The Feast of the Epiphany, Jan. 6, 2013
See the full slide show – 40 pictures
Epiphany was a moderate winter day with sunshine increasing through the day. Unfortunately we had a low turnout – only 33.
The choir was busy preparing a new Epiphany piece – "Wiseman came from Foreigh Lands" We celebrated the birthdays of Betty and Marilyn. We also passed out new invitations to be server. (It will be in the bulletin next week).
Certainly one of the highlights was coffee hour. The Longs had prepared a feast to coincide with that of Epiphany – one of celebration. Everything was excellent! Grilled meat, salmon, vegetable lasagna, winter vegetables in a pumpkin, peas and mixed vegetables. Don’t want to forget the dessert – persimmon pudding from Alex’s own tree, chocolate cake and other cakes. All the Christmas decorations were up and it was a very pleasant afternoon. Thanks to the Longs for giving us a great start to 2013!
Epiphany represents the essence of God coming the form of Christ. He has been born and now in the next five weeks we see Jesus being revealed through works. Jesus is on the road, at Cana where there is not enough wine , teaching the synogogue then getting thrown out of Nazareth and finally with Peter, John and James at the transfiguration and then healing a boy with unclean spirit. His presence is revealed in work along a path. He has created a direction.
The sermon mentions the concept of direction. "During this season of Epiphany, we read the scriptures, starting with today, that illustrate the fact that Jesus himself is our light and our guiding star, our connection to God, the very light that we Christians have chosen to follow. Epiphany is the season that helps set us in the right direction, starting off with today’s readings."
There are 4 instructions presented in the sermon:
"1. The first instruction reminds us, here at the end of this Christmas season of giving and receiving gifts, that this giving and receiving continues as we journey toward God.
"2. The second instruction is to be especially diligent in prayer during this season so that we can hear what God wants to say to us.
"3. The third instruction is to expect God to speak to us in surprising and completely unexpected ways, just as God spoke to Herod and to the people of Jerusalem through outsiders, astrologers from Persia—foreigners, you could even say aliens, who weren’t even Jewish.
"4. The fourth instruction is that we may need to correct our courses. The wise men went home by a different way. Based on what God had told them, they changed their plans and went in a new direction.
After the transfiguration the disciples finally had the concept of who Jesus was and his mission in the world. At the beginning of the new year, we need to refocus and reconsider what our gifts on, be open to God’s word in prayer and God’s many surprises and be prepared to move accordingly.
The message of Epiphany is inclusiveness -whether we are Jews in Israel or priests from what was then Persia. As one writer says "God seems to do whatever it takes to reach out to and embrace all people. God announces the birth of the Messiah to shepherds through angels on Christmas, to Magi via a star on Epiphany, and to the political and religious authorities of God’s own people in through visitors from the East."
Our mission is to build shalom – oneness, completeness, wholeness is what we do. We do so with challenges that were a part of Matthew at that time and also our time – fear, violence and ignorance. Herod shut himself from God’s embrace and felt threatened by it and reacted harshly.
As David Lose writes "Indeed, perhaps Matthews sketches his story of Jesus’ birth – and our lives – with darker strokes precisely so that we might perceive the glory and grace of God’s redemption in Christ all the more clearly, kind of like a bright star shining high in the heavens and leading us to greet our savior and Lord."
The readings are here and the bulletin