Sermon: January 6, 2008

We have a good friend for whom Christmas ends on Christmas Day afternoon.  That is when she removes the decorations from the tree, as well as the rest of the house, packs it all away, and with a sigh of relief “gets back to normal.”  This used to drive me crazy, but I had to let it go because she is simply reflecting the mindset of our culture that declares Christmas over and done with, if not by Christmas Day afternoon, at least by the morning of December 26^th!  The poet, W. H. Auden wrote of this “getting back to normal” in his poem, “For The Time Being,” with these words:

        “Well, so that is that.  Now we must dismantle the tree,

        Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes –

        …Once again

        As in previous years, we have seen the actual Vision & failed

        To do more than entertain it as an agreeable

        Possibility…”

However, in the way we keep time as a community of faith, Christmas lasts for 12 full days, culminating in this day, this bright & brilliant festival of the Epiphany of Our Lord.  And for all of us who have packed Christmas away prematurely – if not by literally clearing out the house, at least in our forgetfulness of the gift of God’s life-changing Word made flesh – this is our second chance, a grace-full do over provided by God, proclaiming God’s deep and saving hospitality shown to a sin-full world.  Indeed, like guests who come late to a party, yet are received with open arms, a plate of food, a new bottle of wine and the undivided attention of the host, we come to the Bright Morning Star that is Christ today, rejoicing to find ourselves welcomed into God’s gracious kingdom.

 Preachers are often warned by scholars what NOT to say in their sermons on this story of the wise men led by a star to the Christ Child.  Do not make it about the wise men, some say.  It’s not about them…Don’t make it about Herod, others say.  It’s not about him…Don’t make it about the gifts, the gold, frankincense and myrrh.  It’s not about the gifts…Don’t make it about the star, still others advise…Yet, the star is the faithful light of God’s mercy that, in this account of our Lord’s birth, reveals the Christ as One who welcomes even the most unexpected and – in the eyes of some – the most unacceptable, to the gracious, hope-full heart of God!  When I searched for the heart of this story on this the umpteenth time it has presented itself for preaching, my eyes and heart were led to these verses:  “When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy…”

The star is faithful to these foreigners who are seeking the King of the Jews.  The star has drawn them over who knows how many miles for who knows how many months toward God’s magnificent mercy.  Even as they encounter the fear-full, deceit-full Herod, the star continues to lead them - it is not extinguished by fear – leading them on until it rests, until it reaches its zenith, and reveals the Christ child as King, not only of the Jews, but even of these foreigners!  The star that leads this unlikely group of outsiders to Christ proclaims Christ accessible even to them, born even for them!  It is an image of our faithful, welcoming God.  Indeed, in the book of the Revelation, Jesus takes the name “Bright Morning Star,” for in Him we see the bright, redeeming welcome of the Creator for the whole world!!

 And the wise men – the foreigners from far away – they are us!  We are the Gentiles from far-off lands, sinners from the territories of greed and pride, hatred and apathy.   Yet, our Bright Morning Star draws us to God-self again today – in Word and Sacrament –  welcoming, forgiving, raising even us from death to life.

For all who put Christmas away prematurely, “shelving” it as simply “an agreeable possibility,” this is our second chance to “get it.”  Jesus, our Bright Morning Star, came to draw us to God’s heart and comes to us even here!

 And, quite frankly, to say that we are also “overwhelmed with joy” does not quite capture the depth of things here.  It is sort of like saying that at the Huckabee and Obama headquarters on caucus night people were “somewhat pleased”!!  A better translation is to say that the wise men “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”  Ours is a cartwheels & back-flips, shouting and cheering joy.  For certainly God could have chosen not to trouble God-self with our sorry, sin-full lives; yet, God has and does come to us even here, even now.  Indeed, ours is the joy that the prophet Isaiah called the people to make known when he said, “Arise, shine; for your Light has come!”

·        Our joy SHINES through faithful worship, study and prayer.

·        Our joy SHINES through inclusive, generous hospitality.

·        Our joy SHINES through sacrificial commitment to ministries that make God’s love visible.

·        Our joy SHINES in reckless generosity.

·        Our joy SHINES in mutual forgiveness and forbearance in the community of faith.

It is not to draw attention to ourselves that we seek to be a community that SHINES.  Rather, to reflect our Bright Morning Star, to extend the joy of God’s gracious hospitality to the world.

Many of you attend the annual St. Lucia open house at Pastor Runkel’s home every December 13^th – the only 10-hour-long open house event I have ever heard of, running from noon to 10 p.m.  It is a great event, and I have been there some years when the house has been so full of people that a person has to walk sideways to get to the food! …But last month, that day had been full of meetings, hospital calls, a dinner event and a Roosevelt High School orchestra concert, so I didn’t get to Pastor Runkel’s until 9:55 p.m…All of the other guests were gone.  Yet, within moments, I was welcomed with open arms, encouraged to help myself to all the goodies I could possibly consume and drawn into a circle of conversation with Ray and his sister and two of Ray’s daughters.  We sat down and talked and laughed for a half an hour…There was no question about it - I was not too late to rejoice in the hospitality of a beloved colleague and dear friends.

 This day, this celebration of the Epiphany, is that same wonderful gift to us.  Again today we rejoice in the Good News, as we did twelve days ago, that God’s gracious hospitality has put on flesh & bone in the Christ Child even for us!  It is not too late to grasp the wonder of it all – and to dance & sing & shine for joy!!

Thanks be to God.                                            AMEN