Sermon – Arise, Shine! Rev. Sandy Lacey January 05, 2025
Today we are celebrating Epiphany, that time of year in which we remember the Magi or Wise Men’s visit to the child Jesus. We do not really know how many they were – one, three, seven? It has been assumed since three gifts are mentioned that there were three “wise men” from the East. They were foreigners, probably star watchers/astrologers who are curious about the signs they were seeing. And they follow a bright star to lead them to their destination, bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (oddly, a burial spice) to the Christ child. Matthew’s Gospel is the only way we know about these interesting characters. Just like Matthew’s star pierces the dark night sky, today’s passage from the prophet Isaiah claims that God’s light pierces the darkness of our lives. In fact, the prophet says the light is given to make us shine. If we were to read back into chapter 59, we would hear about the darkness of the people as they grieve their many losses in exile and as they return to the devastation of their homeland. Just like the Hebrew people of that day, we grieve losses today, whether it is the loss of a dream or goal that cannot be attained, or a job, or a health loss, or the loss of a relationship through death or divorce. Whatever our loss, we too grieve and sometimes wonder if the light of God’s grace and love can pierce the darkness of our grief. And rather than the typical light we think of as we turn on a light switch, let’s hear how the prophet describes the kind of light that God gives. The first characteristic the prophet mentions is the light that God gives is not a private light that is meant to solely help me see and give me warmth. It is a light that radiates outward toward others so that they may see, gain warmth, and strength. The prophet writes that “nations shall come to your light and see . . .” See what?, you might ask. As we consider the events of this past week, we could answer any of the following: so that others may see hope, perseverance, peace, and compassion in the world around them. “So that others might see . . .” that violence, hatred, and vitriol is never the answer to confusion, frustration, and the anger we might feel . . . so that others may realize that violence is never the last word. Archbishop Desmond Tutu reminds us that when we build up one another, we end up building up our entire society.[1] We do not live in a vacuum; everything we say and do has an effect. Don’t you want it to be a positive effect? Light and life and (I would add music) are not intended to be hoarded; it is meant to be shared. It is all well and good for us to bask in the warmth of God’s love and grace, but that is not our purpose. We are meant to radiate that warmth, that light to others. We are blessed to be a blessing and the truth is that the world is in sore need of blessing. People are either running scared or scarred; or they are running with their heads buried in the sand, insisting on me first or its corollary, America first. Light, when you hide it under a bushel, will eventually lose its fuel and be snuffed out. So, the light is meant to be shared. Secondly, the prophet characterizes the darkness as thick at times, but it is not total. Just like on Christmas Eve and Maundy Thursday when we dim and douse the lights, it is not total darkness. Either our individual candles, the Christ candle, or the stained glass cross is lit. It is hard to see when it is dark; it is hard to notice any light. It is especially hard when we have our eyes clenched shut, when we are determined that the world is “going to hell in a handbasket,” and there is nothing you can do or say to convince me otherwise – when our eyes are clenched shut and we figuratively shake our heads, no. To see what grace is doing, we need to open our eyes, pay attention, and look around. Otherwise, we will miss the amazing things that God is already doing around us. You will miss the light permeating the darkness with grace. (I just want to take a few moments to give a shout out to the bits of light I see happening around me. We have a balanced budget this year thanks to your generosity and desire to participate in the mission and ministry of God’s church here in this place. We continue to have good worship attendance and surprisingly, the service that is growing the most is our 8:30 worship service. We have lots of mission opportunities and lots of active engagement on the part of the congregation in those mission opportunities. We have very well attended Bible studies and good discussions in which people are learning more about God and one another. We have an open, welcoming, and accepting congregation.) So, a number of things are heading in the right direction, and Karen Pidcock-Lester would tell us to quit sitting on our laurels and “get out into the darkness and start shining!”[2] Recently, who have you told about this congregation and what it means to you? The third characteristic of God’s light through us is that God’s kind of light arrives slowly, imperceptibly even. David Schlafer reminds us that God’s light arrives slowly rather than in a burst of blinding clarity that comes all at once. It is a gentle dawning awareness. He says, “the brightness of the star of Bethlehem did not require the Magi to put on sunglasses. It was an attention catching glimmer providing direction for a journey.”[3] And journeys take time. Yes, I like sudden epiphanies in which I have a sudden burst of clarity, but the truth is that it rarely happens that way. It is the slow drip, drip, of consciousness that dawns on me and eventually impacts my decisions and life. My husband Mike tells the story of his sudden epiphany of racism in his home church and culture when as a teenager he saw a black woman escorted out of his church by the ushers. What the ushers did not know is that the widow woman of the long-time custodian of the church had been invited that particular Sunday to participate in the special celebration. To watch her being escorted out of the sanctuary resulted in an epiphany/a sudden burst of light for Mike that changed his priorities moving forward. I, too, have had sudden epiphanies/awarenesses, but by and large, it has been the slow burning awareness of God’s love and grace that has made the biggest impact on my life so far. We are all on a journey in our lives and we need the guidance of the light Jesus gives us. David Schlafer also relates that “the more we become aware of ourselves as shined upon, the more we are able to reflect, and the more we are able to shine.”[4] Thanks be to God. “This little light of mine; I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine; I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” AMEN.
