Feast of the Epiphany

Matthew 2:1-12

"Epiphany" – from the Greek, "to show forth," to make "manifest." The little child, in a small town, too small for the powerful to take notice, has become the most fearful thing to those in power. It is sometimes said in foreign policy circles, by those in the know, that it is better to be feared than to be respected. But rather than a king who inspires abject fear, tonight we see a king who calls forth the one thing for which the worldly have no respect: love. And yet it is that vision of love which calls the most unlikely cast of characters in this thoroughly Jewish story: Astrologers from the East. And it is their journey, and discovery, that we celebrate on this "Twelfth Night," the last night of Christmas. Now is the time of Epiphany, of manifestation, of making clear to all the peoples of the Earth, represented by these astrologers from the East.

But nothing about the journey of the wise men to this manifestation has been manifest. Perhaps they came from Arabia in the South. Perhaps they came from Persia in the East. Wherever they came from, they had a long way to go. And all they had to lead them was a star. Most people want their journey to have a clear destination. But the Wise Men had none. If they knew where they were going, then why did they end up in the wrong place? Why did they come first to Jerusalem? Well, they were learned men, with at least some familiarity with the Jewish scriptures. They had read the same prophecy of Isaiah's that we just heard. That's why they had, indeed, brought gold and frankincense.

So they had come to the most obvious location for a new king: Jerusalem, the seat of power in that part of the world, the place where the wannabe movers and shakers were drawn to like bees to pollen; the place where the actual movers and shakers plotted and commanded. But the current king has no idea what they're talking about. So he and the Wise Men must ask the priests and scribes, who promptly tell them, you've got the wrong proof-text. The great king will come from the same small town that Israel's greatest king, the shepherd boy David came from. And sure enough, when the Wise Men trust the star, it leads them to their true destination; a destination of which they had no conception when they started their journey; a destination they would never have reached if they had never started their journey for fear of the unknown.

We are always asking God for epiphanies. We want God to show us where we are going. We need the reassurance of knowing how close we are to the restful end of our journey. But in my experience, at least, God's manifestations don't show forth our destination. God's epiphanies don't confirm our goals for the journey. Instead God shows us just enough of his loving presence to keep us from losing heart, to keep us going on our journeys of faith and spirit.

On Sunday, I quoted one of my favorite singing groups, the Roche sisters, from their Christmas album. On their Christmas album are two original compositions. I quoted one on Sunday. Tonight I quote from the other:

Star of wonder in the heavens
Wonder what you want of me?
Should I follow you tonight
Star of wonder, star of wonder?

This Epiphany marks a point of our journey through the liturgical year. The season of newborn peace is drawing to a close. God is calling us on, to be that sign of Christ that we speak of in our mission statement. We are called to make Jesus manifest here on Sand Mountain. We are called to be epiphanies of Christ. Wonder what will our final destination look like? Wonder what is it that God wants of us? Come and see.