Thomas E. Myers

January 6, 2008

Epiphany

Scriptures:  (Psalm 72)

Ephesians 3: 2 – 2a, 5-6

Brothers and sisters: You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace
that was given to me for your benefit, namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.  It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Isaiah 60: 1—6

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.  2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples;

but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.

3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4 Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you;

your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.

5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice,

because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come.  They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD. 7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall be acceptable on my altar, and I will glorify my glorious house.

Matthew 2  1—12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ² asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘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 is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

The “Epiphany” of Jesus, his revelation to the world, is symbolized with three gifts, each of which symbolizes a different aspect of the divine/human nature of Jesus.

Frankincense is offered to Jesus, symbolizing the eternal Word who is worshiped with God and the Spirit.  This is the incense smoke that symbolizes the rising of prayers, reminding us of Jesus’ divinity.

Gold is the gift appropriate for Kings.  Jesus is the King of the human race, the fully human one.

Myrrh is symbolic of death, offered as a symbol to remind us that Jesus suffered and died for the salvation of all; he is the suffering servant.

In Matthew Jesus is revealed as the Word of God, God with us in the flesh.  Jesus is also revealed to us as one who represents God’s marvelous creation of humanity exemplified in the achievement of Jesus’ spirit of faithfulness.  Jesus is revealed to us as Savior, the one who unites humanity and divinity by removing the bondage of sin.

In Jesus, we long for the victory of God over ignorance, alienation and powerlessness.  Jesus is the Messiah who liberates every poor person, every stranger, every wanderer, every person who has been wounded and victimized.  This is the Messiah who will restore our spirit, heal our communities, and mend our very soul.  Frankincense, Gold, and Myrrh are more than valuable gifts offered to Jesus by Wise men from a distant land; they are symbols of the special thing that God is doing through this event of the birth of Emmanuel, God with us.

Everyone, at one time or another, has struggled with an event that has been wounding, heartbreaking, or threatening.  What would life be like if we could live it without fear, violence, suffering, and the debilitating consequences that these wounding experiences inflict upon us.  The trauma from these experiences, fear inducing, or heart breaking events, have lingering effects upon us.  Like a deer in the headlights, we become frozen, unable to respond to the trauma in ways that preserve wholeness, the wholeness and health that God intends for us. 

Stress has inflicted us and has achieved a grip upon us.  When we deal with stress in unhealthy ways it numbs our spirit and robs our soul.  The difference between regular stress and traumatic stress has mostly to do with the intensity and suddenness of the stress that we encounter.  We can assimilate normal levels of stress physiologically and psychologically.  But traumatic stress causes us to shut down; going into survival mode.  The problem with post traumatic stress disorder is that we don’t naturally have the capability of processing great levels of stress at a rapid degree.  We don’t have the ability to heal from the after effects from the great levels of trauma on our own.  When this happens we need help and we need to seek help.  God created our psyche and bodies with healing abilities, but at some level it is not enough to rely upon our natural abilities.  When we neglect to seek healing for the trauma that this stress brings we become the walking wounded.

So how well do you deal with stress?  Are there places you will not go, people you will not talk with, neighbors you will not greet, playgrounds you refuse to play in, Malls you refuse to visit because of the crowds you refuse to enter?  Do you fear for your safety?  Life is not intended to be lived in fear or in numbness. 

The prophet, Isaiah, calls God’s weary people to rise and shine despite their harsh circumstances.  This summons is something like the voice of the parent calling up the stairway: “Rise and shine!  Time to get up!”  “It’s a new day!”  It’s time to put those irrational and sometimes rationalized fears behind you.  It’s time to live life as a fully human being, blessed with God’s healing spirit.  It’s time to be set free and liberated from the fears that paralyze you.  In Jesus, in life as well as in death, you have nothing to fear.  Fear is your greatest barrier.

When the Hebrews returned to their homeland, after exile in Babylon, they found life difficult.  Much of their property had been destroyed and the economy was very poor.  Not everyone returned.  There were many still in exile.  Some chose not to return.  Is it better to live as a slave in exile than to live with uncertainty?  Better to do nothing and be nothing than risk being joyful?  Many let fear hold them captive.  So, the returning remnant felt lonely, outnumbered, and very weary.  But things did get better.  God was with them.  Because God was with them they were restored nationally, emotionally, financially, and spiritually.

Why do we feel traumatized by transitions?  It takes a healthy spirit, a bold spirit, a spirit lead by God not to feel victimized in the midst of change.  Moving to a new place, or a new way of living, is not easy.  It’s not supposed to be easy.  It can, however, be done in a way that brings a person a spirit of life.  It really is your choice to practice the spiritual disciplines of study, prayer, meditation, and listening that brings God into your life and brings you healing.

The first three verses of our Old Testament reading proclaim that God’s glory has risen around these weary people and on them God’s light shines.  They will be empowered by this light and other nations will see it and come to them.  It is truly good news.  God does not abandon us when we face trauma.  God’s glory and blessings give us help and comfort.  In Cyrus, the King of Persia, the unexpected foreigner, brought relief to the Hebrews.  God’s prophets saw how God could provide restoration, wealth to replace their poverty, and bring them back to their homeland.

What better day than Epiphany to remind us to “arise and shine!”  God is present to shine on you and bring you out of whatever weighs you down.  God is able to bring you out of whatever oppresses you.  God is able to work with you, sometimes in therapy, to heal the traumas that have stolen your zest for life.  This is as true for us as it was true for God’s people so long ago.  God is at work in unexpected ways to bring us wholeness.

So on this day of Epiphany it is good for each of us to reflect on God’s promise of light.  When have you had a vision of what could be, or what could be because of your faith in God?  In what ways can you help this healing Spirit work in your life?  This healing spirit is not just a silly “pipe dream.”  God is on the side of hope, joy, and healing.  God is on the side of justice and restoration.  Arise, shine; for God’s light has come.

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