Lord, for over 1000 years Your people have celebrated and drawn inner peace from Epiphany. For centuries January 6th has been the date for this beautiful scene of the Wise Man coming to give You honor and praise. So today we ask that You keep that picture in our minds in order to put our lives into proper focus. Amen
GRACE MERCY AND PEACE ARE YOURS FROM CHRIST, THE SAVIOR OF ALL LOST SOULS
TEXT: Matthew 2: 1-12
Dearly Beloved By Christ:
GRACE MERCY AND PEACE ARE YOURS FROM CHRIST, THE SAVIOR OF ALL LOST SOULS
TEXT: Matthew 2: 1-12
Dearly Beloved By Christ:
I’m just a parish pastor. I don’t have answers to all the secular problems that plague our country and the world. And, quite frankly, most wouldn’t want to hear them! But, God’s Word, The Good Book, does have answers. Answers as to what is truly important to the totality of life. Answers that stand the test of time and uplift and sustain downtrodden sinners like us, literally forever. So, to me and all Christians, January 6th is a day of tremendous comfort and inner peace and always will be. It’s the day the Magoi, the wise men, from Babylon came to pay homage to the King of kings and Lord of lords. The day when Jesus Christ was revealed as Savior to all humankind.
I
About a year after Jesus was born, we find the holy family still living in Bethlehem—probably with kinfolk. It was quiet and peaceable. Not so in Jerusalem, the capitol city. There, Herod the great still ruled. Great, not because he was good, or kind, or appreciated by the masses. No, he is called: great because he ruled for 50 years through ruthless intimidation and murder. Great because he rebuilt the temple as a monument to himself, under the guise of religiousness.
Now, suddenly, the Magi from Babylon, scholars who were world-renowned appear in his city. A camel caravan of them and their servants come, following a “star in the east” to find the newborn: King of the Jews. These men were not to be disregarded. They traced their ancestry back to Daniel. They were VIP’s. “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.”
Herod was a typical politician on steroids! He was a ruthless, blood-thirsty, evil man who would do anything and everything to retain his power—without batting an eye. A new king? A usurper to his throne? And he hadn’t known of this? Heads, literally, would roll—and everyone knew it. So he calls together his advisors, quizzes them about ancient prophecies concerning the Messiah—God’s Son—(note fear of God doesn’t even phase him) and he’s already planning how to eradicate any challenge to his power. Off the Magoi go to Bethlehem.
II
“And the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” I have never concerned myself too much about comets, constellations and planets and their interaction to explain the “star in the east.” This passage is why. This star stopped!!! This tells me that it was special, created by God for a one-shot singular purpose. And once its purpose was fulfilled, it ceased to exist. I believe the wise men knew this, since they were astronomers, and this helped cause their joy.
Upon seeing Jesus with Mary, they paid homage. They bowed down and worshiped Him. Likewise, they brought their gifts to Him—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts were universally important. Gold meaning financial stability. Frankincense heals many things when it comes to the body and also emotionally, and so does myrrh. Christ would need none of this, but Mary and Joseph would benefit—especially when they ran off the Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath and bloodshed. These gifts helped them cope mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. These wise men knew all that! Wise indeed. Epiphany is a story of one family, the people of God, caught up in great political intrigue and how God protected them. A story of where flaunting God gets its just rewards.—Herod later died being eaten inside by parasitical worms. A story of God protecting the innocent believers—the Magi left for home by another route after God warned them. But primarily Epiphany is about how God’s salvation in Christ is literally for all people—rich, poor, young, old, Jews, Gentiles. For Christ came to save the souls of all people and finished His work on the cross. It is a timeless story whereby God shows us a glimpse into the big picture of life even amid political and emotional turmoil. Epiphany helps the faithful cope in times of upheaval and shows us what’s really vital to life. So, learn from it. Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest every morsel of it. Epiphany, January 6th, will never be a day of infamy and upheaval, no matter how many people currently feel otherwise. No, God has ordained that it will always be a day of great calmness and joy. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear….” Amen THE PEACE OF GOD…
Pastor Thomas H. Fox