Epiphany
Speaker: M.Noorhoff
Over the last few sermons Ifve
spoken about
Christmas and in a way I will continue today. We spoke of the great
romance,
the wonder of Adonai the Lord God the King of Kings coming to be with
us to
spend time with us on our level so we would not follow him out of fear
but out
of love. He came to make a way that both he and we may know that our
love for
him is true. We talked next of the long wait we have and the patience
and faith
we will need to allow us to carry on and be prepared for his return,
the next Christmas.
Finally we spoke of the practical example set for us by God, the
greatest gift
we can hive at Christmas and all the year long, the gift of
communication and
spending time with people. Today we are going to go a bit beyond the
birth of
Jesus of Nazereth to his birth as the King of Kings and to his birth
into what
he was incarnated to become gthe Christh
Let me stop at this point
because to make a
point to ensure that no one becomes confused and to set the record
straight. For
common culture has often infiltrated our faith and has led us into
remembering
things in a way they never happened. Kind of like the fact that gPlay
it again
Samh was never actually said in Casablanca
but that is what we remember. The stories of the bible have also been
corrupted
it such a manner. The one that stands out most at this time of year is
the
nativity with Joseph Mary Jesus the Shepherds, angels, and three wise
men from
the east all together. Of course this wasnft really the case at all.
The wise
men came after the manger and we donft actually know if there were
three there
could have been two there could have been twenty. But proximity of the
stories
and simplification led us to join two stories together that are in fact
separate.
Another is the Common use of the term gJesus Christh which may be fine
in
Christian circles but it is meaningless to those outside. Ifm sure if
you ask
must non-Christians gwhat is the family name of Jesush?, they will
respond that
his family name was Christ. Jesus born of Joseph and Mary Christ. His
brother
Jacob Christ. You may think it is funny but it isnft. I spent a good
half an
hour explaining this to someone just the other week. What we should be
saying
at the least is Jesus pause Christ to separate the two and formalize
Christ as
a title such as Suzuki bucho. Or better yet Jesus the Christ or in the
Hebrew
form Jesus the Messiah, For the word Christ is simply the Hebrew word
Messiah
translated to Greek. Let us start the new year correcting ourselves on
this
point and Remember to Give Jesus his proper title as Savior. The thing
is that
those who do not believe should not really be using the term at all for
they do
not believe yet that Jesus is their personal savior and thus Christ.
This is a
term reserved for Believers. Non-believers should be using a title that
portrays their true feeling so as simply Jesus of Nazareth or just
Jesus. Our
constant use of the term Jesus Christ has watered down the title and
thereby
watered down the truth of who he was, who he is. He is Jesus the
Savior, the
Messiah, the Christ, the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.
Lets go back to Christmas and
the manger to
start off
Remember that it was the
shepherds who were
called to the manger to see the babe. They were called because of who
they
were. The were not the elite but the poor , the persecuted, insulted,
the very
ones that Jesus speaks of in his sermon on the mount.
Matthew 5:3-12
3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for
they will
be filled.
7
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and
falsely say
all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for
in the
same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
These were the
first he called
to be with
him giving hope to all those who feel like they too are untouchables
and that
nobody loves them. He reminds them that they are loved by him
So Christmas
is the celebration
for the
shepherds of the world
This brings us
to our next
point, this
weekend we celebrate the Epiphany actually it was yesterday January 6th
but this is the first Sunday after the epiphany. The Epiphany which
means
manifestation, showing or enlightenment. It marks Christ manifest
presence on
earth God incarnate the word manifest the spirit manifest. The presence
of God
in our realm. It brings us back to those three or more wise men or magi
that we
spoke of earlier the ones that were misplaced in the stable. The Magi
from the
east, after studying the prophets, learned that The Kings of the Jews
was to be
born and that they were to lay presents before him for he was not to be
only
the king of the Jews but the king of kings, The Lord over all. These
Magi
followed a star often referred to as the Epiphany Star which led them
to Bethlehem
and they laid
their gift of homage before Christ. Where this exactly took place we do
not
know but many say that it probably took place at the relatives of
Joseph, Bethlehem
being the home
of his family. So if we read this correctly The first to come to Jesus
were the
shepherds whom we talked about last sermon, the outcasts the poor the
persecuted, the next were the outsiders, the gentiles, the heathen, The
pagans..
