From the Pastor |
Isaiah 60:1-6 & Mark 1: 4-11
On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, the Christian calendar called us to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany is the day when we set aside to recall how Magi from far off lands followed a strange but amazing astrological event and found the child, Jesus. An epiphany is an appearance or manifestation… a sudden intuitive insight or perception… it is an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure. That is exactly what the Magi experienced. Through their study of the stars and various prophecies, they recognized that this amazing astrological sign heralded something or someone very special. They set out and traveled great distances to find what it all meant. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.” [Matthew 2: 10-11] They experienced an illuminating discovery… the witnessed the manifestation of God in the world and the realization that brought them to their knees… causing them to pay homage to this child they had found. Have you ever wondered why? Why is it important for us thousands of years later? We find the answer in our reading from Isaiah. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you… Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn… And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.” Isaiah’s words were written to people who were depressed by what life had given them. These words were for people who had returned from the exile to find their land in ruins… people who felt like giving up. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you!” Epiphany celebrates how God’s light and love were revealed in the birth of Jesus, the Christ because it was through the birth of this child that God’s light shone forth and revealing love, truth and grace. This season focuses our eyes on the appearance of this light… for in Christ, God is revealed, made visible, and shown to all... Jew and Gentile alike. Jesus… The child born in Bethlehem… the one sought out by the Wise Men is our epiphany, because in him we can bear witness to the illuminating discovery that is the light of God…. The light of life. Jesus himself tells us, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” [John 8: 12] Jesus IS the Manifestation of God in our world. The Light of God that has come into the world… driving out the darkness and radiating the glory of God upon us. And let’s face it… this past year has been one that has shown us that we truly need the light of Christ to shine. The darkness has raged and spread. We saw the proof of that once again on Wednesday when people charged into our nation’s Capital building bringing the joint session of Congress to a halt. People were injured… one was killed. Tempers flared across our country. Fear and anxiety grew. Concern for what this will mean for us as a nation ran strong. It was a very dark time on the Day of Epiphany. But even in that time of darkness… Christ’s light was shining. What we need to remember is that Christ’s light is not meant to be merely external… Christ is always at work in the hearts and minds of his followers… working in us and through us and even beyond us. After all… he also told his followers “You are the light of the world…” [Matthew 5:14] That is why it is so appropriate this week for us to look to the beginning of Mark’s gospel as well. Just as God’s manifestation was revealed in the child in Bethlehem to strangers from the east… The revelation of the truth of Jesus’ identity also came on the day of his baptism. Like most of the accounts in the gospel of Mark… the account of Jesus’ baptism is short and to the point. “Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”” [Mark 1:10-11] This event takes place at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Before heading out to preach and teach and heal the people… Jesus comes to the Jordan to be baptized by John… it is there that he is given the gift of the Holy Spirit that will make his ministry possible. It is also there that the truth of his identity is revealed with God’s voice offering powerful words of acceptance, identity, and favor. “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Think about the comfort and strength Jesus would have received upon hearing these words… Do you remember your baptism? If you were baptized as a youth or an adult… chances are that you do. If you were a baby at the time… then you probably do not recall the event… but you can probably recall being told about that time. However… no matter if you distinctly remember your experience with the water or not… we all need to remember the aftermath… the life you have led as a baptized follower of Christ Jesus… the new creation that you have since chosen to become. When we are baptized we are remade... we are given a fresh new beginning… a new start. We sometimes need to be reminded of what baptism is all about… Because we all long to hear words of acceptance... and God calls us to come as we are… offering acceptance because we are loved in spite of our flaws and failings. We long to be given our identity as children of God… loved and claimed. We long for the promise and blessings that come from God and help us to face all the challenges, problems and concerns we have about this world and our own lives. For God’s light to illuminate the darkness within and around us. That is precisely the gifts that Baptism brings us… along with the gift of the Holy Spirit… When we are baptized we invite the Holy Spirit to enter in… The Spirit remains with us throughout our lives… inspiring us to praise God… to love and serve both God and our neighbor… to learn and grow in faith a little more each day. The Holy Spirit take up residence within us and brings the light of Christ into our hearts. Each year we celebrate the Day of Epiphany and remember the Baptism of Our Lord because we need these reminders… the revelation of who Christ is… and the reminder of who we are. Christ Jesus is the light of the world… the light that guides our feet every day as we journey through life. Through our baptism… through our faith we have been adopted as the sons and daughters of God… born again into the family of God… embodying the love and light of Christ. When we look to the light of Christ…when we follow that light… the light within us burns brighter… reflecting Christ’s light out into the world around us. We celebrate Christmas because it reminds us of God's gift to us in Christ. We celebrate Epiphany because it reminds us of the revelation of the manifestation of God in Jesus who is the light of the world. We remember our baptism because we recognize who Christ is and who we are in Christ which has us respond with praise and thanksgiving that includes the offering of our whole selves. So today… let us take time to remember our baptism… let us renew our vows and hear God say… “Rise. Shine. Your light has already come. My light is within you. My light is with you. My light is guidance and energy and strength. Get up. Get going. Your light has come… Let it shine through you!” Amen.
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Yeon Shin
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