Looking Ahead to January 5, 2025 -- Epiphany Sunday

The Feast of Epiphany falls on January 6th, right after the 12 Days of Christmas. This Feast is when the church marks the visit of the Magi to the Holy Family, as told in Matthew's Gospel). When January 6th is not a Sunday many churches choose to mark Epiphany on the Sunday before.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Isaiah 60:1-6 (which is the basis of the Call to Worship) 
• Matthew 2:1-12

The Sermon title is Strange Visitors

Early Thoughts: What did Mary and Joseph think about it? When there was a knock at the door and these strange men from far away came into the house what thoughts might have run through their minds? For that matter what did Herod think when these visitors from afar appeared talking about a new king? (We are given a hint of his thoughts in the verses that follow this week's reading -- suffice to say that joy and praise are not in his heart).

Matthew tells us this story as a way of showing that the coming of the Messiah is both a gift for all nations, not just the Jewish people, and is recognized by those who know what to look for -- no matter where they may be. Strange visitors may have told Mary and Joseph something more about this child (it is unclear if Matthew sees this happening when Jesu was still an infant or moving into toddlerhood) they had in their family. Strange visitors warn the powers that be that change is in the air. Strange visitors proclaim that God is at work.

Even the gifts that Matthew mentions have (or have been given over the years) deeply symbolic meanings, as the carol We Three Kings will tell us. The Magi seem to have chosen these rich gifts to mark the birth of a king (Gold), the birth of one who is deeply connected to the Divine (Frankincense), and foretell his death (Myrrh, a burial spice). Strange gifts for a peasant family.

There is a saying in community development that sometimes you need the outside voice to tell you what you already know. Sometimes the voices from within the system just don't get heard but the outside expert says the same thing and everybody sits up as if it is new information (many clergy will tell you that churches can be really bad for this). Maybe the strange visitors can open our eyes to what God is doing in our midst. Maybe that is part of what the Magi do in Matthew's Gospel -- they help open the eyes of the readers/listeners to see what God is doing in the Jesus story.

What strange visitors have helped you grow in you awareness of God's activity in the world? What strange visitors might we need today to help us see where God is in our midst, to show us a way forward -- even if it is by a different road than before?
--Gord

Looking Forward to January 3, 2021 -- Epiphany Sunday

And now we change the calendar (when I first typed the title of this post I did in fact put 2020 and had to go back and correct it). As this is the first Sunday of January we will be celebrating the Sacrament of Communion. As we are still worshiping on-line only the Communion will be virtual. You are invited to have bread and juice (or some equivalent choice) available as we join together on YouTube for worship.

In the flow of the Church Year Epiphany always falls on January 6 (after the 12 Days of Christmas). That puts it on a Wednesday this year. Many of us often choose to tell the Epiphany story on the Sunday before the 6th since we do not have worship on the feast day itself.  That is what we are doing this year.

The Scripture Readings this week are:

• Isaiah 60:1-6
• Psalm 72:1-14
• Matthew 2:1-12 (this will be the basis of our Children's Time)
  

The Sermon title is Light Has Come, The World is Changed

Early Thoughts:  Visitors from afar, whose wisdom has lead them to this place. Wise ones who come in search of the King, and whose wisdom helps the look beyond the normal expectations (eventually at least).

Why did they come? What hope was evident in this new king?

I'll be honest, I sincerely doubt that there was an actual historical visit of the Magi. I think the early Christian community developed the story as something that could/should/might have happened based on their experience of Jesus of Nazareth and amplified by their experience of the Risen Christ. They then saw passages like this one from Isaiah and developed a story about visitors from far away. Isaiah was also not talking about the visit of the Magi as we know the story. But it is possible that Isaiah was sharing a vision, a hope, an expectation about what it would be like when God was enthroned on Earth. When the Reign of God is made real than people will flock from all directions to the kingdom.

At my first reading, Psalm 72 appears to be written for a coronation. Certainly it is written to celebrate the King, to pray for what the King will be, sharing hopes about what the kingdom will be like under his reign. It is an easy thing to do to apply many of those verses to the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed.

"Joy to the World! The Lord has come! Let earth receive her King!" So says the Christmas Carol. What kind of king will he be? What kind of kingdom will he reign over? Will the nations come from far and wide to celebrate the new king?

--Gord