Hebrew and Gospel Texts observing The Epiphany 3 January 2021

 

Isaiah 60:1-6        Arise, shine; for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For darkness shall cover the earth,

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the Lord will arise upon you,

and his glory will appear over you.

Nations shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around;

they all gather together, they come to you;

your sons shall come from far away,

and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.

Then you shall see and be radiant;

your heart shall thrill and rejoice,

because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,

the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

A multitude of camels shall cover you,

the young camels of Midian and Ephah; 

all those from Sheba shall come.

They shall bring gold and frankincense,

and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

Matthew 2:1-12        In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.’"

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." 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. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Reflection        When I came to the phrase in today’s gospel text describing the wise men as being, “overwhelmed with joy,” everything in me screeched to a halt. What happens in those moments when we are “overwhelmed with joy?” We stop, draw in our breath, and can almost hear the prophecy of Third Isaiah, 

“Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, (nothing is left out) the wealth of the nations shall come to you. (there is no more to seek)”

A special kind of knowing accompanies being “overwhelmed with joy,” knowing that surpasses rational understanding. Knowing that is rich and ripe and radiant. When we let this radiant knowing enlighten us, like the wise men who are not duped by Herod’s plot to extinguish the light, we can turn our lives around to go a different way, a way illumined by the radiance of joy.  

I believe joy is the Real Presence of God with us. In those moments when we are moved to pause, draw in our breath and taste the sublime perfection of joy, like the wise men we naturally open the treasure chests of our hearts to be and to give the very best of who we are. Here is the thing. We are the wise ones. We know the child of light and hope for all people has been born. We have seen the star and it has enlightened our minds. Now the question is, will we open the treasure chests of our hearts to be the radiant beings bearing gifts of joy for all humankind?

On December 21st low in the southwestern sky Saturn and Jupiter crossed paths, and for a moment they appeared as if one brilliant celestial body. Many wondered, “Could this be the second coming of the Star of Bethlehem?”

Contemporary theologians agree the two thousand year old story of the Star of Bethlehem is unlikely to have been an astronomical event because stars do not move from the east, turn left, drop to the south and stop over a particular dwelling. It is more likely the writer of Matthew’s gospel uses star as a metaphor (the only gospel in which it appears) to accentuate the importance of the birth of Jesus. Nonetheless, the celestial event on December 21st, 2020 was very exciting.

At the conclusion of a year fraught with every order of disease, disappointment and disaster the “Star of Bethlehem” beamed above us as a beacon of hope. This celestial event led us to stop whatever we were doing, go outside, be still, gaze into the night sky and allow our hearts and imaginations to soar. Again, as our prophet professes, 

“Then you shall see and be radiant;

your heart shall thrill and rejoice,

We “see” and we “be” radiant when like the wise men we stop our preoccupation with the myriad details of daily life, take the risk of walking into the uncertainty of darkness and make ourselves available to be “overwhelmed with joy.” Joy comes, not when we strive to contrive it, but when we show up and allow it to arise through us.

 I have been reading a leadership book called “Flying Lead Change” that gleans its wisdom from the nature of horses and humans. Quoting one of her teachers the author, Kelly Wendorf writes, “Don’t let your dreams obscure the joy that is already here.” I love that counsel and pray we will all take it to heart. “Don’t let your dreams obscure the joy that is already here.”

We are meant not only to see but also to be the radiant star. Sometimes our dreams of what we think we want or need or must have are the very things that obscure the radiance of joy that is already here. As the prophet Isaiah reminds us, 

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

That which we seek has already been born and is with us right now.  

“because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, (nothing is missing)

the wealth of the nations shall come to you.” (we are already more than enough)

The call to action for 2021 is to be radiant, allowing joy to shine through us and enlighten the world. We are the radiance of the star. We are the vision of the wise ones. And we are the hope of the poor peasant child. 

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Gospel text for 3rd Sunday of Easter, 26 April 2020

Luke 24.13-35         Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’ Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Reflection        Cleopas and his companion are grieving. They followed Jesus to Jerusalem believing he was “a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,” the one they hoped would “redeem Israel.” But the religious and political officials handed Jesus over to death. The bereft disciples have no idea where they are going, no picture for the future. They are grieving because all seems lost so they are walking away from Jerusalem, retelling the story of Jesus’ suffering and tragic death.

Are we not much like Cleopas and his unnamed friend, rehearsing the story of our suffering and death as we wander along?  As of today (Friday April 24th) there are 5,769 confirmed covid19 cases with 249 deaths in Arizona, 1,026 cases in Pima County with 70 deaths here. Worldwide there are 2.74 million cases with 192 thousand deaths. Twenty seven million people have filed for unemployment. Financial despair and social distancing have led to mental health crisis. Isolation policies have meant people die alone and loved ones cannot bury and formally celebrate the lives of their dead. And even those for whom covid 19 and stay at home orders  appear to change little  agree, nothing will ever be the same.

Today we  join Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus. We have no idea where we are going. No clear picture for the future. And here is the good news. Jesus is walking with us, present in the midst of all the suffering, death and uncertainty. The question is, how do we recognize his real presence?

To help us along the way, we gather even remotely, at the table with Jesus. We remember the last Passover Supper when Jesus “took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22.19-20)  Then like Cleopas and his companion, the eyes of our hearts are open and we recognize the real presence of Jesus.

We recognize the real presence of Jesus by what he does. He breaks bread and he shares it. Everyone is fed. Everyone is cared for. We recognize Jesus in stories like this one, told to me by a hospice chaplain. The dying wish of a woman was to hear the symphony. Staff who learned the woman had been a cellist reached out to the local orchestra. Playing remotely from their separate homes a flutist, a violinist and a cellist fulfilled the dying woman’s wish. 

Jesus is made known through every healthcare and hospice worker, first responder, care giver and cook, folks who shelve or deliver groceries, house the homeless or sterilize shopping carts, deliver backpacks stuffed with books for children, call and send notes of encouragement to others, send money to the church to be used to help parishioners in need. We recognize the real presence of Jesus by what he does. As soon as our eyes are open we join Cleopas and his companion heading back to Jerusalem to tell our stories of how the real presence of Jesus is made known to us in the actions of self-giving love. 

Perhaps you would like to spend fourteen minutes considering the ways you have recognized the real presence of Jesus while listening to the music of Allegri. 

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