Now It is often said there were three magi one for each gift and that
these
magi were in fact kings. But the three has also been said to symbolize
the
entire human race through the three ages of man and the three racial
types
descended from the three sons of Noah (Shem, Ham and Japheth) Casper was the young beardless, ruddy
descendent
of Ham who brought frankincense. Melchior was the old white haired
descendent
of Shem who brought gold for the king. And Balthazar was a black
bearded
descendent of Japheth in his prime who brought myrrh. All three are
traditionally said to be kings which makes Jesus the King of Kings and
symbolizes
his rule over all the earthfs people no matter what race or what age.
Of course
this is just from tradition and I hope you will remember that
The Epiphany
and the story of
the Magi
search for the King can reveal much to us and instruct us as we enter
into a
new year.
It reminds us
to refocus on the
light- to
set our path by the light that is Jesus Christ for he said in John 8:12
"I am the light of the world.
Whoever
follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of
life."
John 9:5
While I am in the world, I am
the light of
the world."
John 12:46
I have come into the world as a
light, so
that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
By focusing
ourselves on the
light we may
reflect the glory of God as Moses did
When Moses finished speaking to
them, he
put a veil over his face.
34
But whenever he entered the Lord's presence to speak with him,
he
removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the
Israelites what he had been commanded,
35
they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the
veil back
over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.
We are to become the light
through the
reflection of Jesus on our Lives
As he reminds
us in Matthew
5:14-16
14
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be
hidden.
15
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead
they put
it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may
see your
good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Luke 11:34-36
reminds us
34
Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your
whole
body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is
full of
darkness.
35
See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.
36
Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of
it dark,
it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on
you."
Paul was more
specifically
called to be a
light to the very people the magi symbolize- The gentiles.
Acts 13:47
"'I have made you a light for
the
Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"
The Epiphany
reminds us to
refocus our
search for Jesus in the word of God seeking revelation as the magi
sought. It
is a time for us to rededicate ourselves to not only reading the bibles
but
digging through it eating and digesting it.
The Epiphany
reminds us of Hope
and a new
dawn breaking as it is celebrated at winter solstice. The movement from
the
long night to the long day.
Finally The
Epiphany reminds us
to be
servants of the King, the King whom himself came not to be served but
to serve
This he reminds us of in
Matthew 20:26-28
Not so with you. Instead,
whoever wants to
become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be
first must
be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but
to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many."
We are
reminded that we are his
hands and
his body and that we are to serve other to glorify him.
The Epiphany
is the celebration
of the
gentiles who God loved, Whom with the Jews, the King of Kings was
sacrificed
for
The next point
I would like to
talk about
brings us to next week or January 13th which is the
traditional
celebration of the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. This is when
Jesus
starts his ministry This is when he reveals himself as the son of God
the
Christ the Messiah. It is at this point that the Holy Spirit comes down
upon
him and the trinity is brought together. We read of the spirit coming
down on
Christ like a dove. Again this alludes to the idea of Epiphany or the
spirit of
God manifest. We to may receive this manifest presence of God. He may
Manifest
in our Churches our homes our cities. We are reminded to pray for the
manifest
presence of God as was seen on Pentecost
It is
written in
Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will
prepare your way"-- "a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare
the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" And so John
came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of
repentance for
the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the
people
of Jerusalem
went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in
the Jordan River. John wore clothing
made of camel's hair,
with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild
honey. And
this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the
thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I
baptize you
with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." At that time
Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and
was
baptized by John in the Jordan.
As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open
and the
Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven:
"You
are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." At once the
Spirit
sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days,
being
tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
The
baptism of
Jesus reminds us to once again be filled with the joy of our own
baptism to
remember how we burned for Christ to remember how devoted we were and
to take a
careful look at who we are now and to push ourselves back to
rededicated
ourselves to re-baptize ourselves not with water but with the Holy
spirit.
Let
us
not fall
back into our own ways but let us live the life of the reborn.
John3:
1-8 Now there was a man of the
Pharisees named Nicodemus, a
member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night
and said,
"Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one
could
perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with
him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one
can see the kingdom
of God unless he
is born
again." "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus
asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to
be
born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter
the kingdom
of God unless he
is born of water and the
Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to
spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be
born
again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound,
but you
cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with
everyone
born of the Spirit."
Jesus
came to this
world for us. His call is for you whoever you are.
He
is
calling the
left behind. He is calling the Gentiles. He is calling the poor, He is
calling
the Kings. He is calling you!!!!!
Rededicate
yourself to Him and He will work things in your life you never imagined
20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my
voice and
opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
21
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my
throne,
just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
22
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches."
Manifest
yourself in us Lord.
Be present in
our lives in our hearts in our minds. Make yourself known to us and to
all. We
worship you Adonai, Lord of Lord King of Kings Christ Savior Messiah We
adore
and glorify you.