Sermon preached at 10am Eucharist at St Helen’s Solihull
Sunday 3rd January 2010 – Epiphany
A shorter version of this sermon was also preached at the 8am.
Readings: Isaiah 60: 1-6 Ephesians 3: 1-12 Matthew 2: 1-12
My son, Thomas, has just turned 17 and we are just getting into all the thrills and spills associated with learning to drive. As much as anything, this reminds me of my own experiences of learning to drive when I was seventeen, which is now 28 years ago.
My first experiences of driving were with my Dad as an instructor on some remote, bleak and lonely roads in the Republic of Ireland. My Dad said that I should learn how to control the car on these isolated roads, and once I had learned control of the car it would be easier for me to make progress on other roads, where it is necessary to interact with other road users.
Well, it was all very easy to say! The truth was that I really struggled to learn how to control the car. The clutch, especially, was a massive problem. I invariably would let the clutch out either too slowly, so that nothing happened, or too fast so that the car would lurch forward in jumps, kangaroo style. It seemed to me to be completely arbitrary. I never really had any idea of what was going to happen as I let the clutch out. It was all rather painful, frustrating and difficult.
Some months later in the UK I had my first proper driving lesson with a proper driving instructor. In the first lesson we only did one thing: learning to use the clutch. The instructor explained to me what a clutch was and how it worked. He set me up on a hill start, holding the vehicle on the clutch, then he taught me to release the pressure very slightly to craw forward, or to increase the pressure very slightly to stop, or to roll back.
Well, this was such a revelation to me! Suddenly, instead of being my worst enemy, the clutch became a tool that I could use! Suddenly I felt that I was controlling the car rather than being intimidated by it. It was a real revelation; a new understanding. It was a transforming moment and a massive step forward in the process of learning to drive.
Well, today we have entered the season of the Epiphany, a season that is all about revelation and new understanding. The word Epiphany means “manifest”. God’s new work in Jesus is being shown to all the world. It is made manifest. Today especially we think about the baby Jesus being shown to the wise men. And the very significant thing about the wise men is that they were not Jews. They were gentiles, or people from “the nations”, as the Jews used to call them. They come from the East, perhaps from Persia, or Iran as we call it today. And they had understood enough from the signs in the heavens to know that something very important was happening, that a king of great significance had been born. And they came looking for him, and with the help of a star he was shown to them; he was made manifest. And they paid homage and gave their famous gifts of Gold and Frankincense and Myrrh.
Now this showing of the baby Jesus to the three kings is symbolic of the showing of Jesus to the whole world. The Jews knew that they were God’s chosen people. They thought their religion was for them much more that it was for other people. But with Jesus there is a new revelation. There is a whole new religion and it is for everybody. It is universal or catholic we say; it means it’s for everyone. We heard St Paul talking about this new revelation in our epistle reading today. He said, “In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed …the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body and sharers in the promise of Jesus Christ through the gospel.”
And this new revelation in Jesus makes all the difference. Just as my getting to know and understanding of the clutch opened up to me the possibility of driving, so getting to know and love Jesus opens up to us the possibility of drawing closer to God. Drawing closer to God is a little bit like learning to drive. There are things that we need to understand. There are some rules we need to follow. We need lots and lots of practice. Above all we need a good teacher. We need someone to say to us turn left, turn right, speed up now, slow down. The Christian life is a journey towards God, towards heaven, but we need someone who knows the way. Now that Jesus has been revealed to us we have the best possible teacher. Not only does he know the way – but he is the way!
So how do we make the most of this new revelation; this wonderful good news that we have received in Jesus, in having Jesus as our teacher? Well first of all let’s give thanks to God for giving us Jesus and for showing him to us. Let’s give thanks to God for all that we have already understood and all the different ways in which it has helped us.
