Thoughts on Epiphany

            This is an interesting day for my first sermon. I received a text from Bobby around Thanksgiving time asking me if I’d like to preach. I have to be honest when I say my first reaction was a smile and laughter. I believe within those there were feelings of joy and nervousness. Either way there were a lot of different feelings but I was mostly surprised, surprised that I’d find myself standing here today proclaiming the Gospel, which this Thursday is a celebration of this very situation. Today our country, along with most of the world, is celebrating New Years Day. This day is the most worldwide public holiday. I think some of you are still feeling the effects of this celebration as it can take us deep into the night. Let me entertain you with some thoughts and questions. What is this celebration? What were you celebrating? Did you make promises of new beginnings? Did you talk off new beginnings? Did you feel a deep-seated feeling towards a loved one that this year I will be good to you? Did you feel a weight lifted or was a weight strapped to your back? It is interesting what new years day does to the human psyche. I have been in sales for a little while and I have noticed that buyers are ready to buy after new years. They want to try something new; they are ready to take risks. When the following holidays roll around these buyers have no interest in anything new. It is an interesting cycle, but is it not a static cycle? I am not about to give a sermon on failed new years resolutions because that would bore me first and foremost. But I want to ask what are calendars for? They give us dates, seasons; our American calendar indoctrinates us into being American. We yearly celebrate the past of our country. And today the calendar gives us an excuse to start anew because of the roman god Janus. Today I am going to talk about the other holiday taking place this week and one that I will argue is the reason to celebrate and a holiday that will not leave us disappointed. A holiday that is moving forward to a point, to an end. When you walked into this building today to gather with our community you walked into another citizenship, one that is following a different calendar. This week we celebrate what the God of Israel had hidden from the prophets of old, but was hinted at when the Magi from the East came to worship a newly born King of the Jews, the day Cornelius and his household accepted the Gospel and received the Holy Spirit, and the day when Paul was called to re-imagine the future of God’s people and to come to preach the Gospel to someone like me and a lot of us: a Gentile. Epiphany.

            We have just finished the Advent season. What we celebrated what is fundamentally the consummation of the story of Israel. Jesus was the purpose of Israel. And what was the purpose of Israel? Their purpose is embedded in the promise to Abraham. Abraham and his ancestor will be a blessing to all the families of the earth. Later Moses will receive and give the Torah to Abraham’s ancestors as a guide to fulfill the purpose of their calling. Israel would have a tough go of keeping the Torah and because of this we hear the voice of the Prophets calling for a return to the Torah otherwise we will experience destruction. The call wasn’t heard. Israel experienced the worst possible consequence. They lost their land and their temple. Lamentations gives us a glimpse to the depths of depravity felt by Israel. “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, which the LORD inflicted on the day of his fierce anger.” (Lam 1:12 NRS) During the end of exile we read some of the most beautiful prophetic poetry given by Isaiah. He dreams of restoration, glory of the Temple, and a righteous King., the coming of the LORD. One day they will say, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." (Isa 52:7 NRS) This expectation was the air the Jewish people breathed. It consumed daily thought as they sat under a foreign rule. Advent was the answer to this expectation.  "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." (Mar 1:15 NRS) All hope found in the First Testament found it’s fulfillment in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Israel’s Messiah: Jesus.

            Surely Israel will now be glorified! The Temple restored to an even more glorious state than before! And freedom for God’s people now here! How beautiful Isaiah’s words must have sounded. “Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I struck you down, but in my favor I have had mercy on you. Your gates shall always be open; day and night they shall not be shut, so that nations shall bring you their wealth, with their kings led in procession. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste. (Isa 60:10-12 NRS) This is going to be Rome’s fate! It has to be. Right? Is God not faithful to his people? “Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?"(Psalms 77:8-9 NRS)

            Time goes by, Rome is still in control and the situation between Israel and Rome is constantly rising. Something has to break. Meanwhile a small Jewish sect is figuring out something new. Something unexpected has begun. They have spent numerous years in Jerusalem spreading the gospel to the Jews of Diaspora. The Apostles received God’s Spirit. God’s very self is given to humanity! Surely this is the beginning of the end of Israel’s exile. Then the unexpected happens, something that couldn’t be found in the Scriptures, something hidden.

            St. Peter has an odd dream about things once unclean are now clean. Again, as seems to be the case with Peter, it happened three times. Surely he had to be shaking his head in irony. He finds himself in the household of Roman Centurion, Cornelius. Cornelius ask Peter to preach to his household and this is what he said,

“ "I truly understand that God shows no partiality,

³⁵ but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

³⁶ You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ-- he is Lord of all.

³⁷ That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced:

³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

³⁹ We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;

⁴⁰ but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear,

⁴¹ not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.

⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word.

⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles,

⁴⁶ for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said,

⁴⁷ "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" (Act 10:34-47 NRS)

“Even on the Gentiles.” Amen? I am one of them. I imagine Peter surprise being similar to sitting in a Mosque or even the household of Buddhist. They ask me to speak concerning the Lord and then they hear the Gospel proclaimed. Suddenly the Spirit descends upon them. This isn’t supposed to happen! They are not Christians! “Ah but,” the Lords says, “I show no partiality despite what you thought to be true of Me.” Why would God keep this hidden? How do we explain this? Fortunately the rest of the New Testament mostly deals with Jews and Gentiles coming together as equals, as co-heirs. We have the letter to the Ephesians to help us understand what happened then, and more importantly for us, what continues to happen today.

            Paul thought of this as a complete mystery. The Gentiles were supposed to build the walls of Jerusalem; they were supposed to serve the Jewish people! This is what the prophets were saying. So how did it come about that he would be commissioned to the Gentiles to proclaim the gospel? Most of us know of his background with the Church. He hated it with Zealots zeal. Jews mixing with Gentiles. Blasphemy. He had the Scriptures to support this. A radical encounter with the risen Christ would cause Paul to re-imagine all that he knew. I say re-imagine instead of ‘converting’ because he said stayed Jewish, very much Jewish, but God had revealed to him a hidden mystery about His plans with the Gentiles. Plans oriented around the risen Messiah and the Holy Spirit. He would explain to the Ephesians what the mystery is,

“In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”

The gospel functions in three ways for the Gentiles in relation to the Jews:

1.     We are heirs together with Israel

2.     We are members together of one body

3.     We are sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus

Together.

           

            Let me tell you a story. I want to share an experience I had recently with a Jewish sister. As some of you may know my family and friends are involved in a post-abortion/post-pregnancy lost ministry called Rachel’s Vineyard. Recently we had a retreat and the beauty of this retreat was the diversity, but for the sake of time and theme of Epiphany I will stick to my Jewish sister. During preparation we had to decide what to say to her during our living exercises. After all the retreat in Christ centered and we ask retreatants to do you believe Jesus is Lord? Do you believe Jesus is the resurrection? Diversity creates issues!! When we have all like-minded people we get along fine and I don’t mean this in a good way. We lock ourselves into a set rule of behavior. The community dictates what is acceptable behavior. Diversity creates questions, struggles, and thinking outside the box, but in this case not so far outside the box. We asked her, “Do you believe the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob has the power to resurrect you from death to life?” She answered, “Yes.” Our Chaplin then said to her, “In the power of YHWH I say arise.” She then stood up out of her. And this is where I saw the people of God in full form. She stood up, as it was part of the exercise, she paused and then lunged into our Chaplin’s arms crying saying, “Thank you.” Here I witnessed what I feel to be close to Paul’s struggle. Jew and Gentile together with no boundary, no distinction, all glory to God our Father. Epiphany.

            Diversity has always been difficult. It is easy for people together with like people. I think that this is an okay thing, but within the Church we have an opportunity to be a true people of God, a diverse people who are equal because of our faith. So that when the world sees us they will say, “Look how they love one another.” Diversity keeps you honest and thoughtful. Diversity also creates opportunities that otherwise unseen. At first you might think diversity causes us to be ‘politically correct’. We can’t say those jokes we find funny. We have to think before we speak. God forbid people become people causing what we say to be very real. This is a trap. This is not freedom. That was the former way of life. The kingdom will seat many from the East and West. Why would you lock yourself in a box of a specific culture and language when there is a rich world out there that our Lord created? We are to be a new creation! “For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! (Gal 6:15 NRS) “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2Co 5:17 NRS) A new community living the future now. What a marvelous revelation! Because the Spirit unities us as one body. We can now act as what was always intended for image-bearing humanity. We can now love each other the way we were meant to. This is not intended to be a wedding sermon, rather, it is way we are to love as the people of God.

⁴ Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant

⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

⁶ it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.

⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.

⁹ For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part;

¹⁰ but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end.

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.

¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.

¹³ And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. (1Co 13:4-13 NRS)

            What a beautiful reality this is. Is this not good news? Epiphany is a struggle. It was then and is today. How would you view all the war in the Middle East if half our congregation were from Iran, Iraq, Syria? I know this might be a controversial topic, but I am not going to shy away. They have family back home and they are Christians. They are the body of Christ. So when we cheer for war and victory are we not cheering the innocent death of brothers and sisters? We must break out of Jerusalem to see Samaria, then to see the Ends of the Earth.

            When we approach the Lord’s Table for Communion we are enacting the present unity of the Body of Christ. It is a mystery. Truly a mystery. We remember the past crucifixion. We celebrate our present state as a new creation. We look forward to future messianic banquet. This is the hope of Communion: one day when every tear will be wiped away, we sit at the table with Christ without distinction. It is here we will see “we will see face to face”, we “will know fully”, and “the partial will come to an end.” So come all receive the body and blood.