Epiphany

I have nothing new to say about John 1 so I'll discuss Epiphany this week.

Mic 5:2  The LORD says, "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times."

Mat 2:5  "In the town of Bethlehem in Judea," they answered. "For this is what the prophet wrote:
Mat 2:6  'Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah; for from you will come a leader who will guide my people Israel.' "

Matthew is the only Gospel to have the story of the Magi. Since the Gospels are a faith journey not a historical record a true chronology is difficult to establish. Jesus was born in Bethlehem on the day his parents arrived to be enrolled in the world-wide census and the angels appeared to the shepherds that same night we are told. At eight days he was taken up to the Temple in Jerusalem for the rite of purification and circumcism. The Wise Men appeared before that trip or the family returned to Bethlehem which seems unlikely since they had a home in Nazareth and no place to stay in Bethlehem. At some point later Joseph was warned to flee to Egypt, by inference when Jesus was two, where he remained for several years until the Death of Herod returning at that point to Nazareth. No further mention is made of his childhood until he joins his family for their yearly trip to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival in Luke at age 12. In John we learn of his Baptism, the calling of the first Disciples, and the wedding feast at Cana. In Luke his Baptism is followed by a period of fasting in the desert and the temptation.

Each writer cherry picks the details that serve to illustrate his point of view. Mark and John make no mention of his birth but begin with his baptism by John followed immediately by his ministry and the calling of the Disciples. Matthew and Luke are concerned with establishing his legitimacy as an heir of David and supply us with elaborate genealogies and make extensive references to the prophets whose predictions they feel he fulfilled.

To have an Epiphany is to see the light. The Eastern Philosophers would have seen a star in the sky and followed it's path to Israel where they paid a courtesy call on King Herod in Jerusalem. Whether or not these Eastern Kings needed the help of Herod's Sages they could not very well enter a foreign land with their retinues without first making this diplomatic call.

Our Old Testament Lesson returns once more to Isaiah where the people's return from exile is equated with returning to the light.

Isa 60:6  Great caravans of camels will come, from Midian and Ephah. They will come from Sheba, bringing gold and incense. People will tell the good news of what the LORD has done!

The theme is picked up again in the Psalm

Psa 72:10  The kings of Spain and of the islands will offer him gifts; the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him offerings.
Psa 72:11  All kings will bow down before him; all nations will serve him.

This enlightened king brings prosperity and renown to his people and attracts the homage of foreign rulers.

In Ephesians Paul makes the point that the word made flesh as talked about in John 1 was revealed for the enlightenment of all people Jew and Gentile alike.

It is ironic that the Jewish authorities including Herod were not happy to hear of this Epiphany but rather saw it as a threat to their authority. Their response was first the slaughter of all infant boys in the area around Bethlehem two years and under and as fore-shadowed here eventually the crucifixion. The fact that the Christ-child's Kingdom was not of this earth and therefore no threat to their terrestrial influence was lost on them. 

The celebration of Epiphany on the sixth day of January traditionally marks the end of the 12-day festival of Christmas. The commercial orgy of gift giving that has become associated with Christmas has its origin in the gifts of the Magi.

Tradition holds that the pilgrims numbered three. Their names—Balthasar, Melchior, and Caspar or Gaspar—first appear in a mosaic in a 6th-century church in Ravenna, Italy. The visit of the Magi, marked on January 6 in the Anglican, Eastern, and Roman Catholic churches, commemorates the first revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles.

If Herod's actions seem excessive and paranoid just look at present day events in North Korea.

Christmas One 2013

Psa 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

We celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25 but are promptly yanked back to earth the day after by the remembrance of the stoning to death of St Stephen. And we are reminded that one of his chief prosecutors was a young man named Saul. Two days later on the 28th we commemorate the slaughter of the Holy Innocents.

In the Nicene Creed each Sunday we repeat:

"And Became Truly Human"

Isa 63:9 In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them, and carried them all the days of old.

So it is that the first Sunday after Christmas we are reminded just what it means to be truly human, to suffer all the temptations and perils that come with being human.

Heb 2:17 This means that he had to become like his people in every way, in order to be their faithful and merciful High Priest in his service to God, so that the people's sins would be forgiven.

One of the dangers he was subjected to was the wrath of Herod.

Joseph, the husband of Mary was not the first person who bore that name to dream dreams. It was Joseph son of Jacob and Rachel whose self-important repeating of his dreams caused his brothers to sell him into slavery in Egypt where his penchant for the interpretation of dreams led him to a position of authority and enabled him to come to his family's aide when famine and starvation threatened them. And we know where that led.

