Feast of the Epiphany - 2 January 2022

 Openness and Hope

Happy New Year everyone.  Today, we are celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany.  For us, as Christians, epiphany is the celebration and remembrance of the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi.  An epiphany is also defined as a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the essential meaning of something.  These meanings merged for me as engaged today’s readings.

One verse from the second reading and two verses from the Gospel jumped out at me as I reflected on today's readings.  I think the current health and environmental issues facing the world, and in particular, our province, were the reasons for this. 

The first verse that struck me was Ephesians 3:6, which states:

the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel [Ephesians 3:6, NRSV].

At the time of Jesus, the apostles and when Paul was writing, “gentle” referred to all non-Jews.  What that statement meant for them and what it means for us is, “everyone shares in the promise of Christ through the gospel.”  One doesn't have to have read the gospel or even heard of the gospel to live a gospel life.  Likewise, that one lives a gospel life doesn't necessarily follow because one has read or reads the gospel.  The point is that to live the gospel is to love one's neighbour and everyone is one's neighbour, including and especially, the refugee and the stranger, be they those fleeing violence, or climate and economic disasters, or the creatures that inhabit the lands we call home, whose homes are being destroyed.  Even the Holy Family became refugees in Egypt, Matthew tells us later in his gospel.

 

The account of the Wise Men only appears in the Gospel of Matthew.  That's why even though it's the Lectionary year of Luke, today's Gospel is from Matthew.  The next verse that stood out for me is from the Gospel, verse Matthew 2:3. 

 

When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him [Matthew 2:3, NRSV].

When I read this line, I noticed that not only was King Herod afraid but “all Jerusalem with him.”  When I noticed this, it reminded me of the fear-mongering leaders that are at work in our world today.  We know that Herod's fear led him to order the slaughter of all male children 2 years old or younger in and around Bethlehem.  Today's fear leads current leaders to avoid putting in place mechanisms that would slow the or even reverse the climate emergency.  They fear that the economy would be adversely affected.  That fear costs the lives of those lost in our recurring climate disasters, hurricanes, fires and floods. 

 

Like Herod, they are blind to the possibilities.  They don’t see that extreme weather events such as wildfires and floods also adversely effect the economy; that the loss of life, human and non-human effect the economy.  They fail to see the connection between the health of the planet and general well-being, including that of the economy.  This extreme weather events are the guiding star of our time.  

 

This leads me to the last verse that jumped out at me that offers us another way.  It is the final verse in today's Gospel, Matthew 2:12, which says:

 

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road [Matthew 2:12].

One antidote to fear is love.  The other is openness.  The Magi were open to following the new star that led them to Jesus.  They were also open to God speaking to them in their dreams.  Some of us are not as open as the Magi.  For some of us, it takes the destruction of a whole town by fire to open our hearts.  Unfortunately, also, for some of us, even that is not enough.  When I think of the political rhetoric of some of the leaders around the world who are advocating and enacting policies that criminalize the wise folk of our time who are struggling to save little pieces of the Earth, I almost succumb to fear myself.  I think the Magi show us not to succumb to fear. I remembered Salal and Cedar’s small group of people that worked to clean a stream in North Vancouver.   I think of the Wet’suwet’en water and land defenders facing militarized police to protect a river.  I remember the nesting hummingbird pair, that, for a time, halted construction on the Trans Mountain Pipeline.  I think of the Wise Men, who heeded the epiphany revealed in their dreams.  They did not return to Herod but went home by another road.  As I pondered these things, the epiphany that I had was that along with love and openness, hope may be the most important antidote to fear. 

 

Hope that at some point the policy makers might have their own epiphany and wake up to alternatives economists as well as environmentalists are suggesting for a more sustainable economy and world.  It is hope that enables us to offer our own gifts in the service of the Prince of Peace and open our hearts to prompting of the Spirit of God, so that we can always return home by a road other than fear. 

 

So, take a moment, then please share an epiphany that you have had over this Christmas season.