Who is the most important person in the Gospel story of the Epiphany? Epiphany 2019

Who is the most important person in the Gospel story of the Epiphany?

So, who is the most important person in the story of  the Epiphany?  There are a lot of intriguing choices.  Obviously, it is hard to dismiss Jesus, anytime, as an answer.  But, at the time of the story, Jesus is in his terrible two’s with all that that entails.  (We surmise that because Herod orders the slaughter of all babies 2 years old or younger) Is it Herod, ‘a king who would slaughter the innocents’ just to keep his crown intact, and an abject lesson in power gone wrong?  Is it Mary (and Joseph) who open their doors to the Wise Men from the east, fulfilling in Matthew’s gospel the promise made to King Solomon – that ‘they shall come from the east and the west and offer homage’?  Or is it the Magi themselves – those wise men (three in the Western tradition, twelve from the Eastern tradition) – who journeyed from afar, led by the light of the star.  Who is the most important?

What I would like to suggest as an answer is this.  If you answered any of the above, then you are wrong.  The most important person in the story of the Magi is not Jesus or Joseph or Mary or Herod or the Kings.  You… you are the most important person in the story of the Magi.  It is to you that Christ is made manifest.  It is to you that Jesus is revealed.  And not just in some historical event 2000 years ago, but now, here, today, at this altar and this place of worship.

The purpose of Jesus’ incarnation is all about this.  Not that he remain anonymous and unknown in some backwater town in Galilee, or in some small part of our hearts, but that he be KNOWN to us – that he be the center of our lives and our world.  The purpose of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection is that he is revealed to us as the pattern of our lives and the gateway to our salvation.  We are destined for union with him.  We are destined for glory with him.

All the characters in the story attest to the impact of this child on THEIR lives.  Mary and Joseph flee to Egypt and then return with the Child, because he is worth their lives.  Herod is threatened by him, and knows that if he acknowledges Jesus as king, that his priorities must change.  The magi offer gifts symbolic of all that is generous to give, and return ‘home by another way’ because everything is now different.  To have met Jesus is to have everything about your life changed.  That is why you and I are the most important characters in the story of the Magi.  If we don’t meet Jesus in a way that changes our lives, then we’ve missed the point.

The Magi brought three gifts.  St. Gregory the Great, in a homily, taught that the treasures signify the gifts we present to Christ in our daily lives.  So, in the words to the traditional Epiphany song:

“Gold, we bring to crown him again” – marks him as king, and refers to Christ’s wisdom, which shines in us.  Could you commit to 20 minutes a week, LEARNING about Christ – through prayerful reading of the upcoming Sunday scriptures.  Or using the parish subscription to FORMED – all sorts of video content. (call or email the parish for the password)
“(Frank) Incense owns a deity nigh.”  It speaks of the prayer and adoration we give him.  And though I know I am preaching to the choir, on any given weekend LESS than a third of our parishioners attend church (here, anyway).  Double down on your commitment and WITNESS to worship our God most high.
“Myrrh, we bring, it’s bitter perfume, seals a life of gathering gloom. Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, sealed in a stone cold tomb.”  (We really sing these words?? Might be the toughest verse in any song in any church anywhere!)  –  Jesus born for us, will also die for us.  Myrrh becomes the symbol of our daily self-sacrifices.  And for  years, we taught people to ‘offer it up’ for ‘the poor souls in purgatory’ 0r ‘for those who need it most.’  So, what would it be to take the first 10 minutes after lunch to sacrifice for someone.  Write a card to a shut in.  Do the Laundry for kids w/o complaint.  Make a phone call to friend.

Who is the most important person in the story of the Epiphany?  It is the same answer as who is the most important person here this morning – it is you.  You to whom our Lord comes.  You to whom Jesus reveals himself as food for the journey.  You to whom God wants to be a light for you in the darkness, and to whom God sent his Son, that we might know the glory that is ours and the destiny that awaits us all…


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