January 9, 2022 Epiphany
First Lesson: Matthew 2:1-12
2 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.
Second Lesson: Isaiah 60:1-6
60 Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
3 Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
During Covid I met someone for lunch at Michael’s on Main. It was a first date. But as I was sitting down, I had a sense that this man should meet my friend, I will call her Jan. Here I was meeting a very nice man, but something told me he needed to meet my friend. I said myself, “Anne focus. Be present and see where this goes.” Our lunch was lovely as was wine tasting and dinner. But in the end, we both decided we were not a match. A few months later Jan and I were talking, I told her the story and I asked if she wanted to meet this nice guy, Don. She said sure. So, I sent a text with Jan’s picture and a brief bio to Don. Well, that was a year ago October, they have been dating ever since. They even spent 6 weeks in Europe traveling together this past summer. That feeling I got, that sense that Jan should meet Don, that was an epiphany, a sudden intuitive sense of reality. I don’t know how it happened; all I know is that that sense has brought two lovely people together.
In the church we usually think of Epiphany as the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. Epiphany was on January 6 and the season continues for several weeks. Traditionally we think of the Magi coming to the Christ Child and Jesus’ physical manifestation to the Gentiles. We have all sung We Three Kings enough to tell this account. They follow the star, avoid Herod, bring their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. What we may not remember is that these Magi were not just gentiles, foreigners. Some believe they represent the unification of God’s promise to Abraham. They might be the descendants of Abraham and Hagar. You recall Abraham sent Hagar and Ismael away after giving them some gifts. Isaiah speaks about the light and nations coming together. One commentator writes, “In the poetic promise of Isaiah, God undoes Abraham’s banishment and restriction of inheritance to Isaac. The tribes return, bearing gifts, and they are in turn welcomed to share in the greatest inheritance of Abraham: community with the God of Israel at its center” (Working Preacher, Corey Driver). Isaiah speaks of this coming together and the light of the Lord rising upon you.
We are in need of God’s light right now. It sure can feel like COVID is a thick darkness covering the earth, covering the people, covering us. The United States reached 1 million cases in a single day this week. It is hard to know what to do and where to go and not go. Throughout we have prayed for people, our nation, and health care workers. But now the cases are on the rise in our community, up by 187% in the last two weeks. Omicron is much more contagious and thankfully it appears not as virulent. But we are fatigued and want this to be over.
Diana Butler Bass, a theologian and church observer, wrote an article in support of us as we move through this COVID time. She writes, “There’s no spinning this. (A million cases is) a lot of illness. And, although vaccinated and boosted people will (in all probability) suffer less, many others will suffer greatly — especially children, the disabled, those with conditions like cancer, and the elderly. The “pandemic of the unvaccinated” isn’t only about anti-vaxxers and QAnon supporters. It is about people who have little personal agency, the marginalized, and those forgotten by our society. Add to that frightened parents, worried caregivers, and overburdened teachers, nurses, and doctors. It is a lot” (One Million Cases). She then recommends moving towards N95 masks so that we can be safer as we move through the world. I must admit I like my cloth masks and don’t want to switch, but maybe the revelation, the epiphany before us, is that we need to adapt, adjust once again to be safe. I went to see Dore this week to pray and sing with her. It was important to hold her hand and pray. Protocols have changed at the care facility. They discouraged people coming into the facility, I was tested, and they provide an N95 mask. That was the first time I wore a medical grade mask. It gave me a greater appreciation for what health care workers do all the time. We might need to rethink our mask choices.
Bass also encourages, “Everyone to be gentle with (ourselves and) others. Expect nothing to be “normal” over the next several weeks. Throwing a fit at Target helps no one. Say “please” and “thank you” more often. Tip generously. Be quick with a kind word. Ask for what you need from those you work with and those you serve. Create a culture of clear communication (even as it needs to be both flexible and fluid) to get through the next month.” Be gentle with yourself!
I have shared a relational epiphany with Jan and Don, and behavioral epiphany maybe changing our mask protection and now I want to share a psychological epiphany. During my stay-cation, I had an epiphany. The realities of my life were seen through a new lens, a new perspective. I had an intuitive grasp of reality through a striking event. Late one night, awake from shoulder pain, I came across a picture of my sister from Instagram. I don’t do Instagram, but Facebook brought it to me. Seeing her in the final stages of her life, gaunt yet smiling and happy with her daughter, helped me to grasp the reality of her death. She passed two years ago on Christmas Eve. I was dealing with my own health crisis and her final arrangements, then COVID hit. Long story short, I have been stuck emotionally and physically since then. I have not grieved her fully, and my body has been off with shoulder and foot pain, trying to get my attention about this. This epiphany gives me courage that my health will resolve because now I see what I am going through on a deeper level. I see with a third eye aspects of my life, feeling them in an intuitive way. I am now working on grieving my sister more fully.
We are all tired and might need an epiphany about how to get through. Bass offers these words of hope, “Remember to pray, take small breaks as needed, cry often. But do not surrender. Please.
Keep doing what is right. You aren’t broken; you’re just worn down, sad, and tired. Even in the midst of it all, there’s still love, a healing God, good people, and a beautiful purpose for your life and theirs. You are being called to be your best self as leader, friend, and neighbor. Tell the truth with intelligence, assurance, integrity, and insistent resolve. Act with compassion and courage. That’s our path to real hope. We can do this. Honest.”
Epiphany is not just a day on January 6th, it is not just a season in the church. Epiphany is our connection to God to see things beyond. To intuitively connect with the divine and our spiritual selves. Epiphanies happen all the time. May we always honor the true epiphany of Jesus coming and nations uniting and peoples reconnecting. In its highest form epiphany is the revelation of God through Jesus. The time when Jesus comes into the world showing God’s love and light. The time God became flesh and dwelt among us. As we face this thick darkness known as Covid it is good to remember that God continues to reveal Godself to us today. We are not alone in this thick darkness. We do not have to be afraid. Yes, we face a real threat, but Jesus is with us, loving us and caring for us. Just as Epiphany is the revelation of Jesus let us remember that Jesus’ name literally means, “to save.” Let us be faithful in our prayers to our precious Jesus as we seek to be saved from this pandemic. As we hope to arise and shine the light of God throughout our world.
Amen
