the epiphany of our lord

had one yourself yet?

summary

Must we encounter the living God or is knowing about him good enough?

introduction

During the four Sundays immediately preceding Christmas, we spiritually prepared ourselves for remembering and re-entering the story (i.e. anamnesis) of the coming of the Son of God into the world in the figure of the baby born in a manger.

We have recognised that the dominant culture in which we live simplifies and sanitises that story, with the intention of distracting us from its fullest impact. Nevertheless, Christmas came once again, and so too does the Son continue to impress upon us his revelation of the Father.

Yet, the story does not end with Christmas morning. Historically, Christmas was celebrated over a season of twelve days, ending on 6 January with the festival of the Epiphany of Our Lord. Epiphany focusses on the search for the newborn king undertaken by the wise men from the east. Upon finding the young Jesus, the magi identified him for who he truly is, and acknowledged him as such.

Let us pick up the Christmas story from their entrance onto the historical stage:

¹In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²asking, “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”. ³When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵They 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.’ ”

⁷Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸Then 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”. ⁹When 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. ¹⁰When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹On 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. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. (Matthew 2:1-12)

Fulfilling a minor prophecy found in Isaiah 60:6, these men, trained in astrology, noticed a bright new star in the sky, and interpreted this to mean that a king had been born in the land of Israel. They travelled a great distance and followed the obvious protocol of looking for the new king in the capital of Israel, which was and is Jerusalem. Not finding the king there, the star reappeared and led them to Bethlehem, where they found the young Jesus — thereby fulfilling another prophecy, found in Micah 5:2.

Although neither the reigning king, nor the people of Jerusalem, were excited by the news brought to them by these strangers — in fact, they did not even react to the information, either positively of negatively, choosing instead to remain disinterested — these magi, by way of contrast, were filled with joy as they searched. Upon finding the new king, they worshipped him and offered him expensive gifts.

In my research, I discovered that

Incense and myrrh were treasures characteristic of the East that the Mediterranean world typically imported from there (cf. 1 Kings 10:10; Psalms 72:10-11, 15).

“Frankincense” was an aromatic used in sacrificial offerings: “myrrh” was used in perfuming ointments. These, with the “gold” which they presented, seem to show that [those making the offerings] were persons in affluent circumstances. That the gold was presented to the infant King in token of His royalty; the frankincense in token of His divinity, and the myrrh, of His sufferings; or that they were designed to express His divine and human natures; or that the prophetical, priestly, and kingly offices of Christ are to be seen in these gifts; or that they were the offerings of three individuals respectively, each of them kings, the very names of whom tradition has handed down — all these are, at the best, precarious suppositions. But that the feelings of these devout givers are to be seen in the richness of their gifts, and that the gold, at least, would be highly serviceable to the parents of the blessed Babe in their unexpected journey to Egypt and stay there — that much at least admits of no dispute.

Are these gifts symbolic? Perhaps not necessarily, from an historical-critical perspective, but I do believe that those with “ears to hear” (Mark 4:9; cf. 8:17-21) can recognise that God does, in fact, operate and communicate on many levels. We are certainly being invited, through the many prophetic facets of this story, to draw closer to the God who acts in human history. It is for this reason that I have chosen to reflect on the importance of Epiphany this morning.

epiphany: now and then

In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, epiphany (little “e”) is defined as “January 6 observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles [...] an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being [...] an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking [...] an illuminating discovery, realisation, or disclosure”.

During the festival of Epiphany (big “E”), many traditional activities may be enjoyed: in some churches, it is customary to burn the greens hung in decoration during Advent; a white Epiphany cake may be shared and consumed; in some parts of Europe, an Epiphany king or queen is crowned.

More importantly, at Epiphany “an illuminating discovery is made”, the mystery of the incarnation is laid bare: “This tiny, helpless child in the straw is also the God and ruler of our universe. All of our Advent prayers of longing for a Lord and Saviour have come true.” We may have thought that this was simply another baby, but, instead, the Lord has made his “appearance” in human history!