So in Matthew we come to another Joseph ben Jacob who also did a lot of dreaming. You may remember that it was in a dream that Joseph was counseled not to divorce his betrothed Mary when she became pregnant. It was again in a dream that Joseph is warned to escape to Egypt to avoid the wrath of Herod and yet another that directed him back to Nazareth. This Joseph it would seem managed to slip in and out of Egypt without attracting undo attention.

One lesson we may derive from this story is the importance of being attentive to God's Will for our lives and to be listening for those messages however it may be that they get delivered; whether it be in dreams, through prayer, or the prompting of others.

The other parallel here is that between Pharoah's slaughter of the Israelite children that Moses survived and the child Jesus surviving Herod's similar infanticide.

Psa 148:5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he himself gave the command that they be created.

So it is that the God whose Speech, (Word), caused creation to be called into being was active in preserving the life of his Son Jesus and he did it by means of a humble carpenter who was attentive to the Word of God and took that child to a land fraught with danger for God's people in the past.

The message of Christmas then is that God cares enough about us to be present in our lives. At his birth he became an active participant in our life on earth. Today through his body the church he continues to support and sustain us. He cannot prevent us from being subjected to the dangers of life in this world any more than he was as we read in Hebrews, today's Epistle. But if we will but listen he makes us members of the Kingdom of God and will guide and protect us helping us cope with them.

The Psalmist reminds us that all things should praise the God of their Salvation. Praising the God of their Creation does his creation good.

Xmas Day 2013

Those of the Danish and German Traditions had Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve, opened gifts, and attended Midnight Candlelight Mass. Now, on Christmas Day we are ready for some heavy philosophizing. It doesn't get much heavier than John 1.

Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

God's Word, logos, and God are synonymous. God's Word has the power of creation. Darkness is equated with evil and light with good. God's Word brings Light to enlighten us. The writer of John is giving us a play on words.

Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Jesus then is the Word, (God), made flesh, the incarnation of God; He who brings Light to the world.

Isaiah and the Psalmist celebrate Israel's deliverance.

Hebrews makes the connection between the Bringer of Good News in the OT and Jesus.

John the Baptist then is seen as being the Messenger who bore witness to the Light. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

This then is the good news of Christmas. That God cared enough to become one with us in the person of a child.

On Christmas Eve we got the story of God's birth as the child Jesus. John talks of the living word. logos connotes the spoken word, a living entity that has the power of creation. God's word and God are synonymous and in the Christmas event God becomes made man and intervenes in human history. We celebrate the fact that God cared enough to take on human form and dwell among us. Behold I present to you a mystery.

Xmas Eve 2013

The observance of Christmas is fraught with cultural traditions that predate the Christian Era. Just as the 'holy family' traveled to get to Bethlehem people still travel to be with family for the holidays. The giving of gifts which also predated the Magi has been commercialized to the point that Malls start playing Kristmas Krap the day after Hallowe'en. Amid all this noise one has to work hard to find the babe of Bethlehem who as the jingle goes is "the reason for the season". Many of our traditions have their origins in rituals marking the darkest days of winter and the need for observances to lighten the mood at a depressing time of year. Since no particular significance was paid to the birth of a child to an unknown couple who were simply names on a census role little is known about the actual date or year of his birth. The Christian Establishment simply substituted this celebration for an existing pagan festival in much the same way that Easter is pegged following the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox.

Since churches are traditionally packed at Christmas these are some of the most familiar passages in the canon.

Once again we return to Isaiah whose people Israel lived in a strategically placed land that was located between invading armies on every side. Again he predicts the coming of one who will liberate his people. This passage lists the names given to this Messiah familiar to all who have heard the section of Handel's work which puts this passage to music.

The Psalm celebrates this deliverer but also exhorts his people to praise his name and spread the message of his saving grace among all peoples.

In Titus the writer identifies Jesus as the Salvation of his people and sums up his mission and our responsibilities in the clearest possible terms.

And so we come to Luke's version of the birth of Jesus. Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth but the prophesies foretold a Messiah born in Bethlehem of Judea who would be of the house and lineage of David. Joseph was a descendent of David and the means of getting him to Bethlehem for the birth of his son was a census decreed by Caesar Augustus. Like England's Doomsday Book or America's Census those in power wanted to know the extent and scope of their empire. Once more one must remember that King David whose reign ushered in Israel's golden age was anointed as a simple shepherd boy out in the fields tending his sheep. Jesus was born in a cave used to shelter cattle and laid in a manger used to feed those cattle. It was to shepherds such as King David once was that the message of this birth is first announced. Simple, uneducated, men smelling of the flocks they tended.