Then let’s try to be very attentive to Jesus our teacher. Let’s try to live out his commandments in our everyday lives. Let’s pay special attention to the commandment which he calls “new” and his own – “love one another, as I have loved you” (John 13: 34, 15: 12). This is the key to everything. Jesus says, “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me…and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” (John 14: 21). Jesus reveals himself to those who love. So there is a self reinforcing circle here; Jesus is revealed to us, so we grow in love, so jesus is revealed to us more… Love is the key to revelation, the key to Epiphany. So let’s love, and in that way Jesus will reveal himself to us. Amen.
Showing posts with label wise men. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wise men. Show all posts
03 January 2010
04 January 2009
Sharing in the journey and gifts of the wise men
Short sermon preached at the 8am Eucharist, St Alphege, Solihull.
Sunday 4th January 2009 (Epiphany celebrated).
Readings: Isaiah 60: 1-6 [Ephesians 3: 1-12] Mathew 2: 1-12
On the Holy Day of the Epiphany our gospel reading tells us the story of the wise men from the East who come to see the child Jesus.
It is a remarkable story, not least because there are so many aspects of it that seem unlikely or surprising. Would God really mark the birth of his Son with a new star in the night sky? It is certainly surprising that the wise men, who seem to have nothing to do with the Jews or the Jewish religion, interpret the star in the way they do. It is even more surprising that they understand this far away event as so significant that they must respond to it by making a long and uncertain journey. But somehow this far away event takes a powerful hold on the wise men. Against all odds they embark on the journey. Against all odds they are eventually successful. When they finally reach Jesus they are overwhelmed with joy. They pay homage and give most precious gifts to the child when they find him.
It seems to me that there are similarities between the journey made by the wise men and the journey of faith, the spiritual journey, that we each make with our Christian lives. First of all, it all seems so unlikely. It seems so implausible that a baby born in a far away time, in a far away land, could be the cause of such a great journey, a journey that ultimately reorders our whole lives. Then the guides for the journey seem so frail. The wise men were guided by a star, a very faint light in the sky, only visible at night and only on a clear night at that, and how could they read such great meaning into this star? Similarly we are guided and drawn by our faith, which can seem very frail and faint and week, and scarcely seem enough basis for a great spiritual journey.
But despite all this the journey goes ahead. No doubt there are dark moments and difficult periods, and times when we almost lose heart. But in the end we do come to Jesus. We do find Jesus, present in our hearts, in our neighbours, in the scriptures and in the sacrament. And when we find Jesus there is overwhelming joy. Our purpose is complete. Then, there is the opportunity to bring gifts to Jesus. Let’s think for a minute about the gifts we can give to Jesus. Gold makes us think of our money, our talents and our time that we can use in the service of the church and of other people. Frankincense makes us think of incense, our worship, and all the prayers that we can bring to Jesus. Myrrh reminds us of the tomb and of death. It reminds us of our sufferings that we can offer to Christ, of the “letting go”, the “losing” and the “dieing” which we often experience as we follow God’s path for us. All of these are valuable gifts that we can bring to Jesus. They are all contributions, which he can use, better than we could ever imagine, in the building of his kingdom.
So as mediate on the wise men, let’s think about our own journey of faith towards Jesus. Despite the frailty of our faith let’s follow where God leads. Let’s be ready to offer Jesus gifts, even costly gifts. Above all let’s be confident that in the end, even though it all seems so unlikely, we will reach Jesus. We will be overwhelmed with joy.
Sunday 4th January 2009 (Epiphany celebrated).
Readings: Isaiah 60: 1-6 [Ephesians 3: 1-12] Mathew 2: 1-12
On the Holy Day of the Epiphany our gospel reading tells us the story of the wise men from the East who come to see the child Jesus.
It is a remarkable story, not least because there are so many aspects of it that seem unlikely or surprising. Would God really mark the birth of his Son with a new star in the night sky? It is certainly surprising that the wise men, who seem to have nothing to do with the Jews or the Jewish religion, interpret the star in the way they do. It is even more surprising that they understand this far away event as so significant that they must respond to it by making a long and uncertain journey. But somehow this far away event takes a powerful hold on the wise men. Against all odds they embark on the journey. Against all odds they are eventually successful. When they finally reach Jesus they are overwhelmed with joy. They pay homage and give most precious gifts to the child when they find him.
