Once upon a time there was a good and kind king who had a great kingdom
with many cities. In one distant city, some people took advantage of the
freedom the king gave them and started doing evil. They profited by
their evil and began to fear that the king would interfere and throw
them in jail. Eventually these rebels seethed with hatred for the king.
They convinced the city that everyone would be better off without the
king, and the city declared its independence from the kingdom.
But, soon, with everyone doing whatever they wanted, disorder reigned in
the city. There was violence, hatred, lying, oppression, murder, rape,
slavery, and fear.
The king thought:
What should I do? If I take my army and conquer the city by force, the
people will fight against me, and I'll have to kill so many of them, and
the rest will only submit through fear or intimidation, which will make
them hate me and all I stand for even more. How does that help them - to
be either dead or imprisoned or secretly seething with rage? But if I
leave them alone, they'll destroy each other, and
it breaks my heart to think of the
pain they're causing and they're experiencing.
[God’s steadfast love in spite of their
rebellious ways]
So the king did something very surprising. He took off his robes and
dressed in the rags of a homeless wanderer. Incognito, he entered the
city and began living in a vacant lot near a garbage dump. He took up a
trade --- fixing broken pottery and furniture. Whenever people came to
him, his kindness and goodness
and fairness and respect were so striking that they would linger just to
be in his presence.
[Jesus walk with me – let me walk with you.]
They would tell him their fears and questions, and ask his advice. He
told them that the rebels had fooled them, and that the true
king had a better way to live
[Jesus’ Devine path],
which he exemplified and taught. One by one, then two by two, and then
by the hundreds, people began to have confidence in him and live in his
way.
Their influence spread to others, and
the movement grew and grew
[spread of Christianity to 1/3 of all the people on earth – and millions
in past times]
until the whole city regretted its rebellion and wanted to return to the
kingdom again. But, ashamed of their horrible mistake, they were afraid
to approach the king, believing he would certainly destroy them for
their rebellion.
But the king-in-disguise told them
the good news: he was himself the
king, and he loved them.
[The Good News, the Gospel – God loves us and cares for us]
He held nothing against them,
and he welcomed them back into his kingdom, having accomplished by a
gentle, subtle presence what never could have been accomplished through
brute force.
Who was the King?
Where was Jesus? Why not different character?
Let’s talk
about phrases in this story that ‘jump out’ for me – [do red underlined
passages in the story.
What Does the Season of Epiphany mean?
Lightbulb over head of cartoon = Wow, I’ve got an idea! I understand
now! I see the light now!
I was in the dark but now I understand.
§
Wise men
à
this baby is God!
§
John the Baptist baptizing Jesus
à
this man is God with Us, I’m not fit to tie Jesus’ sandals.
You baptize me, not me baptize you.
§
Baptizing message: God
speaks – “this is my Son.”
This is the epiphany message.
Camping in the wilderness – I was lost but now with this new
light I’ve found the path so I’m saved from death.
Consider today’s readings in that meaning of ‘Epiphany’:
Isaiah 9:1-4
…
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who
lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.
[That light is Jesus to show us the path of righteousness, the path that
God wants us to walk.]
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Paul writes to his newly baptized Christians of Corinth, “For Christ did
not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel...
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
[Proclaim the gospel, the teaching of Jesus.]
Matthew 4:12-23
“…
the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those
who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven has come near.”
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is
called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea — for
they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make
you fish for people.”
Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
[That
great light in this scripture
is the teaching of Jesus.]
Athanasius:
born 295AD, Bishop of Alexandria Egypt to Council of Nicea (Nicaean
Creed). Jesus was Christ.
Jesus is God. We believe that or we wouldn’t be Christians – we’d
be Jews or Muslims. Same
God, different primary prophet.
“…
a God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without
judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.”, H.
Richard Niebuhr (1894-1962)
So What do WE do?
Jesus’ Message to us:
1.
God cares for us. “For God so
loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes
in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
John 3:16 – That is the Gospel, that is the ‘good news’.
We need to proclaim God’s Good News, aka the Gospel.
2.
Jesus calls us to do His work: to feed and shelter the poor and
homeless. We need to answer His call.
3.
We will be bringing God’s Kingdom to earth – as Jesus said in His own
prayer with the line: “Thy Kingdom Come.”
4.
As we act as Christians should act, the whole world will perceive that
God exists and that He loves us.
As we act, we will have that warm feeling.
We can act with His love and His enthusiasm, and His selfless
dedication.
Pray with me today’s collect:
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our
Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News
of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive
the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and
ever.
Amen.