Angels or messengers from God appeared proclaiming Jesus' as God's Son on three occasions in the Gospels: at his birth, at his baptism, and at his transfiguration. At his death the sky turned black and the earth quaked; at his resurrection angels appeared and talked to Mary; the heavens opened at Jesus' ascension; and the Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire and a rushing wind at Pentecost. Symbolically the heavenly host is so overjoyed at this birth that they felt compelled to share the good news and it was these shepherds who were the recipients of the message. Even at his birth it is made clear that his mission will be to the poor and neglected not the rich and powerful. Just as the hosts of heaven feel compelled to share the good news so should we today.

This event taking place just after the darkest days of winter in the Northern Hemisphere the symbolism of light appears in today's OT Lesson and again when the angels appear to the shepherds. This theme will be expanded upon in John 1, the Gospel traditionally read on Christmas Day.

Advent 4

Advent 4

King Ahaz is guilty of double dealing. He will do anything to preserve his power. Resisting an alliance with his neighbours against the Assyrians he went behind their backs to seek alliance with the enemy. When Isaiah confronts him he even resists subjugating himself to God. Do you need a sign/proof that what I say is true? Ahaz equivocates. He is told that he tries the patience of men meaning Isaiah, his people, and his allies; now he is trying the patience of God himself.

It is in this context that Isaiah prophesies that a young woman will bear a son and name him 'Immanuel', God with us.

It is worthy of note that the word often translated as virgin does not connote a girl who has yet to have had sexual relations.

As a foretaste of the one to come this is not a particularly auspicious context. It does seem appropriate that the king involved is one who will do anything to preserve his position even if it do harm to the people he serves. Cf Herod who put all boys two and under to the sword lest a usurper to his throne be among their number, echoing the actions of Pharoah in Egypt. Even more ironic is the fact that it is to Egypt Joseph flees to save his son.

Was Isaiah's prophesy a sign or a threat? Judah was overrun and her leaders carted off into captivity, her lands so strategically placed became a battleground for the opposing forces that surrounded her.

Today's Psalm acknowledges all that and goes on to say:

Psa 80:17 Preserve and protect the people you have chosen, the nation you made so strong.
Psa 80:18 We will never turn away from you again; keep us alive, and we will praise you.
Psa 80:19 Bring us back, LORD God Almighty. Show us your mercy, and we will be saved.

In the OT context Judah's Enemies are seen as an instrument of God's wrath due to her unfaithfulness. The Messiah they seek will save them from their oppressors, the Assyrians in Isaiah's time, the Romans at the birth of Christ.

It is Paul in Romans who makes the connection between Isaiah's 'sign' and the birth of Jesus which is described in Matthew 1 where Isaiah's 'sign' is quoted:

Isa 7:14 Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him 'Immanuel.'

Mat 1:23 "A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and he will be called Immanuel" (which means, "God is with us").

Isaiah speaks of the birth of Immanuel, God with us. With the birth of Jesus God intervenes directly in eathly life, in history. Jesus truly is God with Us. As members of the church we embody God's presence in the world. It is our duty and delight to be about our Father's work on earth.

The miracle and mystery of Christmas is that God chose to intervene in the person of a helpless infant who grew into manhood and was crucified on Calvary. Isaiah prophesied the birth of a Messiah who would liberate his people Israel. The Messiah we got did not establish an earthly empire but a spiritual one, not of this world. Despite Matthew's concerns it is not the means of His birth that are important here but the fact of his birth.

As Christians we acknowledge and celebrate the mystery of God's love in choosing us to be members of his earthly body. Each Christmas Jesus is born again in us anew. We anticipate this birth with confidence and quiet expectation. We are not just celebrating an event that happened 2000 years ago, we are participants with Mary and Joseph and Christians throughout the ages in the Epiphany, God with us.

The Christmas Carols we sing this season are heavily freighted with theological content and none moreso than:

Of the Father's Love Begotten
Ere the Worlds began to be
He is alpha and omega
He the source the ending he
Of the things that are
That have been
And that future years shall see
Evermore and evermore.

This is one of my favourite Christmas hymns. It comes closest to expressing the mystery of Christmas. God the Son present at the creation of the universe deigns to be born as a human child.