It seems to me that there are similarities between the journey made by the wise men and the journey of faith, the spiritual journey, that we each make with our Christian lives. First of all, it all seems so unlikely. It seems so implausible that a baby born in a far away time, in a far away land, could be the cause of such a great journey, a journey that ultimately reorders our whole lives. Then the guides for the journey seem so frail. The wise men were guided by a star, a very faint light in the sky, only visible at night and only on a clear night at that, and how could they read such great meaning into this star? Similarly we are guided and drawn by our faith, which can seem very frail and faint and week, and scarcely seem enough basis for a great spiritual journey.
But despite all this the journey goes ahead. No doubt there are dark moments and difficult periods, and times when we almost lose heart. But in the end we do come to Jesus. We do find Jesus, present in our hearts, in our neighbours, in the scriptures and in the sacrament. And when we find Jesus there is overwhelming joy. Our purpose is complete. Then, there is the opportunity to bring gifts to Jesus. Let’s think for a minute about the gifts we can give to Jesus. Gold makes us think of our money, our talents and our time that we can use in the service of the church and of other people. Frankincense makes us think of incense, our worship, and all the prayers that we can bring to Jesus. Myrrh reminds us of the tomb and of death. It reminds us of our sufferings that we can offer to Christ, of the “letting go”, the “losing” and the “dieing” which we often experience as we follow God’s path for us. All of these are valuable gifts that we can bring to Jesus. They are all contributions, which he can use, better than we could ever imagine, in the building of his kingdom.
So as mediate on the wise men, let’s think about our own journey of faith towards Jesus. Despite the frailty of our faith let’s follow where God leads. Let’s be ready to offer Jesus gifts, even costly gifts. Above all let’s be confident that in the end, even though it all seems so unlikely, we will reach Jesus. We will be overwhelmed with joy.
Sharers in the promise
Thought for the parish pew slip - Sunday 4th January 2009
Epipany (transfered from 6th January)
Readings: Isaiah 60: 1-6 Ephesians 3: 1-12 Mathew 2: 1-12
God’s plan for the salvation of humanity started with God’s chosen people, the Jews. Throughout the Old Testament God maintains a strong distinction between the Jews and the other nations, the Gentiles. But then, as Paul explains in our reading from Ephesians, the coming of Christ reveals a new world order; “the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Jesus Christ through the gospel.”
This was a revolutionary change for the Jews who followed Christ, and many of them struggled to believe it. But the story of the wise men visiting the baby Jesus shows us clearly that the baby Jesus was recognised as a blessing not just for the Jews, but for all people, even those who live far away in the East.
In a strange way all this was foreseen by in our reading from Isaiah. This part of the book of Isaiah was written in the sixth century BC. The prophet tells of a great light that will emerge within Israel such that all kings and nations are drawn to the light, and they will come with great wealth and offer valuable gifts, while proclaiming the praise of the Lord.
Epipany (transfered from 6th January)
Readings: Isaiah 60: 1-6 Ephesians 3: 1-12 Mathew 2: 1-12
God’s plan for the salvation of humanity started with God’s chosen people, the Jews. Throughout the Old Testament God maintains a strong distinction between the Jews and the other nations, the Gentiles. But then, as Paul explains in our reading from Ephesians, the coming of Christ reveals a new world order; “the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Jesus Christ through the gospel.”
This was a revolutionary change for the Jews who followed Christ, and many of them struggled to believe it. But the story of the wise men visiting the baby Jesus shows us clearly that the baby Jesus was recognised as a blessing not just for the Jews, but for all people, even those who live far away in the East.
In a strange way all this was foreseen by in our reading from Isaiah. This part of the book of Isaiah was written in the sixth century BC. The prophet tells of a great light that will emerge within Israel such that all kings and nations are drawn to the light, and they will come with great wealth and offer valuable gifts, while proclaiming the praise of the Lord.
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