EPIPHANY: THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Sermon Notes, January 6, 2013

Pastor Jan Sinozich

 

Pastor Jan’s sermon was titled “Epiphany: The Light of the World.”  Her text was Isaiah 60:1-6.

Darkness—Remember being isolated in darkness, maybe when the electricity went out, or the flashlight’s batteries went out, or the car died?  In Barrow, Alaska, it is dark from November 18 until January 24.  It is difficult to live in a physically dark world. But when the sun rises on January 24, the whole town comes out to celebrate, because finally there is light again!   When light comes, darkness disappears.

Epiphany—when something reveals itself.  The epiphany season can be summed up as “from darkness to light.”  The Son of God reveals his glory for everyone to see.

Isaiah is talking about a different kind of darkness and a different kind of light.  He paints a picture of a spiritually dark Israel in the days before the light of the coming Messiah.  God has called them to be a light to the nations, but they are IN darkness.

There is spiritual darkness all around us today—just watch the news.  There are natural disasters.  Tragedies like that at Sandy Hook Elementary.  Scientific breakthroughs, such as human cloning, making possible a means of eternal life? (Sounds like the Tower of Babel.) Post-modern thinking says that there is good and strength within our selves.  However, the more we look into ourselves, the more we see there’s nothing there but selfishness and materialism.  It is a place full of sin and guilt.

But Jesus’ birth is the rising of the Son on a dark world!  What happens to the darkness of sin and guilt when the light of Jesus comes?  It disappears.  Sin and guilt disappear when Jesus comes.  When someone trusts God for their salvation, it’s an epiphany—He shows himself to them.

The Magi—the wise men from the east—came from a place where no one knew about God.  But when they saw His star, they saw that the Messiah had come.  So they left their land of spiritual darkness to see and worship the baby, the Christ.  And they brought gifts (as predicted in Isaiah 60).  God will keep his promises to his people, Israel.  Gentiles will also thank Israel for being a vehicle to bring people to God.

Some say Epiphany is the Gentile Christmas, because one of the main themes of the Epiphany season is that Christ is the light, not just for a select group of people like the Jews, but for all people, all over the world, in all times.  Anyone can come and see the glory of God, as He reveals it through his Son, Jesus Christ.  The sun rises on everyone (even in Barrow, Alaska) and so does the Son.  Make the journey from darkness to light.