The Third Sunday after Epiphany ---- 27 January 2019

Luke 4:14-21

14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

"Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

·       Do you ever wonder what the Kingdom of God is like? Jesus answers that question using parable in a number of places in the Gospels. Of course, those parables are not always easy to understand.

·       In today’s reading, Jesus says that the scripture passage from Isaiah he has just read in the synagogue in Nazareth has been fulfilled in your hearing. The reading tells of the coming of God’s kingdom into the world. It promises release to captives, sight to the blind, freedom from oppression, good news to the poor, and the Lord’s favour.

·       If Hollywood were to depict the coming of the Kingdom, I imagine it would include the sky splitting open, armed and armoured angel hosts descending with vengeance in their eyes, volcanos erupting, and masses of people fleeing in terror.

·       But how would Jesus depict the Kingdom? We see in today’s reading that it includes the righting of wrongs, the healing of pain and suffering, and freedom for those in bondage. He described it in parables, those small stories that can carry so much weight and meaning. “The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed.” “The Kingdom of God is like a woman searching for a lost coin who throws a big party when she finds it.” “The Kingdom is like a man who watched for his lost son all day every day and ran to welcome him when the boy was seen.” There are many other parables and I’m sure any of us here could think of some that would be appropriate.

·       These parable teach unfamiliar things in familiar images – things of domestic home life, image taken from the farm and the pasture. There are times when the parables go against the common wisdom. We might question why a shepherd would leave a flock of 99 sheep in the wilderness in order to seek out one single lost sheep.

·       Well, parables teach things that make sense in the parable and turn thing upside down for the hearers. The challenge the hearers to see things differently and to change their ways of thinking.

·       This seems so radically different from the possible depictions of the coming of the Kingdom in movies or comic books. The Kingdom of God will not be what we expect. And the scripture announcing its coming was fulfilled in what we’ve heard Jesus saying in today’s reading. No angelic regiments. No natural disasters. No earthly uprising of the Kingdom’s supporters. Just Jesus saying Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

·       Maybe, just maybe, we can change our thinking on what the Kingdom will be. If Jesus said that the scripture was fulfilled, then it has been fulfilled and is still being fulfilled. It is still being fulfilled around us now.

·       Of course, it will not be what we expect. It may be coming to fulfillment in small, seemingly insignificant ways, every day, little by little, bit by bit. Lives are being changed, slowly but surely.

·       Here’s an example I found in my study for this sermon. In one of the southern states in the USA, a Christian seminary has set up a satellite campus in a local prison. A number of the inmates are taking classes with a view to becoming ministers after serving their sentences. The group received permission to have a vegetable garden and together they considered what they’d do with the crop they raised. Many of the inmates were convicted of violent crimes against the women in their lives – wives, daughters, girlfriends. As a way of beginning to change their attitudes and in a spirit of atonement, they decided to give all the produce to the women’s shelter in the nearby town. In small ways, they were changing how they thought about women and relationships… and about themselves as well.

·       Small acts, yes. Meaningful, but not earth shaking in the 11 o’clock sense. But world changing though for those who gave and those who received. From such acorns, mighty oaks grow. Or is it a mustard seed? Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches. (Mt. 13:32)

·       When we hear things like this, we know Jesus is right.

"Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

The Second Sunday after Epiphany ----- 20 January 2019

(Today was quite bright and clear, but extremely cold... -14º C as Beth and I left for the church. There were seven of us at the service, counting the musician and myself. The service was shortened as was the sermon. Since everyone there wanted to be there, the Spirit was noticeably present.)

John 2:1-11

1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." 4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6 Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8 He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. 9 When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now."

·       This event – Jesus’ first miracle in the Gospel of John – has been seen as a revelation of the glory of God in Jesus, and so has been tied to the Epiphany (the revelation of God to the nations) and the Baptism of the Lord (where he is revealed as the Beloved Son and the carrier of the Spirit of God.) Those two events are quite dramatic while this water-to-wine wedding seems almost secretive.

·       Yet, we are told that Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; Wouldn’t the revelation of Jesus’ “glory” be more powerful, like a healing or an exorcism? What’s so special about wine at a wedding?

·       There is more going on here than meets the eye. We have to check our attitudes at the door, as it were.

·       First, Jesus – at his mother’s urging – aids the hosts of the wedding in an embarrassing situation. Weddings at that time when on for days and to run out of wine would be a dishonor and actually a health issue. The water was undrinkable for the most part and no other beverages were available. (Fruit juice became wine, coffee and tea were unheard-of, and ginger ale was not invented yet.) To run short of wine endangered everyone’s health and might show the lack of status and honour of the wedding couple.

