Episodes
Monday Jan 05, 2015
Light-Infused People
Monday Jan 05, 2015
Monday Jan 05, 2015
Light-Infused People
A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli at Foundry UMC January 4, 2014, Epiphany Sunday.
Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12
The Magi who come to Jerusalem say, “We observed his star at its rising…” We observed the star of the king of the Jews at its appearing…its manifestation. Epiphany literally means that: appearance or manifestation; and the ancient celebration of Epiphany (more ancient than Christmas!) marks the first manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles, embodied in the Magi (or kings) who come from the east. The symbols of the day and the season that follows are the star of Bethlehem and, more generally, light. The story at the center of the liturgical celebration of Epiphany is the story we’ve heard this morning of the Magi who follow the star to Jerusalem and then, upon hearing the prophecy from Micah, on to Bethlehem.
This story has been captured in art throughout the ages, with the focus on the richly dressed Magi bearing gifts after “traversing afar.” The star shines brightly in these images and the holy family is also haloed in glowing light. But in this story, as in all Matthew’s telling of the circumstances into which Jesus was born, the light is always challenged by encroaching darkness. Joseph, before having a change of heart, was planning to “put Mary away quietly.” Herod, who was known to be paranoid and murderous for the sake of keeping his own power, schemes and lies to the Magi in order to do the child Jesus harm. After the Magi heed the intuitive warning NOT to return to Herod, the King goes on a rampage and has all the children in and around Bethlehem who were 2 years of age and younger killed in hopes of extinguishing the light of the Christ child. Having been warned of this heinous plot in a dream, Joseph and Mary take their child Jesus and flee into Egypt. And while all of this may sound like the stuff of legend, the kind of story that is remote from any possible connection to the lives that we live day in and out in what is now 2015, I’d like to suggest that we have at least one significant thing in common with the Magi: we, like them, seek to follow the light but are challenged at every turn by the looming darkness.
The eastern sages thought they’d reached their destination when they got to Jerusalem, but then learned that they’d been relying on the wrong prophecy and that Bethlehem was where they needed to be. At this point, they could have rejected the notion that the king they sought would be born in a place of no real consequence, a place as humble, rural, and unpretentious as Bethlehem instead of the mighty, sophisticated, learned Jerusalem. After all, they were people of some means and power and education—why should they be bothered with peasants? Has self-importance and pride ever been an obstacle to your journey? The Magi might have played into Herod’s scheming, recognizing that he could grant them favors; I don’t suppose anyone has ever been tempted to get caught in intrigue or to do something that hurt someone else in order to gain power or prestige… The Magi might have allowed themselves to be duped by the King’s feigned desire to honor Jesus; anyone here ever been “taken in?” The sages could have discounted the warning they received in a dream and told Herod where to find the child; perhaps none of you struggle to trust your intuitive or spiritual wisdom... If the Magi had made different choices, the story would have gone very differently and we wouldn’t be here today. Because Herod would have killed the baby and that would have been that. The dark clouds of self-importance and arrogance, the shadows of power used for ill, the head-in-the-sand blindness of gullibility, or the murkiness of not trusting intuitive insights given as guidance—all of these forms of darkness pressed in and around the Magi—they were just as real and just as potent as the light that had guided them all along their journey. But the story we tell is that they were not taken in by the shadows and darkness; they remained steadfast in their focus on the star, on the light, on the one whom they sought and in whom they hoped. And in the most ancient form of humility and reverence, they knelt at the feet of this child and offered precious gifts.
Like the Magi, we are faced in each moment with a choice: do we stay focused on the Light or are we drawn into the darkness that is always lurking and waiting to pounce? Throughout the season of Advent and Christmas, a guiding image for us is light—we light candles, we string lights around trees. It’s a beautiful and powerful metaphor, but what does it really mean to stay focused on the light, to live in the light? Well, if we allow the Magi to teach us, it means resisting the forces of darkness, stubbornly following the light, and then humbly offering whatever power, gifts, or wisdom we have to Jesus Christ.
