Pastor Bob Schipul

Luke 2 40-52

We Might Miss Our Epiphany

1-2-11

A new beginning…What a refreshing thought in the bleak mid-winter. Just when the commercial let-down comes upon us after Christmas a bright light shines in front of us and lightens the path for us in this new year. How are we going to face this new year? What will it bring for us? There is no crystal ball that will let us see the future, so how will we venture into this new year and how will we be equipped to meet the challenge?

For the Holy Family…it was a new beginning. Herod was dead. His Son Archaleus was ruler so Joseph decided to stay away from Jerusalem and settled in that little town of Nazareth which nobody cared about. But it was a new beginning for the family of Joseph. They had lived in a foreign country for some time and now would return to Mary’s hometown and begin life again among some friends and relatives.

But what did they have? Little to their name and just the clothes on their back. They had probably used up the gifts the Wise Men brought , to hide out in Egypt. Joseph had his trade and that was it. So what did they have?

They had the promise from God. They listened to what God was revealing to them in many different ways. Zachariah heard the promise and his wife Elisabeth (Mary’s Cousin) bore John. They were encouragers to Mary and Joseph. And Mary & Joseph listened to them and to the Wise Men, the Shepherds and the angel messengers which helped to make sense of this stage of their life. Having a baby in a compromised part of the world is in itself a great task, but to have the Messiah, is something quite different.

Mary and Joseph listened to the messengers. Mary held these things in her heart which tells me she kept them in the forefront of her mind. She went to them when the challenge got to be too much. She pulled them out when she doubted how one so insignificant could be a part of something so big. They were part of a plan and so are we. If you had to assemble a toy/game or anything this Christmas, the first tendency was probably to have at it. Take that screwdriver, hammer and wrench and fly by the seat of your pants and muck it up. How often have you had to take apart a most logical construction because you did not read the simple directions?

If Joseph had a quality to be modeled, it was that he listened to the messages God was sending to him. So you say to me…? “No angel gave me commands last year, why should I expect one to do it this year?” But God has spoken to you this past year. He has given you His Word…first of all in Christ. What Joseph had to deal with before the events surrounding the birth of Messiah; we have the advantage of looking at in retrospect. We can put the pieces of the puzzle together and believe. Joseph was going at it cold turkey. The word we use today to describe living by faith is discernment. If God is real, if He is true, if He did everything the Word claims He did then it would seem that He has a plan. I believe Mary and Joseph understood that and in faith decided to follow the plan. They had discernment.

With discernment comes confidence. When we are convinced of something nothing can stop us from holding tight to it. Mary and Joseph believed that they would be the vehicles that would introduce Messiah to the world. Two small vulnerable people with no power, no wealth, no prestige became the earthly guardians of the Son of God.

Pastor…what does this have to do with me? It has everything to do with you. God is our father also. He has and still tries to communicate with us each day through His Word and through the experiences of life. He encourages you to discern what He is saying. David commented on this dialog in Psalm 119 when he says in verse 105 Your word O Lord is a lamp unto my feet, and a light to my path; 49…Remember Your word to your servant; Verse 33…Teach me O Lord to follow Your decrees; Verse 129…Your statutes are wonderful, therefore I obey them; Verse169…May my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding, according to your word; Verse 11…I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Discernment means focusing on the messenger of truth and listening to the directions the messenger gives. St. Paul in this introduction to his letter to the

Church at Ephesus he gives a faith perspective by saying that before the world was created God had a plan and you were part of it. Believing that and then discerning what that means for our lives here and now is what our faith walk is all about. We are not spectators in this journey of life. This afternoon, we may be watching the Patriots play, but we are not down on the field. Today, we are not watching Christians play being the church; we are on the playing field. We just won the toss and have decided to receive the New Year: 2011.

Jesus is our coach, head set on and all. He has given us our field plans and told us we have home field advantage. We have the best protection money can buy. Our Baptism has given us His Spirit. We will leave here today with a good sustaining meal under our belts. It’s all part of the training. And, even thought it is daylight, those powerful lights will be on so we are able to see clearly the challenge before us.

Some of the plays will come at us quickly and then we will have to rely of the promises that are basic….Jesus loves us, died for us and has promised to sustain us. Other plays will allow for more time to think through and discern what we need to do. Maybe even a time out. But never in this 2011 game need we ever feel alone or abandoned. Jesus is with us. He is the Light of the World and He is shining to break through the darkness ahead of us.

We might miss Epiphany if we only think of it as a holiday celebration and the Visit of the Wise Men. But if we realize that Our Savior is the Light of the World, we will welcome His brightness all through the year. Amen.