·       Jesus’ remedy? Turning the water in 6 stone jars into wine – between 500 to 700 litres of wine! The party could continue and could actually get better since the wine was declared superior by the steward.

·       Second, in the prophetic writings, the abundance of wine was a sign of the coming of the Kingdom of God and the restoration of the Kingdom of David. Justice, true justice, would be available to all. Jesus provided an almost unimaginable abundance of wine and the best wine to boot!

·       Third, everyone’s expectations are reversed. The groom and the steward do not know the source of the finest of wines, but the servants do! It appears that Jesus didn’t tell anyone either, although his mother and his disciples were present for the miracle and through this his disciples believed in him.

·       Fourth, there is the matter of shame and disgrace. The miracle allowed the bridal couple to save face in a culture that valued honour so highly. They could begin their married life with heads held high… after they recovered from the marriage feast.

·       So the power of God visits the lives of ordinary people and the glory of God is revealed in the something as normal and as human as a wedding. Something very “Messianic” is going on among the ordinary things for human life.

·       For us, this miracle reminds us of the presence of God and the grace of God in the simple things of ordinary daily life.

·       We know that the changing of water to wine or the multiplication of loaves and fish is not seen among us, but the sharing of food and drink certainly is. Hospitality can always be a revelation of the presence of God.

·       The welcoming of others into our lives and our homes continues to be a way to know God is present and cares for the world God created… and continues to sustain.

·       Quite often, God makes God’s presence known in the simple things that make up our lives – our families, our friends, our meals, our simple skills that are a gift from God. The posturing and bellowing of the so-called mighty are not what sustains the world. That is left to the grace-filled simplicity of ordinary people living under the grace of God.

·       The power of God, the glory of God can often be seen in the simple things of creation, provided we see them with the eyes of faith.

·       Water appears to us to be a common, simple thing, yet nothing on earth can live without it. We miss it when it’s gone or when it’s not clean. So who knows? Maybe what we do in the ordinary, simple aspects of our lives will be the water that Jesus changes into the wine that shows people around us the coming of the Kingdom of God. That is surely something to be hoped for, worked for, and prayed for.

the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now."

The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ ---- 13 January 2019

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

"You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

·       Over the past few days, I’ve driven by a certain church a few times. Their sign in the front yard said something like “Rejoice in the Good News Jesus brings!” Now I can’t argue with that, and it still made me think. I didn’t wonder about Jesus bringing good news. That idea is often repeated in the Gospels.

·       Jesus often took the side of the poor and the down-trodden in what he said and did. He also was willing to be seen with those who were considered to be “sinners” by those who saw themselves as “righteous.” Jesus often ate with tax collectors and ‘sinners’ and was kind to those known to have offended against the Law of Moses, even with those ‘caught in the act’ as it were.

·       We’ve often heard the message of what is called the Sermon on the Mount – Blessed are the poor; blessed are those who mourn; blessed are the peacemakers; blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. We even know the negative side, the “woes”, that tell of those who have it now and are missing out on what will come.

·       We know of Jesus’ proclamation of the both the coming and the nearness of the Kingdom of God. We’ve heard his call to repentance. Although it may not sound like ‘good news’, but the call to change our lives is good news. The telling of a coming change is good because it gives the hearer a chance to become part of that change. To tell someone to “Repent!” means that someone can actually repent of sin and have a new life and a new relationship with God.

·       Having said all this, we might remember that the prophets of Israel and Judah had been saying these same things for hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth. His preaching was in direct line with the spirit sent to the prophets before him.

·       What made me think when I saw that sign in the church’s yard was one small change. What if that sign said “Rejoice in the Good News Jesus Is!”? Does that make any difference?

·       It sure does! On top of the powerful and hopeful prophetic message Jesus brings, he himself IS the message.

·       The church season we have just finished – Christmas & Epiphany – has little to do with Jesus’ preaching. The Christmas readings have a silent Jesus… unless you imagine him as a normal human child who cried when hungry or wet or cold. The readings from Luke for Epiphany have the wise men come to see Jesus and leave gifts… and Jesus never says a word. Today’s reading about the baptism of Jesus, he again is silent. The most important message is what is said about him, both by John the Baptizer and the voice from heaven. Further, the heavens open and the Spirit descends on him in the bodily shape of a dove. Is the Scripture, when the heavens open, big things are happening. Here the earth and the heavens are being joined; they are not separated as many have thought... and still think.