I must admit that I need to hear all of this right now. Though there are always tragedies and arguments and illness and strife and violence and the rest, the last couple of months have given my ability to stay focused on the light that shines in the darkness a spiritual workout! I imagine that we all have times when the realities of our lives make it difficult to remain hopeful or to stay engaged in the struggle for true reconciliation and peace. What I’ve found myself being drawn to over these past weeks are stories and messages that may sound simple, but that focus on the everyday things we can do. And so I am glad to have the opportunity to reflect on this ancient tale today and to be reminded that we have choices—that we can choose to live in the light and to offer gifts that make a real difference.
A foundational teaching of our faith is that every human being bears the image of God—and that Christ is met in human suffering (Mt. 25). So perhaps for us in 2015, to live in the light and offer our gifts to Christ means that we try to see, really see, the people we encounter every day—our families, our co-workers, the people on the Metro, at the cash register, on the street; that we intentionally try to remember that in their suffering—known or unknown to us—we meet Christ, and then, having seen them, that we offer our best to them. This idea is nothing new to us—or shouldn’t be. Looking for the Light of Christ in the people we encounter every day—ALL the people and especially the vulnerable and powerless—and offering our gifts to them doesn’t have to be some grand project. While it can mean resisting the temptation to participate in the evil schemes of empires or standing up to oppressors at great personal risk, it can also mean simply seeking to do the loving thing, the thoughtful thing, the generous, brave, or kind thing. The point is to offer whatever gifts you have to serve and care for and honor the Christ in others being especially mindful of the most vulnerable in the situation. At its most basic, to live in the light is to do that which we all affirm in our Baptism: to accept the power God gives us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. That’s what the Magi did. That’s what we’re invited to do. And the good news is that because the Magi, Joseph, Mary, and others resisted the shadows of temptation to greed, arrogance, self-protection, destructiveness, and on and on, the child Jesus grew and made the Epiphany of God ever more glorious.
Our lives and our choices to live in the light may seem small in comparison with the grand characters in the narratives of sacred scripture, but just think about what a difference it makes in your life when someone bears the light of Christ to you. Think about when someone has offered you kindness or charity, has kept a confidence, offered forgiveness, showed humility; think about when someone has been patient with you when you weren’t the easiest person to be patient with, when someone has spoken the truth to you in a way that set you free, or has offered gifts without thought of repayment. These light-infused actions make all the difference—when someone offers them to you and when you offer them to others.
One of my favorite personal experiences confirming this point occurred some years ago when I traveled to Tucson to perform a wedding. During the ceremony, my wallet was stolen (along with several others in the wedding party). I didn’t realize the theft until the next morning when I was preparing to travel back to the airport. Not being the savviest traveler, I hadn’t tucked any money or copies of my identification in my luggage. So there I was in the middle of the desert in a rental car and needing to catch a plane home without any money, credit cards, or identification. You may be able to appreciate that by the time I realized that the wallet was in fact NOT going to be found, I was feeling pretty vulnerable and uncertain whether I’d ever actually make it home.// But then the rental car guy who had the power to soak me for the cost of gas, gave me a break…and then the guys in the security checkpoint who had the power to make my life miserable treated me with gentleness and kindness…and then the woman working for the airline who had the power to keep me in Tucson for four hours before my flight left managed to get me on an earlier flight and didn’t charge me the normal fee…and then, the kicker of all kickers—one of the security guys sought me out in the terminal and tucked $5 in my bag so that I’d have money for food. At that point, I just started crying. Because I was overwhelmed with the joy of the light of Christ being made manifest to me, a weary, stressed-out, vulnerable woman in the middle of the desert with no identity. They didn’t have to do any of it—and they might not have done it for everyone—but they did it for me. And it made a real difference.
We can offer gifts to the Christ each and every day. These gifts, these choices to live in the light, to bear the light to others make a difference in the world, a real difference. And as we look to the light of Jesus Christ in this new year, I pray that we will be guided and strengthened to resist the darkness of evil, injustice, and oppression in all the small and large ways they manifest in our daily lives. And by the grace and love of Christ, we will be empowered to be God’s ongoing manifestation, God’s light-infused Epiphany in the world.
Comments (0)
To leave or reply to comments, please download free Podbean or
No Comments
To leave or reply to comments,
please download free Podbean App.