Festival of the Epiphany at Epiphany on January 6, 2009

Matthew 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." ³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵ "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: ⁶ "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'" ⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." ⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Epiphany is for everyone!

Christmas is huge! Though retail stores reported that their sales were down an estimated 3%, still Christmas is big business for retail stores. There wasn’t one single hottest toy like years ago where there was the craze for Cabbage Patch dolls and Tickle Me Elmos, but High School Musical and Star Wars items were very trendy gifts. And Santa Claus is always popular. Father Christmas is known around the world Kris Kringle in Germany, Papa Noel in France, Sinterklass to the Dutch, and even countries that don’t celebrate Christmas still know Santa Claus who brings presents.

Christmas is for everyone. Unfortunately, Christmas has become a holiday of huge sales, hottest toys, and a plump guy in a red suit. Before Christmas you will hear pastors preach “Keep Christ in Christmas.” “Keep Christ in Christmas” is what a pastor says when he is preaching against extravagant Christmas presents, reminding people of Jesus Christ, God’s great gift of grace. “Keep Christ in Christmas” is what pastors say when they see courts and legal groups trying to legislate the Savior out of the celebration which carries His name. A “Keep Christ In Christmas” sermon may be preached condemning the excesses of parties which have little, if any, connection to the Christ and His story of salvation. A “Keep Christ in Christmas” sermon may even be preached when a minister wants to remind people that the Christ Child, not their child, is the real reason for the season. Such a sermon can take many forms, but it always reminds people to worship the Savior.

Sadly, we pastors may forget that we have a perfectly good Christmas day which the world has pretty much left alone. The name of our Christmas day is Epiphany. That's right, Epiphany. Epiphany is the day when the church celebrates the coming of the Wise Men, the Magi, who traveled from the East to worship the newborn King of the Jews. Epiphany is also known as the “Gentile Christmas.” It's called that because, up to the time when these fine fellows arrived in Jerusalem, the Christmas narrative is pretty much populated by Jewish folk. The priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth (the parents who gave birth to the forerunner of the Messiah) were both Jewish. Mary, the mother of Jesus was Jewish. Joseph, the Lord's foster father was Jewish; the shepherds who responded to the angels’ announcement of good news of great joy were Jewish. Everybody was Jewish. In fact, looking at the cast of characters in the Gospels, a person might easily conclude that Jesus' coming might be meaningful only for that nation and people.

But the appearance of the Wise Men changes all that. With their arrival, God is going on record and telling us His Son, our Savior, has come to give Himself as the Sacrifice for all people. God is letting us know that the Christ has come to win freedom, forgiveness, and salvation for all peoples and in all places. Epiphany is the world's Christmas day. Epiphany is the Christmas festival which has always been, and, I believe will always remain, the unique property of believing hearts.

If you doubt me, I would encourage you to look around. In the Racine Journal Times, have you seen a little box on the front page reminding you there are only so many shopping days left until Epiphany? Is your mailbox stuffed with catalogues advertising tremendous Epiphany sales? Have you received Epiphany cards from people you haven’t heard from since last Epiphany? At work have you had any Epiphany parties? Are the school children getting an Epiphany vacation? On TV, I have yet to see “A Charlie Brown Epiphany.” There is no “Grinch who stole Epiphany.” Scrooge, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim were never in a Dickens story called “An Epiphany Carol.”

No, Epiphany is that special festival day for which pastors long; it is that unique and holy day wherein Christ is kept in Christmas. The only problem is most people don't seem to know, or care. Our decorations have been taken down and our Christmas trees are already out at the curb waiting to be picked up and recycled. The Wise Men should just now be arriving to find Mary, Joseph and the toddler Jesus in the Bethlehem home. Instead we have packed up the Magi along with the shepherds, stable and holy family.

Although our actions are understandable, they are also sad. That we shut away the Wise Men is understandable because we know so little about them. Tradition says they were named Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthassar, but we don't know. Tradition says, because of their three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, there were three of them, but we don't know. Tradition says they came from different races and different countries but we don't know. We don't know a whole lot about these fellows and so it's understandable when we shut them away with the Christmas stable and shepherds.

Even so, it's sad. It's sad because these Wise Men from the East still have a message to share with anyone who will listen. Some might think that the lesson of the Wise Men is that they weren't Wise Women. Some believe that if they had been Wise Women they would have stopped for directions in Bethlehem, instead of getting lost in Jerusalem; they would have shown up on time, and assisted with Jesus’ delivery; they would have swept and sanitized the stable; and they would have given gifts a family with a newborn baby could really use – like a casserole.

What is truly sad is that as you put away the Wise Men, you may have also unknowingly put aside the Christ child and what He has come to do for the world.

