A More Light Congregation

Bethany Presbyterian Church

Sermon

Epiphany comes from a greek word that means transformation.  So when a church celebrates epiphany, they are celebrating something transformed.  In the Christian tradition, THE transformation we celebrate is when God became human.  This might be celebrating the birth of Christ, or the arrival of the Magi to the manger, or Jesus' baptism.   Not just the baby Jesus' birth, but the divine child baby Jesus' birth.  Not just Magi traveling to any manger, but the moment when that divine baby was seen by other humans, well besides his parents I suppose.  And Jesus' baptism is when Jesus was just one of many who were following the call from John the Baptist, to become baptized.  


There were many pre-Christian practices of baptism.  Again, the word itself just means immersion.  Most of the pre-Christian practices were based around the cleansing and purification properties of water.  Some cults baptized the dead, as a way to cleans the body before the person went on to the next world.  Some cults baptized in blood following the stories of the mythological gods. So when John the Baptist came on the scene in the first century Jewish world and his teaching included the necessity of baptism, the practice was not new.  What made the people flock to him was that his baptism was from God, and baptism by John the Baptist was connected to the promise of full forgiveness of sins. When John preached a baptism for the remission of sins, the people heard and obeyed.   It was the first time in human history in which a person had the opportunity to be baptized for the remission of his sins,  


The church celebrates epiphany by celebrating the baptism of Jesus by John, as the time when divine Jesus became one of us.  He was just one of us, when he was part of the crowds that came to see John the Baptist.  The importance of the story as it is written in the gospel of Matthew, is twofold.  In this reading we see that John the Baptist assigns a hierarchy to the relationship with Jesus.  Jesus shouldn't submit to John the Baptist, John the Baptist should be the one submitting to Jesus.  But by example and in Matthew's telling, we see that this story isn't about being baptized as much as it is about following the way things are supposed to unfold.  


Jesus was born a baby, of a woman, just like us.  Jesus grew in stature and in spirit, and was baptized by John the Baptist because John's baptism authority was from God, because Jesus was one of us, one of his community.  The divine person of Jesus and the divinity of God in Jesus became one and the same.   The baptism of Jesus by John is part of a path set in action long ago.  The Christian story we share with all of our ancestors in the faith is older than time.  As Christians we have part of the truth of a story that started long before Jesus and spread it's tentacles into all directions.  The path that we believe, is the story that is in all of the bible.  What we celebrate as epiphany today is where that story became God as one of us.

The big question remains, why does that matter?  Why does sharing this story matter?


Because for people of faith, everything is theology.  That is good news, and that is bad news.  The ends to which people apply theology can be extreme.  Basing one's actions on one's belief in God depends on what one thinks God wants.  Christians take their cues from the Bible, but that's certainly not a scientific technical manual with a how-to listed anywhere.  So much is up to interpretation.


Here's a story about interpretation.  (talk about Lily, 9 year old flute student who interprets her own music.)  She's not wrong, unless you want an exact copy.  But she's not right either because she's not reading what is actually on the page.  It isn't so threatening to talk about a child learning something new and having her own results.  Because either decision doesn't affect much more of life.  What does affect life though, is learning that there are times to be exact and literal, and there are times when intangibles need to be considered.  She can interpret a small melody re-written from Beethoven because it's not exact anyway.  But she can't interpret a real Mozart sonata “because he probably knew what he was doing.”


What I ask you to do sometime this week, is notice a behavior of your own, and try to examine it for yourself and find out what the core belief is that directs your behavior.  For example, I am likely to eat ice cream this week.  I can look at that and say that I'm hungry and my core belief and need, is to nourish myself.  The ice cream is refreshing, tasty, and the dairy portion anyway is nourishing.  Don't bother over analyzing because then you will realize that I really should have chosen brussel sprouts.


Then take something more serious.   When you decide not to exhibit road rage in a response to someone else's road rage, ask yourself what core belief led you to choose not engaging the rage?  I believe people shouldn't hurt other people.  Or I have a core belief that people are not trustworthy so if I respond with rage, the other driver might respond with more rage and I would be in danger.  These are not things you need to share with anyone or take a long time with.  But try to notice the smallest thing – hold the door open for the person behind you, snap at someone because you felt unheard, you were scared, or maybe you needed to get their attention quickly to prevent harm.


For a person of faith, all those thoughts are theology.  What is it about your faith that gives you your core beliefs?  Core beliefs come from so many teachers, experiences, and circumstances.  


Epiphany is a church moment worth celebrating because it's a time to be reminded that the person, spirit, divinity we hold as our own, and belong to unconditionally, actually experienced humanity.  There's an element of empathy that touches us in our darkest moments, and in our joyous moments.


One theologian writes, “Empathy goes to the very heart of Christianity. The supreme act of empathy was the incarnation. God chose to identify with us, put himself “in our shoes”, by becoming a human. God became what we were so we could become the full image of what God is.”


I think of God incarnate as God with boots on the ground.  Not just a concept, or a hope, or something invisible that I'm supposed to get comfort or guidance from in an abstract way.  No, incarnate puts God right where I am in every way.


God incarnate is landing somewhere unexpected in your life. God incarnate is the hug you gave someone when you didn't know what else to say. That's love incarnate. God incarnate is accompanying someone to their immigration court hearing.  That's justice incarnate.  Collecting supplies for a family homeless shelter is hope incarnate.  Our baptism is an invitation for us to be God incarnate for another.


God incarnate is anytime we are human with one another.  We are wired to be connectional, and in community.  Isolation kills just as badly as any illness, disability or addiction.  We all need God incarnate.  It may be that Epiphany is the most important Christian celebration.


Musician and visual artist Adrian Elmer said “Art is when a human tells another human what it is to be human.”  That's what we do when we have empathy.  How will you tell another human what it is to be human?


Let's pray…


"What's Real?"

Reverend Debra McGuire

January 12, 2020


Matthew 3:13-17

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."


Isaiah 42:1-9

1 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. 5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. 9 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

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