God’s Mystery Revealed

January 6, 2008

David Brubacher

Text:

Isaiah 60:1-6

Matthew 2:1-12

 

Introduction:  Much of what we know and experience of God is shrouded in mystery. Occasionally we catch a momentary glimpse that connects something of God with our external world. It is a profound moment when the deep longings of our being connect with the divine. We are transformed. We are empowered to journey into the deep recesses of our being – maybe even our darkness.

Connecting with God is revelation – a brief moment when we see clearly and things make sense. We may be inspired with new hope. We may find peace in the enfolding arms of God’s embrace. 

In every day language we speak of these as, “AHA!” moments. Theologically and liturgically we speak of them as epiphanies.  Today on Epiphany Sunday, we celebrate God’s mystery revealed to all the world.

Epiphanies come unexpectedly. God is like that. I expected to meet God in dramatic ways during my studies in Jerusalem in July 2004, but not through Rami and Adel. They came to share their horrific stories. If I had heard only their words I would have said their stories represented an absence of God. 

Rami and Adel represent people the world defines as enemies. Rami described himself as a non-religious Israeli. He told how his fourteen-year-old daughter died in a Palestinian suicide bombing. Adel is a Palestinian Christian and told of his elderly father being shot to death by a Jewish settler. Telling the stories was difficult for both men. At times they broke down emotionally. Here is what I saw. Two men, whom many would have us believe are enemies, reached out and touched the other with gentle offerings of support. I saw God.

In simple acts of touch the entire message of the Bible was proclaimed before my eyes. I knew that unlike Rami and Adel I tend to build walls in situations of conflict, especially when I think I am right. Reaching out to the other in shared brokenness does not come naturally to us. Adel and Rami represent a bereaved families group of Palestinians and Israelis who are discovering a profound place of meeting – of connecting, if you will – in their shared pain of lost loved ones. Their grief and brokenness is a common bond. In reaching out to the other they are finding healing for their own pain and suffering. That feels like God to me.

The shadows of Christmas are fading fast. In the coming of Jesus the Christ Child, Christians celebrate God’s reaching across the divide of human sin and brokenness. Do we recognize the profound significance? Or was Christmas just another spiritual flash in the pan that likely wouldn’t change much in our lives? God’s mystery is revealed to direct us in new paths of hope and peace.

Epiphany traditionally celebrates the coming of the Magi/Wise men. The dictionary describes an epiphany as the “appearance or manifestation of a god or other supernatural being.” The Christian church celebrates Epiphany to acknowledge Jesus’ coming as the light of the world.

Epiphany has become one of my favourite Sundays for preaching. We are challenged to become the connecting link between God incarnate in Jesus and our world – to join in God’s mission to the world. We might well ask ourselves, “Am I a light that reflects Jesus, or am I a shadow that keeps others from seeing Jesus?”  For me Epiphany is a time to get real about what we celebrate and profess in Christmas – a time to connect with what God is doing.

In becoming open to the scriptures this morning, I invite you to imagine an eyewitness account of God’s mystery revealed in the events of Jesus’ birth. I invite you further to consider the photocopy of the painting “The Adoration of the Magi,” painted by Quentin Massys, a Flemish Northern Renaissance Painter, in 1526.

It had already been an exciting week. My ten-year-old eyes took in everything as people came to Bethlehem from far away places to be counted in Governor Quirinius’ census. I was fascinated by the stories. Little did I know.

Father’s guesthouse was full. People were staying in our home. On that memorable evening the animals had been settled in the cave back room of our house. Guests were assigned sleeping places along with the family in the main room. There was no more room. Period!

We had just settled down when a young couple looking for a place to stay knocked at the door. Father, sleeping next to the door explained there was no room. The girl, only a few years older than me was going to have a baby very soon. Moved with compassion father invited them to stay in the backroom with the animals.

Soon Mary’s baby was born. I heard Joseph say his name was Jesus. When I saw the baby, I was drawn to him. It seems I was not the only one. Shepherds soon came to our door. They told how angels sang of a “Saviour” born in our village. Usually a religious family like ours avoided shepherds. But father just invited them in. He must have been feeling it too. It was a holy night.

I can’t explain it, but in Jesus I found a peace that connected me to God. Father felt it. The shepherds felt it and told every one they saw. “Shepherds talking about God,” I thought. “Something is going on!”        

Things quieted down after the new family went home to Nazareth for a few weeks. When they returned people kept coming to see this baby the shepherds were talking about.

When Jesus was about a year old a huge caravan of camels came from a far away place in the east. Father said they were Magi – wise men who studied the stars. I had never seen so many camels and riches. The men said a star told them of a new king being born. It led them right to our house. Imagine, global positioning!

What happened next is what I want to tell you about. These big, powerful men fell to their knees in worship when they saw Jesus. I still remember their faces. An older man came up close. I could see he had been searching for a long time and finally found what he was looking for in the Christ-child. Another had a look of awe. It seemed like he felt fully included in God’s love, perhaps for the first time. A third man stood a little further b
ack. His face simply said, “Yes!” In the Christ-child his hopes and dreams were confirmed. There were others in the room as well. Some scoffed. Others were puzzled. There was no doubt however that something of God was being revealed. 

