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SERMONS

Epiphany
January 6, 2002

By David Christian

Almost two weeks ago we gathered here in the still darkness of a winter night to celebrate with angels and shepherds the birth of a child. Today we gather again, this time with visitors from far-off lands; visitors who have come to pay homage to a king.

A stable is a strange place for a king to be born, and these are strange visitors who have come to honor him. Matthew calls them magi. We usually think of them as kings or as wise men. But their name comes from the same place that we get the word magic. These aren't kings or scholars; they are magicians; they are astrologers, alchemists, wizards.

They are foreigners; they are gentiles; and they are wizards. The craft that they practice is specifically condemned in the Old Testament. Every other time someone is referred to as a magus in Scripture, it is not meant to be a compliment.

So Matthew, who is the most Jewish of the four evangelists.… Matthew, who spends considerable time and energy stressing the Jewishness of Jesus…. Matthew says that the first visitors to come see and worship Jesus are unsavory foreigners; people who Herod would only agree to see in secret.

At the very beginning of his account of the life of Jesus, Matthew seems to be emphasizing the point that Jesus has come not just for the benefit of his own people. Jesus is not the sole possession of the children of Israel. Jesus has come to save absolutely everybody. No one stands outside the circle of his love.

These magi probably knew little or nothing of the faith of the Jews. They probably knew little or nothing of the Jewish expectations of a savior. They probably knew little or nothing about exactly who this baby was or why he had been born. They only knew he was someone very special. And they knew that somehow he was there for them. So they came; and they worshipped him.

A seminary classmate of mine worked for a time at a large church in New York. This was one of the more prominent churches there, filled with prominent, well-educated, fashionable people. During Lent every year, the church sponsored a series of noontime speakers, with a luncheon following.

At the first of these luncheons my friend noticed one of the volunteers busily clearing tables and preparing drinks. The man was obviously different. The clothes that he wore appeared to be rejects from Goodwill. Neither they nor the man appeared to have been recently washed. His manner was-unusual. He looked very out of place among the group of well-groomed, well-dressed volunteers.

Later my friend asked the rector about him.

"He's one of our hardest workers here," the rector replied.

"You will see him at every luncheon and at most other church functions as well."

"Is there any resistance to his being here?" my friend asked.

"Resistance?" the rector asked.

"Oh sure. He makes some people very uncomfortable. But his coming here was not my idea."

When my friend asked what he meant, the rector continued, "I mean just what I meant when several parishioners came to complain about him.

"'Why do you want him in our church?' they asked.

"'Why do you think I want him here?' I replied. 'His being here is not my idea. I didn't invite him.

"'And by the way, I didn't invite you here either. Why do you think I would have invited you? Let's get this straight. This is God's church, not mine, not yours. That man is here not because I want him here or you want him here. He is here because God wants him here. This is God's idea of a good time. This is God's idea of a fun bunch of people, not mine.'"

If I were in charge I would probably do things differently. If you were in charge you might also. But, thanks be to God, we're not. God is in charge, and it is God who calls us. It is God who called you here; it is God who called me here. It is God who calls all here.

You don't have to have the right parents. You don't have to be particularly smart, or particularly cute or particularly nice or particularly successful. You don't have to have the right clothes or drive the right car or live in the right neighborhood.

The good news of the Epiphany is that the baby Jesus came for absolutely everyone. The good news of the Epiphany is that the signal flare that God sent up over that stable lights the way for all. The good news of the Epiphany is that we all stand within the circle of the light of God's love.

Come, let us join those strange wizards as they gather before the manger.

Come, there is room enough around that manger for all. Come.

Come close.

Let us adore him.

David Christian
The Chapel of the Cross
Madison, Mississippi

Matthew 2: 1-12