Sermon - January 6, 2008: The Epiphany of Our Lord

Vicar Mark Niethammer

A couple of days before Christmas, I received an email from Pastor Steve McKinley at the seminary in which he told a story that was quite profound for me. While the story’s implications for the Christmas season are important, the meaning can and should be taken forward with us into this next season of Epiphany and beyond. I would like to share that story with you all now.

The story goes: A pastor friend of mine tells of his first Christmas in a new congregation. He had already been informed that the congregation presented a truly excellent Christmas pageant. A few weeks before the pageant he asked the director what he needed to do to help out. Nothing he was told. The director did tell him one thing: “We’ve got the greatest star in the county.” “Do you mean the greatest performer?” “No, the greatest star.”

Well, my friend’s curiosity was aroused. The night before the pageant he saw a few lights on in the church from the parsonage next door and went over to see what was happening. The sanctuary was fully set up for the pageant, with the make-shift stable stage center.

Harold, the director’s husband, was positioned in the balcony, holding his fishing rod. The line went out over one of the arms of the cross on the front wall of the church. The other end was attached to a wonderful huge star covered with aluminum foil. Harold was reeling his line in, causing the star to rise above the stable.

But the real key to the process was with three friends of Harold who were strategically placed around the sanctuary with flashlights. Now these were not just ordinary flashlights, they were the guys’ good flashlights, 9 volters they brought in out of their pick-ups. As Harold reeled the line in and the star rose over the stable, their job was to illumine the star by keeping their flashlights trained on it like spotlights to truly light it up.

Now the four of them were working on their rehearsal for the big moment in the pageant. But the rehearsal wasn’t going well. One of the flashlight men was lax in his concentration and the lighting was not what it was meant to be.

My friend arrived in the church just in time to hear these memorable words from Harold: “Come on, Leo, you gotta keep your eye on the star!”

Not only do I love this story for the image it gives me of people in a church with fishing rods and giant road illuminating flash lights trying to light up a star, but it is also good advice: “you gotta keep your eye on the star!” 

The magi in today’s gospel had their eyes on the star. This was probably pretty easy for them as they were most likely astrologers whose job it was to watch the stars. Regardless, they followed this star all the way to the manger where the Christ child was born. The same Christ child who would turn government on its head and change what society thought was normal forever was lying in this place. Upon seeing this star, they gathered their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh and took them to the child who was born the King of the Jews.

Epiphany is not just about the journey of the Magi though, it is so much more than that. One look at our texts for today confirms this. Isaiah tells us to arise and shine. Our light has come. Establishing unity among the peoples is what we are told to do and we are to bear this light in our lives for others to see. Ephesians shows us that with the coming of Christ, social and cultural differences are no longer present. Even Gentiles are heirs of the promises of Christ and everyone can see the boundless riches of Jesus. Finally, Matthew shows us a little baby who has come to oppose the rulers, to turn these hierarchies on their heads. The supposed insiders are no longer insiders and the outsiders are no longer outsiders, but welcomed by the Messiah in love and grace. 

According to these texts, Epiphany is not about gifts from the Magi, but it is about our call to go out into the world bearing the light of Christ, shining the star of glory to everyone. The light that we recognize as shining brightly is now and has always been shining for those who don’t exactly know what that light is. 

It would be very easy for us to sit back and celebrate that the Christ has come and shines his light on us. Of course, that would be easy and comfortable. Our challenge is to get up and be beacons and bearers of the light so that others can know it and therefore keep their eyes fixed on it. Our nine-volt flash lights need to be pointing strongly at the star, not wavering off because we are tired or think it isn’t our duty to bear such a glow. 

This probably isn’t what many of us wanted to hear today. The Christmas season is full of comfort. Nice, warm houses that inhabit our loved ones for parties and dinners are places of peace and love, a veritable refuge from the empty promises of the world. Hot, wonderful meals fill our stomachs to the point that we can’t eat any more even though many are left with no food.

Many of us have been so blessed in this season, that is for sure, but several have not experienced that same kind of blessing. Just as the floodlights illuminated the star for that Christmas pageant, so must we illumine the light of Christ, the star of the manger so that it cannot be ignored, so that others can keep their eyes on the star as well. We are blessed not only in the gifts of plenty we have received this season, but we are blessed to be the blessing to those around us, who are in need of something positive in their lives. Like with the pageant star being raised by the fishing pole from the balcony, we must arise and shine, bestowing the light and grace of Christ to the communities we live in and the global community as well. 

Jesus, God incarnate, lives in each one of us through his incarnation and crucifixion and we have the responsibility to take that incarnational presence with us everywhere we go. Even in the darkness and pain of our friends who are ill, unemployed, or estranged from family, our eyes will be fixed on the star of Jesus our Lord, and our neighbors will also be able to see that star. Our brothers and sisters will really see that light being carried by us. And not only will they see it, but they will know that the light is for them, illuminating the darkness of their lives and giving hope to those carrying the burden of hopelessness. 

The Christian assembly, too, has the greatest star around. The star that is the light of Jesus, the Messiah, and we are blessed to have the light of the star dwelling in us. Now we must go and share that star without letting our focus on him dip. Our flashlights remain on this love and this peace so that the world may see the glory of the child who conquers cultural differences, hierarchies, and the ills of the world. May we be so blessed to shout to those around us to “keep your eyes on the star!” and to realize that all of us bear that light, that star. Thanks be to God. Amen.

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