From beginning to end, the Bible tells a story of God revealed to humanity. In Genesis 12:1-3 God called Abram saying, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” To this very day, I believe the call to be a blessing is the primary call of all those who profess faith in the living God. Being a blessing is foundational to the mission of the church. There is something attractive about people being a blessing.

The biblical Prophets often spoke of nations of the world, being drawn to the light of God’s people, and streaming to Mt. Zion. Mt Zion is the biblical city of Jerusalem. Mt. Zion, as I see it, is also symbolic of God’s people being a blessing. Isaiah 60 says, “Nations shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

These words are a prophecy of hope. It was a dark time when Isaiah spoke. The people had returned from captivity in Babylon and were struggling to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. They were poor, and there was much conflict. How were they to understand Isaiah’s words? “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you…. Thick darkness shall cover the earth… nations shall come to your light.”

The words were first of all a reminder that God was present even in their darkness. More than that, the way in which God was present would generate a light in darkness that others would find attractive. After an initial “yah, right!” the people caught a glimpse of God in their midst. The city of Jerusalem and the Temple were rebuilt as signs of God’s presence. Ordinary people living out of their hope in God made a difference. St. Francis of Assisi said it this way, “At all times preach the gospel. And when necessary use words.” People connecting with God attract attention.

“But,” you say, “I don’t think I am attracting much attention to God these days.” I am feeling kind of down and discouraged. My job is not going well. There is conflict in my family. I feel like I am losing my sense of being spiritually rooted. Being a light, however, is not about having it all together. It has more to do with knowing that in the middle of everything we can reach out – connect with God and God’s people – and from there find new direction. It is the act of reaching out and connecting to God that is attractive. “Arise; shine, for your light has come.” God has a purpose for us. We can be a blessing.

God often uses people who are reaching out to God to connect with us. It was a miserable rainy fall afternoon when I met John. He stopped by my office in Kitchener. He had been drinking but I invited him in. As he sank into the chair across from mine he immediately he leaned forward as if to get up and said, “There are two things you need to know about me. I am an alcoholic and I am a gay man. Should I leave now?”

“No,” I said, “I believe in meeting people where they are at and from there together finding out where God wants us to be.”

“Because,” I said, “that is what I believe Jesus would do.”

John lit up. He was wearing a “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelet.  For the next ninety minutes I listened to a story filled with pain and anger like I have rarely heard. At one point he left to get a journal his therapist encouraged him to keep. The pages were filled with rage directed toward God, his therapist, the church, himself.

Before he left I asked if we could pray together. He grabbed my hands and squeezed. By the time I was done my figure tips were white and numb. Maybe I prayed too long. When John left he gave me the biggest hug. I invited him to come back. He never did. I don’t know if John made a connection with God that day. I do know that God connected with me.

Sometimes life changing connections with God happen through people and circumstances we would never expect. I imagine a home in Bethlehem with a caravan of Magi coming to visit the baby Jesus to be a time like that. In Christian tradition the Magi symbolize the nations of the world coming to worship Jesus with lavish gifts of praise. In Jesus, something of God was revealed to the Magi and they risked disobeying King Herod and return home a different way.

Let’s review the cast of characters in Matthew 2 as portrayed in the painting “The Adoration of the Magi.” Place yourself in the scene. Where are you? With which character do you identify? How is God being revealed to you?

Mary and the Christ-child are the central characters. Mary has a look of pure serenity and openness to God. The Christ-child embodies God’ engaging welcome. Our eyes are drawn, almost riveted on the two. Something of God is being revealed to us.

King Herod, though not present in this scene, is the tragic character in the cast. Herod is powerful, but afraid. Desperate to stay in control he grasps at straws. When acting out of desperation we usually act in our same old ways and get the same old results. First Herod gathered his same old advisors and then he thought he could get the Magi to tell him where to find Jesus. As we heard in the scripture, the Magi responded to God and went home a different way. Where God is revealed there is new direction.

Conclusion:  In conclusion I invite you to be open to how God is being revealed to you today. Look closely at the faces of the Magi. Which one are you? How will you respond? Are you the older one who is tired of doing things the same old way and getting the same old results? Jesus invites you to let your guard down and receive anew the life changing grace of God for what you need today.

Are you one who has been on the margin of faith and the church, never quite being sure that Jesus would welcome you? Perhaps you have made some mistakes along the way? See that Jesus is reaching out to you. Reach out. Take his hand and receive God’s gift of grace.

Do you see in Jesus the coming together of hopes and dreams? Welcome what God is doing in your life and risk stepping into the stream of your hopes. Perhaps you simply want to say, “Thank you,” for God’s faithfulness to you.

In Jesus the Christ-child, God is being revealed. It is no longer a mystery that all are welcome in God’s grace. As we live in the embrace of God’s peace we can be a blessing to those around us. Remember Rami and Adel? They are being inspired to walk away from hatred and violence. Their organization has sponsored a summer camp that brings Palestinian and Israeli children togethe
r to discover the other is not the enemy as they have been taught. To find peace with God we need to get real with the brokenness in our lives and the world around us. No matter where we are in life’s journey, God is reaching out to us. What was once a mystery is being revealed. Amen