Worshippers from Far Away
Readings for the Feast of The Epiphany- Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12 (Free Version)
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Epiphany (observed on January 6th) is the proclamation that the good news of Jesus is not just for a few, not just for a specific biological family or ideology. It is good news for all. Words like “light,” “mystery,” and “revelation” ought to permeate our Epiphany celebrations.
Our Old Testament reading (Isaiah 60:1-6) is the declaration that the light has come, and that God’s glory has been revealed. On top of that, God shares his glory with us, inviting us to “look and be radiant” (vs. 5). There is something truly compelling about the glory of God, and it calls us to a kind of radical hospitality. When we truly radiate with God’s light, we open ourselves up to the blessing of the entire human family.
In our epistle reading (Ephesians 3:1-12), Paul speaks of a mystery that has been hidden to previous generations, but is now being revealed in Christ Jesus. This mystery is that all those who are in Christ have been welcomed into the family of God. Gentiles are not second-class citizens, for there are no second-class citizens in God’s family. There are only full heirs, members, and partners in the divine life.
This new family, the church lives out a new humanity. Earthly rulers and the deeper impulses behind them are baffled by the the Church: a multi-ethnic family who have laid aside our other identities in the worship of the true and living God.
Our gospel reading (Matthew 2:1-12) is a familiar story that ought to challenge us each time we hear it. In the gospels, it is most often the most unlikely characters who hear, receive and embody the good news. By contrast, the most likely characters are threatened and driven by fear.
The Magi do not seem to fit neatly into the description of who “should” understand the Old Testament prophecies and who should know about the birth of the new king of Israel. After all, they are pagans, foreigners, and they are following a star. Yet, it is the Magi who are perceptive and prepared to worship King Jesus. They respond to God’s calling (by the star), but that is not enough. After they respond, they are brought into the larger story of God and his people by way of the prophecies. It is the prophecy in Micah which points them away to Jerusalem and to Bethlehem where they find the newborn king. In a strange turn of events, Herod and his scribes are the ones who points them in the right direction!
In the end, we are reminded that God is the hero of our story. It is God who draws people from all nations and this has been God’s desire from the beginning. Matthew is writing to the early church, a people who (as we do today) need to be reminded of the radical nature of the church. We are a strange people, all of us unlikely in different ways, drawn from all over the world, called to share in and radiate the light of Christ.