Your Epiphany

“Your Epiphany”

Sermon for MCC New Haven

January 6, 2013, 10:00am

Rev. Brian Hutchison, M.Div.

First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6

Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

Today, we celebrate a holy day that dates back to the early church. That holy day is called “the Epiphany.” The word epiphany in Greek means “manifestation” or “to show.” So we call this time in the Christian year “epiphany” because we recall how God was made manifest in Jesus and how he was first “shown” to the world. Before Christians began to celebrate Christmas in the fourth century (replacing a pagan holiday recognizing a Roman sun god on December 25^th), Christians celebrated the Epiphany: the birth and baptism of Jesus.

The strange thing about the gospels found in our Bible is that the years between the nativity scene and Jesus’ baptism at nearly thirty years old are missing. We are told of Jesus teaching the elders in the temple at age twelve, but the only other childhood story of Jesus given in the gospel of Matthew is that of the visiting Magi.

In our Christmas hymns and in the nativity scenes we put under our Christmas trees and sometimes on our lawns, two events are shown at once: the birth of Jesus and the visiting Magi. Take note: the Magi are not said to arrive from the East until quite some time after Jesus’ birth. Notice in the text that the Magi do not visit the barn where Jesus was born. They visit Mary (and we assume Joseph) at their house. So there is no cow smell to cover by frankincense and myrrh.

Tradition has filled in many more details than the Bible tells us. Scripture does not include how many Magi there were, only that there were three gifts. Matthew does not name the Magi, though tradition has called them Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar. Tradition has also called them “kings,” even going as far as to say that they were the kings of Persia, Arabia, and India. From this tradition comes the hymn many of us know, “We three Kings of Orient…” With some words changed, the choir will treat us with this song for the offertory. (Keep in mind, calling Asian people “oriental” in 2013 is like calling people of African Descent “colored.”)

As rich as it can sometimes be, let’s put tradition aside and focus on who these Magi really were and what impact they had on our spiritual ancestors and on our spirituality today. In MCC, we believe that the wisdom of other faiths can help us on our path, the Way of Christ. So let’s learn about another faith today and let our souls be fed.

History tells us that those called Magi in Jesus’ time belonged to a particular religion: Zoroastrianism. Since five hundred or so years before Jesus was born, until today, Zoroastrians have followed the teachings of their prophet: Zoroaster (or more accurately Zarathustra). Zarathustra was born in what is now Iran and was a priest in their religion that worshipped many gods. Some of those gods were good and others were evil. In a sort of epiphany or “aha” moment, Zarathustra came to the conclusion that there is only one good God named Ahura Mazda, but there is also an evil god Angra Mainyu, who seeks to destroy and cause chaos.

The purpose of life for Zoroastrians (also called Magians) is to “refresh” the world with good, opposing all evil. They do so through “good thought, good word, and good deed.” Doing so is said to add to the power of the one good God. Zoroastrians worship around a fire or facing the sun, as the good God is represented by light and the evil god is represented by darkness.

It sounds a lot like our own Christian faith, doesn’t it? We could easily claim that the wise teaching of “good thought, good word, and good deed” is Christian. After all, such things are what a Christ-like existence is made of. And like the Jewish faith that Jesus followed, Zoroastrians believe in one God, Creator of the Universe, who is good. The difference is, Judaism has never personified evil. It seems Christianity got that idea from Zoroaster, along with much more.

So the belated baby shower scene we told in the legend found in Matthew represents so much more than just bringing gifts from afar. It has to do with the interconnectedness of our faiths. And it also has a lesson to teach us, one about seeking and finding.

It makes perfect sense in the Magi legend that they would follow a star. Stars are after all sources of light and the Magi believed that light came from God. In a town called Chak Chak in Iran, an eternal flame burns in the Zoroastrian temple that is said to have been started 2500 years ago by the prophet Zarathustra himself. Zoroastrians have kept that flame alive all that time by feeding the fire daily. It is the center of their worship. It is possible that the same flame that burns today is the flame the Magi left from to follow the star to Bethlehem.

What we are not told in our scriptures is that their empire, the Parthian Empire, stood in opposition to the Roman Empire that ruled over Palestine. So it was a dangerous act for the Magi to tell the hybrid Roman/Jewish King Herod that they were looking for the next King of the Jews. Herod killed most of his own family because he suspected they were trying to take the throne from him. So news of a possible new king being born would have enraged him. But the Magi took the trip regardless of the danger, bringing not only physical gifts, but gifts of wisdom from their tradition.

This brings up the question for us to day, what is it that we seek? Happiness? Power? Peace? Wisdom? What drives you day in and day out to get out of bed in the morning and go about your day? With the dangers of the world out there, what star shines in the heavens to lead you forward?

Some Christian ethicists have claimed that the aim of our faith is happiness. Not just the emotion, but also a life of happiness. And the purpose of practicing our faith is to help others to live happily, and in doing so we make ourselves happy. One of my favorite spiritual teachers Marianne Williamson asks the question, “Would you rather feel in control or be happy?” I know that question strikes at the root of my heart and mind. Especially in a world when we too often feel out of control, our first instinct is often to grab onto control, to be controlling. Marianne tells us, the solution to our fears is not to grab for control, but rather hand over control to God. Through us, God will work it all out. Let go, and let God, so to speak

Do you want to be happy? Don’t try to manipulate life until you are happy. Ask God to remove the barriers to your happiness. Do you want to be a shining star, a beacon of hope in the world? Don’t do everything in your power to get attention. Ask God to shine through you. You are the stained glass window. God is the Light. Do you want a life full of love? Don’t grip tightly to people that come into your life. Ask God to bless every relationship you have and to remove barriers to love in your life.

A star was shining in Bethlehem, church. Like the pillar of fire that led the Israelites through the darkness of the desert by night to the Land of Deliverance, the star led the Magi through the darkness of the desert by night to the child Jesus, whose name, Yeshua, means “Deliverance.” Your personal deliverance is near, friends. It may not feel like it at times. When our government passes legislation that is bad for the majority of Americans, especially the poor, we feel like we’re in the darkness of the desert. When school shootings happen, we feel the soreness of our legs from walking so far. When governments around the world fight to keep same gender love illegal, we have trouble catching our breath from the difficulty of the journey. When we see poverty and disease around us every day, we want to just collapse in the sand and give up.

But… the star still shines. It stopped shining over Bethlehem long ago, but it still shines- from within you. When you practice those ancient tenants of the Zoroastrian faith that we can claim as our own too: Good Thought, Good Word, and Good Deed, your light shines! Keep your thoughts, words, and deeds positive and you WILL be led through the darkness of the desert.

The prophet Isaiah speaks to all of us today through the ages. Hear his words from The Message translation:

1 "Get out of bed! Wake up! Put your face in the sunlight. God's bright glory has risen for you. 2 The whole earth is wrapped in darkness, all people sunk in deep darkness, But God rises on you, [God’s] sunrise glory breaks over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, [rulers] to your sunburst brightness. 4 Look up! Look around! Watch as they gather, watch as they approach you... 5 When you see them coming you'll smile - big smiles! Your heart will swell and, yes, burst!”

MCC, shine for the world to see! Be a beacon in the perceived darkness in the world, proclaiming God’s unconditional love for ALL. Be the Epiphany. Do not be afraid, for you are never alone. The Light of God is your strength and your guide. Amen.