A few years ago, an author pointed out that people come to church wearing their best clothes and their best smiles. Everybody looks happy, so we assume everything is OK. But the author suggests that we need to look beyond the façade and realize that the pews are full of hurting people. Over here may be a family with an income of $550 a week and an “outgo” of $1,000 a week. Over there is a family with two children whose father constantly reminds them that they are “failures.” There may be lady in the back whose doctor just found a tumor that tested positive. The Morrison’s little girl has a hole in her heart.

Sam and Louise had another nasty fight. They are each thinking of divorce. Last Monday Jim learned that he was being laid off. Sandy has tried her best to cover the bruises her drunken husband inflicted when he came home Friday night. The teenager in the over there feels like he is on the rack, pulled in both directions – parents and church pull one way, peers and glands pull another.

Then there are those of us with lesser hurts, but they don’t seem so small to us: an unresponsive spouse, a boring job, a poor grade, an ailing parents … and the stories go on and on. The lonely, the dying, the discouraged, the exhausted, they are all here.

Today is Epiphany. It is Christ coming for all nations. He has come for you. He was there for the Magi for the East so they could worship Him. He was touched by the cries of a widow who mourned the death of her son, and Jesus touched the coffin cot and gave the son back to his mother. Jesus reached out to the lonesome and isolated lepers who had been cut off from their families, and Jesus gave them back their life by giving them back their health. People came to Jesus and grew hungry. He not only fed their physical hunger with a few loaves and fish, but at the same time satisfied their spiritual hunger with forgiveness and peace. He was there for discouraged and damned souls.

Kneel down and worship Christ this Epiphany. Lay your gifts at His feet. He is the Savior of the world. He is the Savior of your soul. Come before the Savior who never turned away any person who turned to Him for help. Come to see the Christ who has never been too busy or too tired to meet the needs of suffering souls. He hears the cries of the needy. He quenches the throats of thirsty. He alleviates the sadness and sorrow of the heartbroken. He brings peace to the frightened; joy to the depressed; and friendship to the lonely.

You may be sitting here tonight and you are hurting. Jesus provides hope. Your health may be failing. Jesus offers healing. Your debts may be piling up, but Jesus is storing up your treasures in heaven. The cold and ice and snow may be depressing, but Jesus is leading you to the Promised Land of green pastures, quiet waters, and perfect weather. Your sin and guilt may be binding you, but Jesus has removed your sin and broken the shackles of your guilt. Your marriage may be faltering, but Jesus has enough unconditional love to rescue any failing marriage. Jesus breaks your addictions, takes care of your family, and wipes away your tears.

Jesus doesn’t just do this for everybody. He does this for you.  

The story of the Wise Men is wonderful. In their story the Lord says: “See My Son? He is not a Savior for the select few. He does not discriminate. He does not differentiate. He does not separate or segregate. My Son has come for the underpaid shepherds who are stuck on the night shift, as well as the Wise Men who travel first class driving their dromedaries to see the Savior. My Son is the Savior for them and everybody in between. Everybody in between. Jesus is the Savior for sinful souls, a Savior whose sacrifice spans the centuries.

“Read the histories of His life. You will never find anyone who falls outside the circle of His care and compassion; who is beyond the reach of His cross and crucifixion. He loves those who rejected Him; reches out to those who would not be gathered; forgives those who called for His crucifixion; who scoffed and scorned His suffering.

“Read the Gospels and you, like the hundreds of millions of others, will be filled with gratitude for His glorious resurrection from the open and empty tomb. The manger, the cross, and the empty tomb proclaim that all who believe in the crucified Christchild will have their sins forgiven; will find hope when trouble makes them tremble; will find peace when problems press down; comfort when death sneaks in to snatch away those closest to our hearts.”

Today is Epiphany, the Christmas for all nations and of all humanity. Today there are no Santas or sleighs, no Rudolphs or reindeer, no toys, tinsel, or trees to cloud your vision or block your view of the Christ. There are no shopping days remaining, no sales, no store specials, to stop you from worshiping the Christ who remained committed to saving the souls of all humanity. There are no parties or presents to keep you from bowing down to worship Him who died to forgive your sins and save your soul from hell. Come and see the Babe of Bethlehem, most certainly. But do not stop there. Let the Holy Spirit lead you to see the Savior as He reaches out to the lost and lonely. Come see the Christ of the cross who forgave those who crucified Him. Stand in awe and admiration of Him who gave up His life so your life, so your eternity, might be filled with hope and happiness.

Today is Epiphany and the Christ remains in Christmas. Like the Wise men, kneel and worship Him who came to save you. Give the Savior your gifts this Epiphany: a thankful heart for sins forgiven; a joyful soul for life eternal; a hymn of praise for fears the Christ has erased. Epiphany is for everyone. Epiphany is for you. Amen.