We consider also the secondary, and sometimes forgotten, stories of Jesus’ childhood during Epiphany (a season, in fact, from 6 January until Easter): the presentation of Jesus at the Temple (Luke 2:22ff); the flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15); Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth (Luke 1:39ff); and, the song of Zechariah (Luke 1:67ff), which all speak of the mystery of this Messiah revealed. He is a light shining in the darkness, a light shining for all people.

epiphany: his, theirs, ours

In this epiphany, Jesus appears as the divine being that he is and this “reality is grasped” and apprehended by the magi. I believe that both sides of this story must be appreciated. The magi expected to find a king, but in such a state? He was not in the capital city, but ‘out back o’ Bourke’ in Bethlehem. Somehow they were able to see beyond the façade of ordinariness and insignificance to see their God and their King. Can we say the same for ourselves?

The epiphany of Jesus celebrates his being identified for who he is, but this story becomes an invitation for us to have our own epiphany. Will you recognise him for who he is? Will you bow your heart and worship him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23)?

Stuart Devenish is the Dean of Studies of the Churches of Christ in NSW theological college, the Australian College of Ministry, and in his soon-to-be-published book, “Through Spiritual Eyes: The Interior Life of the Christian Saint”, he argues the following:

It is my conviction that a genuine encounter with God, in the tradition of biblical Christianity, is what generates an authentic spirituality which is focussed on Jesus Christ, and which bestows an alternative vision of reality on the new believer. The result of all this is that Christians know things, see things and understand things about God, themselves and the world, which are fundamentally different from that of the prevalent culture around them, and which do not reside within themselves in any native sense. That is, when they embraced the way of Jesus, something happened within them which caused them to renegotiate their existence in the world on the basis of a radically alternate certainty that has changed their self-image and their figure-ground place in the world.

As you know, I happen to agree with Stuart on this point. I don’t mean to appear judgmental, but how can we say that we know anything about a person unless we have, in fact and at least, met them? Before anyone suggests that it is different with the followers of Jesus, they should read the Bible! In its pages are countless stories of people who experience the risen Christ in a variety of ways and are radically transformed in the encounter. Such are never presented as the exception, but as the norm! (cf. Matthew 28:20)

Interestingly, Stuart goes on the define a class of people which he calls culture Christians:

But the one distinguishing feature of the Christian saint is that they place the person of Jesus Christ at the centre of their lives in a fundamental and radical way. For them Jesus is not simply some cultural icon, some spiritual guru, some great teacher who lived and died 2000 years ago who left behind him a body of teaching which has inspired his followers ever since. The people who fit that category are called 'culture Christians'; they attend church regularly, recite the creed, say the Lord's prayer, receive the elements of the Eucharist each
week, and believe themselves to be ‘in the faith’, but their lives have not been changed or transformed. They have been church-ed but not Christ-ed. They reside under the shadow of the church steeple but it cannot yet be said of them that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).

There is one saving grace available to such culture Christians: To be successful, hang out with successful people! This cliché expresses a natural tendency of ours to be drawn to those living life to its fullest (cf. John 10:10).

Paul encouraged this tendency in his own disciples: “In Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. I appeal to you, then, be imitators of me” (1 Corinthians 4:15-16a; cf. Acts 20:35; 1 Cor. 4:16, 11:1; Philippians 3:17, 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7; 2 Thess. 3:7, 9). Such imitation, though, is ultimately insufficient to effect salvation when it does not include a direct encounter with God, and thus no relationship is enjoyed now or into eternity.

Why is this important? Besides the obvious issue of abundant and eternal life, it is intimated in Isaiah 60:1-6 that it is, and always has been, the intention of God that the person truly filled with the Spirit draws others to him or herself and, hence, to God — à la “the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18).

conclusion & response

If we must encounter the Living God, then you probably want to ask me what necessarily facilitates such encounters? Three passages from the Bible come to mind, although many more have much to say on this subject:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16)

The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalm 51:17)

It is to your advantage that I go away [...] I will send [the Spirit] to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment [...] When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth [...] (John 16:7-13)

To have an encounter with the Living God, truly regard Jesus.

And when you look upon his countenance (Numbers 6:24-26), if you are held by awe of the mystery of his love for you, and are drawn in humility towards him, then you are indeed experiencing the presence of the Spirit! I am not describing a mere mental assent here, but an experience that involves our whole being and his.

Perhaps a good way to start this year is with proper pious reflection on the source and content of our faith. Perhaps we too, as did the magi, will then have our spiritual expectations and limitations of God transformed through epiphany.

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