EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

Sermon Notes, January 6, 2019

Rev. Garry McGlinchy

Pastor Garry’s sermon, titled “Epiphany of the Lord,” was based on Matthew 2:1-12.  Today is what is called the Epiphany of the Lord.  It’s the 12^th day of Christmas.  Epiphany means anything that refers to Jesus’ manifestation of Himself to the world, especially regarding today’s celebration. 

Our story today is a story about three wise guys.  They saw a star and decided to the prompting of God to follow that star, and the star led them to Jesus.  That’s our story.  Also in our story is this guy named Herod.  A guy sitting on a throne that is not rightfully his.  A guy who is not a nice guy; he’s more of a stooge.  This is a story about three wise men and one stooge, not three stooges.  It’s a story of how a baby prompts something in us, hopefully to encourage us and give us hope, and perhaps to think of something we haven’t thought about in some time if ever.

These three wise guys traveled thousands of miles to find the King of the Jews.  When they found Jesus, they had an immediate response.  It was a response of joy and worship.  They were prompted to give the King of the Jews gifts; not just gifts, but expensive gifts.  This response is in direct contrast to the response of many people when they find Jesus today.  They want God to explain, or prove Himself to them.  Many of them would rather receive gifts than give them.  The wise men sought Him and worshiped Him.  We should seek Him and worship Him, not for what He can give us, but for who He is.  This is God, in the flesh; the Savior of the world, the Prince of Peace, the Lord above all lords, the King above all kings.  This is the most creative of all created beings, and we should worship Him because of who He is.

Herod the Great was not pleased when he received the birth announcement.  He had some reasons.  He was not the rightful heir to the throne of David, and this left a bad taste in the mouths of the Jewish community.  Herod was ruthless in his business deals, and had many enemies because of this; he was suspicious of everyone that might try to overthrow him.  Herod did not want the Jews to unite around a religious leader such as the true King of the Jews.

Parthia was the second most powerful region in the world at that time, next to Rome.  If these wise men were from Parthia like they said they were, and the Parthians embraced Jesus as these wise men did, it would completely shift the balance of power away from Rome and over to Parthia.  Not only was Herod troubled over the announcement of the birth of Jesus, but everyone in Jerusalem was as well.  The birth of Christ caused an immediate reaction.   His very presence in the world did not bring the peace and comfort we talk about.  Not everyone is pleased by the presence of Jesus; many are startled, or disturbed. Even today, the presence of Jesus requires a reaction.  Some are spiritually awakened and renewed; others are afraid and run in fear.  Jesus still disrupts today.

If it is true that God entered our world through the birth of Jesus Christ, we ought not to idly sit by ignoring and rationalizing our inaction.  We must acknowledge Jesus as the rightful king of our lives.  The religious leaders of the time were well-versed in the prophecies about the Messiah, such as Micah 5:2.  Matthew does a good job of pointing out just how smart and well-versed they were.  When you read Matthew, you get a lot of the Jewish history.  He knows his stuff.  He is also quick to point out their unbelief.  They missed who Jesus was.  They didn’t recognize Him, even though they knew everything that they needed to know about Him.  They knew where he would be born, but they thought He would come as a warrior who would free them from Roman oppression.  It’s ironic that these same leaders who knew so much about the Messiah missed Him, and they became His greatest obstacle.  They went against Him at every turn, constantly trying to prove him wrong, to trap Him or get Him to say something heretical, against the Law.  They failed to recognize the very Messiah they had been waiting for for centuries.

The news from the wise men troubled Herod because he knew that the Jews had been expecting the Messiah.  His advisers also expected a warrior, so that is another reason Herod was so terrified of a baby.  So Herod seized the opportunity to put in a plan to rid the world of the promised Messiah.  He devised a plan to execute all the baby boys in Bethlehem.

By the time the wise men came, Mary and Joseph were no longer in a cave, they were probably in a place of their own.  The  wise men brought gifts, expensive gifts. Gifts that in themselves point to the life of Christ.   They symbolized His life from beginning to end.  Gold is the royalty of Christ; He’s the King of Kings.  Frankincense in the deity of Christ; He is God. And the myrrh is what was used to anoint bodies at death. 

The wise men brought gifts and worshiped Him because of who He is, not what He could do for them.  We should worship Him for who He is.  We should honor Him and give Him our very best because He is perfect and just and merciful and powerful, the Creator of the entire universe.  The wise men, after they found Him, and worshiped Him , and gave Him gifts, they changed their direction.  They did not go back home by way of Jerusalem.   How has the very presence of Christ in our lives changed the direction of our lives?  Those of us who have been serving Him a long time should still be changing our direction at Christ’s bidding.  If you woke up this morning, God’s not done with you yet.