·       Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Beloved of the Father, the one whom John the Baptizer said I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. We know all this and it always pays to be reminded. The Good News in woven into these titles and there is one more thing that is overwhelmingly Good News for us. Jesus is the Word become Flesh, something beyond our imagination. Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, the Beloved of the Father, of whom the Father says “with you I am well pleased.", is also Emmanuel, God with us. That the Word of God become Flesh has been with us as human beings and had blessed our flawed existence in this world is Good News beyond measure. “Rejoice in the Good News Jesus Is!” God is with us; go and show it in what you say and what you do, for in what we say and what we do, God is with us!

"You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

The Festival of the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ ---- 6 January 2019

Matthew 2:1-12

1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, "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." 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They 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.' " 7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then 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."

9 When 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. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On 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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?

·       This festival of the Epiphany (or “Three Kings Day” or “Little Christmas” if you prefer) brings us the Gospel story of visitors from far away lands who come to honour the child Jesus having observed his star at its rising…

·       It’s an odd story since it includes unknown “wise men” coming to see the Christ child because they observed his star at its rising… It also includes a note of menace as Herod says the wise men are to report back to him so that I may also go and pay him homage. We know what Herod means and he shows his intent in the horrible event that the Church has long called “the slaughter of the innocents”, the killing of all boys up to the age of two in and around Bethlehem. There’s even a very sad Christmas carol about that event, the Coventry Carol.

·       A lot of things have been added to this Gospel story, things that Luke didn’t tell us… like the number of the wise men. Were there three or were there more? We don’t know, but since there were three gifts, we get three wise men. Tradition has named them Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, but they might have been Curly, Moe, and Larry since Luke doesn’t say.

·       We call them “wise men” or even “kings.” Luke calls them “magi”, a plural term for the learned priest of the Persian religion of the time. They were known to be astrologers as well, studying the stars for clues about the future. Whatever we might call them, they are not Jewish and they are from the nation that was the deadly rival of Rome in the Middle East. They are Gentiles and possibly even hostile enemies.

·       They bear odd gifts. Modern day comedians have said wise women would have brought casseroles, fresh diapers, and baby sitters. Instead we have gold, frankincense, and myrrh and we might wonder why.

·       I have a story for that. Years ago, when I was part of a monastic order, I’d go for spiritual direction at a near-by Trappist abbey. It was Epiphany and the monks were permitted to speak in the dining room, a rare treat. They also had a sort of party with some wine and desserts. From the library where I sat, I could hear them laughing. Just then the abbot came into the library with the figures of the three magi for the nativity scene. He’d had a few drinks and was very talkative that day. He explained the gifts to me. Gold is the gift worthy of a king, representing our lives given to God. Frankincense is used in worship as the incense mentioned in the book of Revelation, so it is the gift of worship, our worship and prayer. Finally, myrrh is said to be the most bitter of herbs and could be used in incense. It is used in burial rites and it is a foreshadowing of Jesus’ own death. Or so the abbot told me. In these gifts, the magi acknowledged Jesus as King, God, and sacrifice for the sins of the world.

·       So is there Good News here among all these additions? Absolutely! “Epiphany” means “appearance” or "manifestation" and in this festival we celebrate the appearance of the Word made flesh. In many traditions, this is the end of the Christmas season (although you can stretch it to next week’s festival, the Baptism of Jesus, which is also tied to the idea of Epiphany), so we continue to celebrate and rejoice in the Incarnation of Jesus.

·       Add to that the presence of the Gentile wise men, honoring the Word made flesh. Now in their presence in the Gospel, the Gentile world is added to the people of God. Now all people are God’s people, are the chosen people, without taking one thing away from the Jewish people as God’s people. Luke is believed to be writing to a Jewish-Christian audience, so the inclusion of Gentiles as worshipers of Jesus would be a surprise. In the same way, Matthew may have written to to the Gentile world which despised the poor. So who is first to be told of the birth of Jesus?  Poor shepherds!

·       We may not be rich or powerful or born into a special group. We may not be seen as wise by a great number of people. What we are is blessed and graced and included in the love of God by the one who took on our flesh, who preached good news to the poor, and made us all – no matter where we were born – a holy people.

·       One custom for Epiphany is house blessings. Often the year is written in chalk above the door as well as the initials “C-M-B” for Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. The letters can also mean Christus mansionem benedicat – “May Christ bless the house.” May this always be  so.