The Feast of the Epiphany
2005

The Aftermath of Christmas

Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12 

All of the wrapping paper has by now been cleared away.  If the tree hasn’t been taken down yet, you are probably thinking about it.  Soon it too will be deposited by the side of the road with the rest of the garbage.  You have resolved to begin the usual diet after all the feasting.  Christmas is but a fond and distant memory.  We face now the aftermath, the cleaning up, the paying of the bills, the kind of lingering depression that somehow seems to accompany such endings. 

However, Christmas as a religious celebration is not over.  Today we celebrate the twelfth day of Christmas, the one that we sing about but don’t really understand.  It is even the title of a Shakespearean play. 

There remains for us to celebrate, one important aspect of Christmas.  Today we keep the Feast of the Epiphany, which actually isn’t until next Thursday.  Epiphany means “manifestation”.  The Epiphany and the Sundays that follow celebrate the revelation of God to humankind.  It is a celebration of the great mystery of the Incarnation. 

All of the readings centre on the revelation of God in Christ.  In the Epistle to the Ephesians, Paul speaks of the great mystery of the Incarnation, a mystery made known to him through revelation, and participated in by all of creation.  It is, for Paul, the possibility of a unity so wonderful that it could change even the past.  It is the eternal truth for the future. 

In the Gospel we hear the story of the Magi, searching out the child, the “king of the Jews”, bringing gifts, paying homage to the one they recognize as messiah.  God, the God of Israel, is revealed to the world. 

In the passage from Isaiah, we see prefigured the response of the world to the coming of Christ.  The light has come.  The glory of the Lord has risen upon the world.  The light stands out distinctly in the darkness.  It shines.  It beckons.  It draws. 

The central image for this season is light.  God’s light blazes out in the darkness drawing people towards it.  Light transforms the world into a society of peace and justice.  The light of a star reveals the love of God to the Gentiles.  Light is a glorious way to image God’s presence changing and transforming creation.  During this season of Epiphany we celebrate that God’s light is a gift, not just for the Christian, but for the whole world. 

It is no mistake that this season of light comes at the darkest time of our year.  Nights are long and dark; days are short.  We long for light.  We long for light in the world around us as well.  We see so much darkness in our world.  We hear of war and violence.  We witness unspeakable acts of terrorism.  We hear the pleas of the disadvantaged for a more equitable share of the world’s resources.  We hear the cries of the victims of the Tsunami.  The enormity of the situation coming as it does on the heels of Christmas, is certainly the most significant natural disaster of our time.  It is not just the number of people who have lost their lives.  It is about whole countries devastated.  It affects many in our community on a personal level.  So many of our people come from the East Asian countries most affected by the disaster.  It has affected all of us.  We feel as if we are stumbling around in the darkness.  We may wonder if God has forgotten our planet.  We desperately need God to illuminate the darkness of our lives. 

The people of Israel needed God to lighten their darkness.  They often felt as if they were stumbling around in the darkness.  They had been exiled from their homeland for many generations.  The Israel they returned to was poor and shabby, a pale shadow of its former greatness.  Isaiah called them to take heart.  He reminded them that God comes like light in the midst of darkness and transforms it.  God, Isaiah assured them, had not abandoned them.  New blessings would transform Israel.  Isaiah saw his nation possessing such light that others could not help but be drawn to it.  What hope that gave the people!

Magi from the east come following a star.  It is a story that brings together both pain and promise.  The Magi are seekers.  They come looking for a spiritual meeting.  They are looking for Christ, the light of the world.  They have no exact directions.  The journey is long and tedious.  They follow a pinpoint of light in a dark sky.  There are obstacles on their journey.  They are looking for a king.  What better place than in Herod’s palace in the city of Jerusalem! But Herod manipulates them.  Because of him, they have to return home by a different route.  They go, knowing that God has been revealed to them in a new and wonderful way. 

What is the image of light for us during this Christmas season?  Can we see in it hope, a renewed sense of direction, new insight?  Are we able to communicate our hope to others?  These are surely the things that the birth of Christ communicated to those who visited the manger.  They are what we, as Christians are still called to communicate even – especially – when the world seems to be at its darkest. 

What does it mean in a practical sense that Jesus is the light of the world? There is no doubt that we live in difficult times.  But whatever the circumstances before us or the uncertainties about us, the aftermath of Christmas and the challenge of the New Year is that God has visited us.  God is with us. 

Armed with new confidence and courage, our visit to the Bethlehem manger should resolve into spiritual growth in our lives.  We have seen and remembered the birthday of our king.  We have heard the thrilling message in world and song, in symbol and pageantry.  We have felt it in the spirit of Christmas all about us. 

What are the signs that we carry as lights to others?  Does the light of Christ shine through us into the darkness of our world?  What gifts do we offer this day?  The light of God shines brightly in our lives.  The glory of the Lord is risen upon us.  Let us face the New Year with a renewed sense of joy and commitment.