Epiphany sermon 1/6/13

Epiphany 1/06/13 Text: Isaiah 60:1–6 Title: Be Radiant Rise and shine! That’s a wake-up call if ever there was one. Whether it is at boot camp or at kids’ camp, or mom or dad’s call to get out of bed on a school day, those words ring out loud and clear. They proclaim that the night is over, a new day has come. It’s time to move from sleep to action, from rest to work. Throughout the Scriptures, from beginning to end, the tension between the two opposites, night and day, darkness and light, is always there. In the beginning, in that moment after God spoke his first creative word, the world was still formless, and a deep darkness covered the surface of the earth. Into that deep darkness, where no life was present or possible, God sent the gift of his light, and by his creative command, life began. God has been sending his life-giving Light into the darkness ever since. That’s really how the plan of God reaches its climax. In the final chapter of the Bible we are given a vision of the holy city; heaven itself. It is a place beyond our dreams in its splendor. There the servants of God are free from fear and death. And there’s more, as Revelations 22:5, “There will be no more night. They will not need a light of the lamp or the light of the sun for the Lord God will give them light”. That’s the way it will be forever and ever. But that is not the way it is now. The darkness is still with us, all over the world. It is quite often disguised as “I am spiritual, not religious.” It’s a deep darkness, a spiritual brooding force that threatens to overwhelm and snuff out all of life. It’s into this dark world, for such a time as this, that God sends his people with the power of Epiphany. Today God rouses us to hear his wake-up call and to receive his power to rise and shine. Isaiah said, “See, darkness covers the earth!” Those were dark days in which Isaiah and the people of Israel lived. The darkness was so deep that you could almost cut it with a knife. The morals of the people had plummeted. God had been pushed to the perimeter of their lives, and they had plunged headlong into a dark day of judgment. They had been given the light, but had chosen instead to live in darkness. The result was disaster. They had forsaken God, and for a time it appeared as if God had forsaken them. Many years have come and gone since those days, yet it is not much different in our day. While some have called this an “age of enlightenment” with progress being made by massive leaps and bounds, the truth is that we are not light-years ahead of where the people were in Isaiah’s day. We are living in darkness, just like the people of Isaiah’s time. Billions still do not have enough to eat. Our own cities too often are not safe for human habitation. Many people are afraid to go out at night. Gang warfare invades even our suburbs and towns. Drug abuse robs people of their wits and will. The worldwide epidemic of AIDS threatens to rival the darkest days of the bubonic plague. In this so-called enlightened age, the “slaughter of the innocents” by means of abortion goes on at a rate that makes what Herod did to the children of Bethlehem pale by comparison. All the while our institutions, which are supposed to provide solutions and solve our problems, seem powerless to do anything. We need God’s Light, Jesus, Immanuel, God with us more than ever. On a spiritual level more people than ever are living what one author calls “lives of quiet desperation.” They are living without light, not electrical light, but Jesus light, and are without hope. All around, the darkness gathers and threatens to take over. Isaiah said it, “Darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples.” And it is true even as people chase after light, any light that can offer help and security. Claim to have seen the light and people come running. It is sad for that is the condition of our world today; people searching for what they have lost in the wrong light instead of Jesus’ light. This is the message of Epiphany. Old Simeon saw it and said it with simple eloquence as he held the little Child in his arms, “My eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory of your people Israel” While Jesus walked the dark pathways of this world, he went about his work of being the Light of the world and shining into the deepest of darkness. In him people saw things that they had never seen before. They saw things about God and about themselves that had remained obscure and hidden. And many, just like today did not like it that their deeds were exposed. In Jesus’ light God has given us that power and light to see ourselves as he sees us. In his light we see ourselves as we really are: fallen and flawed creatures. But in his light we see more than that; we see that we are also forgiven and favored children of God, redeemed, restored, renewed. It was in the darkness of that Friday which we call “Good” that the voice of the Light of the world called to his heavenly Father “Father forgive them” and brought bright light into that darkness making us children of light. Living in the light of Jesus does more than just reveal things to us about ourselves and about our heavenly Father; it reveals how we are to live. It is right there in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, as it is recorded in Matthew 5:14-16. Listen: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” What a glorious description of God’s people. That’s what he calls us to be, here and now in this dark world. But how do we arise and shine? How do we let our light shine before men? And where does the power come from to accomplish it? It is not something that we can come up with ourselves. All we have to look at our past and present failures in sharing the light of Jesus with those we come into contact with. On our own we are failures. But with God, unless we choose not to reflect his light, we can be the light of the world. You say you don’t know how or where to begin. Here are some things that you can do to get started in letting Christ’s light shine through you: Do your best to mend a quarrel. Forgive someone who has wronged you. Be gentle and patient with an angry person. Express your appreciation to someone. Speak kindly to a stranger. Apologize when you are wrong. Pray for someone who helped you when you hurt. Encourage an older person. Live purely in an impure world. Let your speech reflect your faith; in other words speak gently and do not curse or tell jokes that put others down. All of those acts are ways you can begin to let Jesus’ light shine through you, for they will lead you to be a brighter reflection of Christ. The world around us is dark indeed. The darkness is so deep that you can almost cut it with a knife just as in Isaiah’s day. But you and I, by God’s grace, have seen the light. And you and I, by his power, can be his reflection. God help us to rise and shine with your light. Amen.