The celebration of Epiphany is bursting with brilliance. It is littered with light. In the prayers and readings of this feast, there are almost nearly two dozen words that refer to kinds of lighting: resplendent, shines, shining radiance, wonderful light, light shining in the darkness, light from light. And we cannot overlook the shining star, that "star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright." This is the star mentioned in Matthew’s gospel.
In the words of the Creed which we will recite shortly, we say, "Light from Light." This is the Jesus, the child Jesus whom the three magi came to honor. They came to show their respect. Later in his own life, Jesus would accept this identification when he says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life." Here is the therapy, the remedy for the darkness we might go through in the darker days of winter, in the times of depression, in moments when the doldrums take our hearts.
Jesus dares all of us to be light ourselves. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us "You are the light of the world. . . . Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father" (Matt 5:14-16)
Did you ever stop to think about the seriousness of that expectation? You are the light of the world! Not just your home, your office, your neighborhood, the group you associate with: not even the light of the city or the state or even the nation – the light of the world. Your light is unlimited ... if you live the life that all of us have been called to live as followers of this same Jesus the wise men came to adore.
We cannot be the light of the world by our own efforts. Not at all. We gather in this church this Sunday and every Sunday as a community of believers. We gather here to strengthen the light of faith that exists within our hearts. This is just one way that we can truly be a light to the world ... sharing our faith with one another, coming together, as a family of believers, to learn how God is calling us in our lives to be what he wants us to be.
But some may ask, just how do we do this? How is this possible, this being a light to the world? In our prayers today in this liturgy, especially in the Prayer after Communion, we will pray for God’s guidance, his guidance with his light. And we cannot forget that it was his light made in the very beginning when darkness was everywhere, his light that broke through the darkness when he said, "Let there be light."
In the words of the Creed which we will recite shortly, we say, "Light from Light." This is the Jesus, the child Jesus whom the three magi came to honor. They came to show their respect. Later in his own life, Jesus would accept this identification when he says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life." Here is the therapy, the remedy for the darkness we might go through in the darker days of winter, in the times of depression, in moments when the doldrums take our hearts.
Jesus dares all of us to be light ourselves. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us "You are the light of the world. . . . Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father" (Matt 5:14-16)
Did you ever stop to think about the seriousness of that expectation? You are the light of the world! Not just your home, your office, your neighborhood, the group you associate with: not even the light of the city or the state or even the nation – the light of the world. Your light is unlimited ... if you live the life that all of us have been called to live as followers of this same Jesus the wise men came to adore.
We cannot be the light of the world by our own efforts. Not at all. We gather in this church this Sunday and every Sunday as a community of believers. We gather here to strengthen the light of faith that exists within our hearts. This is just one way that we can truly be a light to the world ... sharing our faith with one another, coming together, as a family of believers, to learn how God is calling us in our lives to be what he wants us to be.
But some may ask, just how do we do this? How is this possible, this being a light to the world? In our prayers today in this liturgy, especially in the Prayer after Communion, we will pray for God’s guidance, his guidance with his light. And we cannot forget that it was his light made in the very beginning when darkness was everywhere, his light that broke through the darkness when he said, "Let there be light."
