January 7, 2007     Epiphany I

I like that song we sang first today, “We Three Kings of Orient Are-!” Matthew’s gospel tells the story, too. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, there were wise sages from the East who saw a bright star in the heavens. They were looking for a sign from God, and they knew the star was that sign. God was sending a king, an anointed one, to reign over the heavens and the earth. They saw the star in the west, and wanted to see the new born king.

So they mounted up on their camels, and followed that star to Jerusalem. Their first stop was King Herod’s palace to tell him the joyful news. But Herod did not receive their announcement with joy. King Herod was not happy about the prospect of any new king being born that might usurp his power. He rejected Jesus as soon as he was born! No wonder Jesus was crucified!

When the Wise men arrived, Herod asked them to come back to him so that he could also pay homage to the new king. The wise sages visited Jesus’ family, and paid homage with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These were symbolic gifts. These three gifts symbolized their hope and expectation that Jesus would be the king the world needed.

Gold, as fit for a powerful and rich king. A pot of gold is still a symbol of wealth today. Frankincense is an incense that was used at funerals as a sign of new life. Some have said it was used to cover the smell. A smell so strong, it would permeate the atmosphere of any worship service. Murre is a fragrance used in anointing oil. Mix a little with olive oil, and it’s strong scent would let everyone know that he was anointed as a king. But, not too much, it’s almost as pungent as the frankincense.

Then the wise men dreamed that Herod was coming to kill Jesus, and they avoided going near Herod’s palace in Jerusalem. Joseph, Jesus’ father, had a similar dream. He took the child and mother down to Egypt in exile. Herod was so threatened and angry, he ordered that every first born child in and around Bethlehem be killed.

Do you see the pattern in these stories? Mary and Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem where Mary gave birth to Jesus. The wise men saw the star and went on a journey to find the messiah. Then to escape from King Herod, Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus fled on a journey to Egypt. Do you see the pattern here? The key word is journey.

Our natural life is journey. It has a beginning, an end, and a lifetime in the middle. It’s controlled by all the natural forces of the universe. Some are blessed with a rich and full life, others live in misery for a short time. For most, we are somewhere in the middle with joys and sorrows along the way. In our natural life, our journey is from life to death.

But by faith, Our earthly life is a celebration of our life in Christ. Life begins with baptism into Christ’s resurrection. What we do in the middle is travel along the road to the new life we have in Christ. Today we together on the journey that began with baptism, and ends in the resurrection of Jesus. Baptism is the beginning and the end of our life in Christ! We are on a journey from death to life!

Jesus also began his journey at his baptism by John in the Jordan River. The culmination of his journey came on the cross. Today we heard the story of how Jesus began. John was out in the wilderness baptizing people for forgiveness, and Jesus the sinless and perfect Son of God came to him. He submitted himself to be baptized. Now that poses an obvious question. Why did Jesus, who was without sin, need to baptized?

This question points to the mystery of the Christian faith. The mystery is, Why would God need to send his son Jesus to the world to die on the cross? He did not have to suffer or die. The answer is in the love and grace of God. Jesus loved us so much, he was so full of grace, this is what he did. He died so that we, who are mortal, can be baptized into his resurrected body. This is our epiphany!

An Epiphany is the realization of what God did in Jesus Christ. It is the “ah-ha” that comes when we get a glimpse of God’s promise in Christ. God’s plan for us was given to each of us the moment we were baptized.

Today we baptize Meredith and she begins her journey. She will be baptized in the name of the Father, The Son and Holy Spirit. Let us give thanks to God who created her. Let us be signs to show her the love and presence of Christ that will never let us go. Let us show her the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, through which Christ lives in us.

Amen