Sermon - Sunday, January 27, 2008, Third Sunday after Epiphany

Vicar Mark Niethammer

Darkness changed to light. Generally, this change is one for the better. In winter time, the darkness that saturates the skies in the form of short, hazy and cold days slowly but surely changes to longer, brighter, and warmer times. 

In our own lives, darkness can mean that we cannot see, our direction is skewed and sense of place is altered. Like when we are in a windowless room and 
the lights are suddenly turned off, we don’t know how to get out of that place. But when that light flips on, we have direction. We can easily navigate ourselves to where we need to be.

Darkness to light is generally how we try to alter our lives. If something is painful, we fix it. If something is harming us, we avoid or change the circumstances. So can there really be any point in our lives in which we move from the light, the ease, the comfort of our beings into places of darkness, places of despair? What would that look like?

Matthew gives us an idea of what this strange light into darkness movement can be. Jesus, immediately before this reading begins, was tempted by Satan and then the angels came to him and waited on him. He was presumably in a place of comfort. At this point, Jesus was in Nazareth, probably where he was living at this time. Now really, who would leave home, especially when angels are serving them and go to a place full of detestable people? Capernaum, the place to which he went, was on a trade route and was crawling with tax collectors and others people tended to find offensive. Why would Jesus do this, why would he make this change from the angels serving him to a place of social unrest and complication?

In typical Matthean fashion however, Jesus knew that this was where he needed to go in order to fulfill the prophecy which is quoted in this gospel. “Land of Zubulun, land of Naphtali on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” According to this, these people of Capernaum have seen a great light…light has dawned on these people. This light was Jesus himself.

This move of Jesus, while for himself a change from the comfortable and easy to the dark, difficult, and unknown, will in the long run make the area a better place for its inhabitants, a place of light, and a place of inclusion for those who may be on the outside of the social elite. His move was one of proceeding through the darkness and despair while giving them and bringing with him light.

Jesus was not the only one making drastic changes though. In a series of events that I always find humorous, Jesus calls Peter and Andrew to follow him. They leave their nets where they were and follow. We can assume that they didn’t question him, but obeyed this call to discipleship. In similar manner, James and John are called away from their father. While they probably didn’t have much in the way of possessions, we do know that they had a fishing business and a boat. But, they received the all and followed; leaving behind what we can only assume to be a confused and moderately upset Zebedee wondering what just happened to his workforce.

The call to discipleship Jesus gives to these fishermen and also to us has many sides to it. Discipleship can be found in the words that Jesus speaks in this text in his call to follow, but it also can be found in his demand to repent. He says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 

As we, created in God’s own image, sit in the troubles of our lives which can include at various times loneliness, mourning, insecurity, and social isolation we are asked to see that the light of Christ, indeed the Messiah himself is all around us giving us his grace and love. With the kingdom of heaven having come near, our response can be summed up like this: “get yourself a new orientation for the way you live, then act on it.” 
Repentance, when read in light of this gospel is this new orientation for the way we live and then acting on it, it does not lie in sorrow and remorse as we normally associate with the word repentance. Instead, it involves a radical opening of the eyes to the glory of God and responding in caring for the creation God has given us. The light of Christ that is behind us in the love and selflessness of the crucifixion and in the glory and grace that comes from the resurrection of Christ is what we see when our eyes open and become fixed on none other then Jesus himself. 

God’s love and light leads us into places that we may not expect, into opportunities to show and be that radical love and bearers of this light. This move and call is not really a call into darkness anymore because with the closeness of Jesus that we feel in our callings to discipleship, Christ’s light and love embraces us and leads us to be agents of God’s grace in the world. 

We bring light into the situations and illumine the sorrows and humanity of those we meet thus moving through any darkness present and shining the brilliant glow of God upon those who need it and those who need to reopen their eyes to this grace.
So what do we do with this? God’s light follows behind us and leads us forward in our lives but our recognition of this can wane. We should be ever mindful that the love of God is upon us and pushing us to share it. Patterns and repetition in our daily actions can pollute the awareness of Christ in our lives. 

In light of that, we should be looking for signs of God’s gracious love everywhere around us, remembering that our salvation comes through Christ and his self-giving crucifixion for us, and in our daily repentance of reorientation and action.
So what about this movement from light through darkness that we read about? Well, with the closeness of Christ in our hearts, empowered by the Holy Spirit, that move through darkness could actually be the stimulus that moves someone else out of their darkness and into the light of Jesus our Lord. The first disciples retreated into the unknown and found the immeasurable love of Jesus in their hearts. 

We too, in our repentance, in reorienting ourselves and responding to God, when we find that we have retreated into discipleship will find everything. A completeness that can only come from the love of God, which surpasses all understanding. There is no longer a move from light into darkness. Instead, the light of Christ leads us and follows us wherever we go bringing light to all that we encounter. Thanks be to God.

Amen.

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