Today we are celebrating Epiphany, that time of year in which we remember the Magi or Wise Men’s visit to the child Jesus. We do not really know how many they were – one, three, seven? It has been assumed since three gifts are mentioned that there were three “wise men” from the East. They were foreigners, probably star watchers/astrologers who are curious about the signs they were seeing. And they follow a bright star to lead them to their destination, bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (oddly, a burial spice) to the Christ child. Matthew’s Gospel is the only way we know about these interesting characters. Just like Matthew’s star pierces the dark night sky, today’s passage from the prophet Isaiah claims that God’s light pierces the darkness of our lives. In fact, the prophet says the light is given to make us shine. If we were to read back into chapter 59, we would hear about the darkness of the people as they grieve their many losses in exile and as they return to the devastation of their homeland. Just like the Hebrew people of that day, we grieve losses today, whether it is the loss of a dream or goal that cannot be attained, or a job, or a health loss, or the loss of a relationship through death or divorce. Whatever our loss, we too grieve and sometimes wonder if the light of God’s grace and love can pierce the darkness of our grief. And rather than the typical light we think of as we turn on a light switch, let’s hear how the prophet describes the kind of light that God gives. The first characteristic the prophet mentions is the light that God gives is not a private light that is meant to solely help me see and give me warmth. It is a light that radiates outward toward others so that they may see, gain warmth, and strength. The prophet writes that “nations shall come to your light and see . . .” See what?, you might ask. As we consider the events of this past week, we could answer any of the following: so that others may see hope, perseverance, peace, and compassion in the world around them. “So that others might see . . .” that violence, hatred, and vitriol is never the answer to confusion, frustration, and the anger we might feel . . . so that others may realize that violence is never the last word. Archbishop Desmond Tutu reminds us that when we build up one another, we end up building up our entire society.[1] We do not live in a vacuum; everything we say and do has an effect. Don’t you want it to be a positive effect? Light and life and (I would add music) are not intended to be hoarded; it is meant to be shared. It is all well and good for us to bask in the warmth of God’s love and grace, but that is not our purpose. We are meant to radiate that warmth, that light to others. We are blessed to be a blessing and the truth is that the world is in sore need of blessing. People are either running scared or scarred; or they are running with their heads buried in the sand, insisting on me first or its corollary, America first. Light, when you hide it under a bushel, will eventually lose its fuel and be snuffed out. So, the light is meant to be shared. Secondly, the prophet characterizes the darkness as thick at times, but it is not total. Just like on Christmas Eve and Maundy Thursday when we dim and douse the lights, it is not total darkness. Either our individual candles, the Christ candle, or the stained glass cross is lit. It is hard to see when it is dark; it is hard to notice any light. It is especially hard when we have our eyes clenched shut, when we are determined that the world is “going to hell in a handbasket,” and there is nothing you can do or say to convince me otherwise – when our eyes are clenched shut and we figuratively shake our heads, no. To see what grace is doing, we need to open our eyes, pay attention, and look around. Otherwise, we will miss the amazing things that God is already doing around us. You will miss the light permeating the darkness with grace. (I just want to take a few moments to give a shout out to the bits of light I see happening around me. We have a balanced budget this year thanks to your generosity and desire to participate in the mission and ministry of God’s church here in this place. We continue to have good worship attendance and surprisingly, the service that is growing the most is our 8:30 worship service. We have lots of mission opportunities and lots of active engagement on the part of the congregation in those mission opportunities. We have very well attended Bible studies and good discussions in which people are learning more about God and one another. We have an open, welcoming, and accepting congregation.) So, a number of things are heading in the right direction, and Karen Pidcock-Lester would tell us to quit sitting on our laurels and “get out into the darkness and start shining!”[2] Recently, who have you told about this congregation and what it means to you? The third characteristic of God’s light through us is that God’s kind of light arrives slowly, imperceptibly even. David Schlafer reminds us that God’s light arrives slowly rather than in a burst of blinding clarity that comes all at once. It is a gentle dawning awareness. He says, “the brightness of the star of Bethlehem did not require the Magi to put on sunglasses. It was an attention catching glimmer providing direction for a journey.”[3] And journeys take time. Yes, I like sudden epiphanies in which I have a sudden burst of clarity, but the truth is that it rarely happens that way. It is the slow drip, drip, of consciousness that dawns on me and eventually impacts my decisions and life. My husband Mike tells the story of his sudden epiphany of racism in his home church and culture when as a teenager he saw a black woman escorted out of his church by the ushers. What the ushers did not know is that the widow woman of the long-time custodian of the church had been invited that particular Sunday to participate in the special celebration. To watch her being escorted out of the sanctuary resulted in an epiphany/a sudden burst of light for Mike that changed his priorities moving forward. I, too, have had sudden epiphanies/awarenesses, but by and large, it has been the slow burning awareness of God’s love and grace that has made the biggest impact on my life so far. We are all on a journey in our lives and we need the guidance of the light Jesus gives us. David Schlafer also relates that “the more we become aware of ourselves as shined upon, the more we are able to reflect, and the more we are able to shine.”[4] Thanks be to God. “This little light of mine; I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine; I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” AMEN.
BENEDICTION Minnie Louise Haskins – “The Gate of the Year”
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied, “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.”
_____
[1] Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Believe: The Words and Inspiration of Desmond Tutu. (Boulder, Co: Blue Mountain Press, 2007.) p. 3 [2] Karen Pidcock-Lester, “Pastoral Perspective” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year C, Vol 1. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009.) p. 198. [3] David J. Schlafer, “Connecting the Reading with the World” in Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship, Year C, Vol 1. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018.) p. 146. [4] Ibid.