Epiphany – January 6, 2013
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'”
7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. -Matthew 2:1-12
Our text this morning is full of vulnerable people. But in a sense, that’s what Epiphany is all about. Because on Epiphany, this child born in Judea, this Jewish baby born in an animal’s shelter, suddenly becomes a world player, a King. Suddenly it is no longer a small contained, story. It is no longer a quaint account that can be soon forgotten. Because of the star. The star that draws strangers from far off nations. The star that breaks open this mystery to the world makes everyone vulnerable; things are no longer safe and contained.
This story is about magi who make themselves vulnerable. The magi are not Jewish. Sure, they know the Hebrew scriptures, but they also know many other texts. They spend their nights searching the stars for signs that will tell them about the world. A star appears, or perhaps maybe even a series of cosmic events, that catch the attention of these astrologer priests in a far off land. The appearance of the star is significant enough to them that they go off as envoys of their kingdom to greet this new prince. It’s a risky journey, not just because of the travel but because they do not know what it is they are seeking.
These magi travel a great distance not knowing where to go. Perhaps at the palace they begin to sense a problem when Herod does not seem to know what they are talking about. Perhaps they have misread the signs, perhaps they have misinterpreted. What will this mean for their careers? What impact will this have on the kingdoms from whom they come bearing gifts? Do they feel silly when they finally arrive at a humble dwelling with a peasant family, bearing their gifts fit for a king? Their exuberance for this child without regard for protocol makes them vulnerable.
We might like to imagine that these magi who come to worship do so in a way that transforms their lives, that they somehow become followers of Jesus. But the story indicates only that that they returned home in such a way as to protect the baby from the intentions of King Herod. In all likelihood they went back to watching the stars for signs from the gods. They surely had a wonderful story to tell, but apparently they didn’t convert. They remain in some ways vulnerable as strangers to this strange king.
But that is nothing compared to the way that Herod feels vulnerable. The magi show up and tell him a king has been born, one worthy of star in the sky, in his country of Judea! He is suddenly spinning out the possibilities in his head. Who is this? When will he be a threat to me? Who is plotting? Where is this child? Who is pulling the strings?
Herod’s vulnerability has disastrous consequences. When made to feel vulnerable, he does the only thing he can think to do – he employs his power and violence to restore his control over the world. When he realizes he won’t hear back from the magi, he slaughters many to protect his power. That is the dark side of this day of light. The ways in which this event makes us vulnerable can have disastrous consequences when mixed with our world of sin.
But then there are yet others who are vulnerable. Mary and Joseph welcome these strangers into their home. They do not know where they come from or who they are or what gifts they bring. Perhaps by now they are growing accustomed to these strange events and people they do not know knowing something about their child. But they must be still trying to understand what is happening to them, all as they figure out how to parent a child who maybe doesn’t even yet sleep through the night.
Epiphany is about the breaking open of the Christmas story. That warm and wonderful, sweet and cozy story with all its accompanying carols and candlelight is suddenly broken open for the whole world. This story that we thought we could contain and control is suddenly broken open and it makes everyone feel a little exposed.
The church can feel that way sometimes. I often hear people point out that the center of Christianity has shifted now to the southern hemisphere, where churches are growing much faster than those in Europe and North America. But usually I hear that quoted with a sense of fear. We are used to owning the Christian tradition as people of the West. We are used to Christianity looking like us, acting like us, worshipping like us. We aren’t used to songs that speak of God in other languages and with other melodies. When the message of God is broken open to the world it forces us into a place of vulnerability, a place where we do not get to control or command how things happen. It’s part of the challenge of Epiphany to rejoice in this explosion of the good news to the world despite our fear about how that might change us.
It’s hard for us as a church to step outside of ourselves. It’s hard to take on the journey of the magi to see God in unexpected places in our world. It’s hard to invite strangers into our midst, strangers who do not look like us, who do not talk like us, who do not worship like us. It’s hard for us to accept that we aren’t the all-powerful kings we think we are sometimes. We are made vulnerable all the time.
As the story of Jesus continues to expand, as it continues to reach out and touch more and more people, it challenges all of us to confront our vulnerability. But we do so in good company, because there is at least one more person made vulnerable in this Epiphany story. Maybe the most vulnerable person of all.
God is still a baby. God is a vulnerable infant who cannot yet walk or talk or feed himself. And worse yet, his vulnerable presence has been advertised in the stars. Sure the magi bring gifts, but they also inadvertently bring on the murderous rage of King Herod. God is so vulnerable his parents must flee with him to another country to protect him. It is God who on this Epiphany opens God’s very self to the world and to us.
As participants in this cosmic explosion of grace, we are called to be vulnerable – to put out for the world to see exactly who we are and what we believe. When we do so we risk rejection and ridicule. We risk having to expand our ideas about who we are and who God is. But we also open ourselves to a deep and profound encounter with the Christ child in one another and the world around us. As the nations are gathered to the light of Christ, we get to grow and expand and rejoice in the breadth of who God is.
Epiphany, for all its light and joy, is a challenging day as we are called to participate in God’s vulnerability to the entire world. We are called to make ourselves vulnerable to the world around us. But we do so fed and nourished by the one who is vulnerable for us. We do so filled with the knowledge of God’s love and grace for us. We do so filled with light and life and salvation. Thanks be to God.
-Pastor Steven Wilco
Stewarding the Word 