected the treasure that belonged to them.
This is a danger for us too. Sure, we are not the promised people of Israel, descendants of Abraham according to the flesh. We're Gentiles. But we are heirs of the promise. We've inherited our faith from our parents. We've been raised in the church. We know the Gospel. We know of Jesus. We know where to find him. But do we go to see him? To hear his word? To eat his Sacrament? Do we take advantage of the great gift we've inherited or do we take it for granted like those Scribes and chief priests and the pathetically sad King Herod? But if we do reject this gift, which has been given to us, God will give it to others. There are many still dwelling in darkness, who long to be enlightened by this Christ, to have their sins forgiven, to taste his goodness.
Epiphany teaches us that the Gospel is for all people. All people are in trouble. We sin against God. We hate our neighbors. We're selfish and lazy. What we desire trumps what even our loved ones need. And every soul on earth lives in this chaos, this darkness. Without Christ, not only is everyone condemned to hell to be punished for eternity, but without the light of Christ each person on earth is covered in darkness and confusion, ruled by passions, disoriented from what is right and true, and blind to the love of God. We need Jesus. Everyone needs Jesus.
When the Magi saw that prophecy of Scripture was true and the star rested over the place where Jesus was, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. They worshipped Christ and gave him expensive gifts (which no doubt came in handy when the Holy Family fled the murderous troops of King Herod to live in Egypt). And so the Magi teach us how to receive Christ. Not only with gifts to support the mission of the Church, but with great joy.
To be a Christian is the greatest thing in the whole world. To be a Christian is to be enlightened by Christ. This means to know God as your Savior; to know Jesus Christ as the man who joins all mankind to God. This light reveals to you the love God has for you. And it empowers you to love your neighbor and to battle the chaos of darkness to which you were born enslaved.
And yet being a Christian can be lonely. People leave the flock to slink into the darkness of the world. Christians are looked at as stupid. Being a Christian is time consuming. And in many parts of the world, being a Christian is deadly. In many Muslim nations people are killed for converting to Christianity and believing that Jesus is God, who died and rose for our salvation. And yet Christians rejoice even in their suffering, because to be enlightened by the light of Christ means to have eternal life that surpasses anything in this life.
And so this light, which reveals to us God's love toward us and empowers us to love also gives us the desire for everyone to come to this light. St. Paul, under arrest, said to King Agrippa, "I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains." (Acts 26:29)
I want everyone to be a Christian. I want every atheist, Muslim, Jew and fallen away Lutheran to be enlightened by this Christ. Every American, German, Iranian, and North Korean, I want them to leave the darkness of this world and be illuminated by Christ our Savior. No matter what pain or sorrow or inconvenience being a Christian causes them, I want them all to be as I am, aglow with the grace and mercy God has shown on me through Jesus Christ, who died for me and forgives my sins even today.
God revealed that star to the Magi to fulfill his word, that he would bring all peoples to the light of Christ. He declared at Jesus birth what Christ declared at his ascension, that this Gospel is for all nations. It is God's eternal plan that all nations hear the good news of Jesus. God wants you to hear it, to believe it and be enlightened by it. He wants you to know him through Jesus, to have certainty of your salvation and of a home without sin and sadness. And he wants this for your children, your neighbor, and your enemy; for those far off under the blackness of Islam and for those close to home darkened by materialism and religious apathy. And so God shines the light of Christ into the darkness by the proclamation of Jesus. And he succeeds in making Christians. So may the light of God's Word continue to join peoples of every tribe and nation to the body of Christ, his holy Church where we will be ruled by the Shepherd of Israel unto life everlasting. Amen.

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"For faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." ~ Romans 10:17

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Rev. James Preus

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