The Rev. Patricia A. Gillespie
Isaiah 60:1-6,9
Psalm 72
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12
For behold, darkness covers the land;
deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.
But over you the Lord will rise,
and his glory will appear upon you.
Nations Will stream to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawning.
We take light so much for granted. Flip a switch and everything is bright. Only rarely do we experience the overwhelming fear of relentless darkness. It's difficult for us to imagine the power of the biblical image of light.
In our brightly lit world, one small light is hardly noticed.
But when "darkness covers the land" and "deep gloom enshrouds the peoples" it's astonishing how much even a tiny flame can light up.
A tiny lamp in a stable, a new star in the sky . . . and a small baby in a manger outshines a group of traveling wise men. "When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy."
Epiphany. It means to make manifest. It is when God shows God's self to the world. In the tradition of the Eastern Church three epiphanies are celebrated. Three times when God clearly showed us God's own presence in our world. First, there is the visit of the wise men, when the star showed the way to the Light of the World, the newborn king. There is also Jesus' baptism, when God showed God's self to the world, announcing from the heavens, "This is my Son." And again, God showed God's self at the Transfiguration on the mountaintop when a radiant Jesus was again proclaimed from the heavens as "My Son."
Epiphany. Times when God is apparent in the world. Times when God lights up our lives. We gather around Christ the Light to celebrate those three great epiphanies.
But it doesn't stop there. The Epiphanies are for us too. Isaiah understood that the epiphany that happened to the wise men at the manger, and to the disciples on the mountain top, and to those witnessing Jesus' baptism can happen to us, too.
Isaiah writes, "Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice." When we see the Light of Christ, whether it's blinding radiance or a tiny flame, we, like those wise men, can be overwhelmed with joy.
It's not just profound mystical experiences, or brilliant stars, or voices from heaven. An ordinary, little light can be an epiphany -- God showing God's own self to us. It can happen in a child's smile or a friend's touch, in a glorious symphony or a silent sunrise, as well as in a gathering around Christ for worship.
And it lights up our lives. I sometimes see that light in faces around the altar at communion. An epiphany: God made manifest.
But even when we experience it in seemingly ordinary moments of our lives, God's light is different from ordinary light. Isaiah describes it as "radiant." We see and we become radiant.
Gathered around Christ, with the Light of the World shining on our faces, the Light transfigures us, so that when we turn to the world where "darkness covers the land" and "deep gloom enshrouds the peoples" we carry Christ's light within us and are radiant, lighting up the lives of others we meet.
That is the joy. We ourselves become epiphanies – God's light lighting up the world.
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon YOU.