Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany of Our Lord (2016)
Illustration
Object:
Isaiah 60:1-6
You can turn on a light in a dark room, and the room will be filled with light. If you come into a room filled with light, however, you might turn off the switch -- but there is nothing you can bring into the room to make it dark. Light can overcome darkness, but darkness can’t overcome light!
The world is in darkness, the Lord tells us, but our job is to bring God’s light into the world so that all those living in darkness will see it and come to God through us.
Nepal was 90% Hindu -- but the first Christian who came into that darkness in the 1990s was Pastor Tir, whom I met over there. In his life of about 90 years, over a million and half people were converted to Christianity. We went back about three years later, and there were over two million converts. Just think what his light did in that country!
We come to church to find that light which lights up our lives. We learn about a world filled with darkness -- a world where many want to kill anyone who differs with them. They try to stamp out the Light that can bring peace. So is God telling us to crush the darkness and kill all who try to bring it, or should we concentrate on shining his light on their darkness?
It seems that when we try to bring light, we may pay a price. Is that why our Lord told us to take up our cross? Does that mean that there may and will be suffering? It may mean that for some, but eventually the nations will come to us. We help bring that about by our contributions to missions in time and money. God needs many to bring that light to the world. He called me when I was 70! It is never too late. Is he calling you?
I once sat in Norman Vincent Peale’s church in Manhattan when he asked some of the members to stand up because the Lord had answered their prayers and made them rich. That should not be our only or main motive for obeying God’s will! Even if we remain poor or middle-class, we must go on serving him. Our reward may come now or later after this life, but knowing it is coming should give us joy!
Bob O.
Isaiah 60:1-6
The twelfth day of Christmas, Three Kings Day, Epiphany -- no matter what you name it, the celebration of gifts on January 6 is a reminder of gift-giving and gift-receiving, of generosity and gratitude. Our gifts from God may not be delivered by strange men on camels, but we receive our gifts each and every day. Look around you. What gifts and blessings have you received?
Not so long ago, Gretchen Rubin wrote a book titled The Happiness Project. She recalls thinking, “The days are long, but the years are short.” She realized that “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” I read the book, and I was inspired to live a life of joy, of happiness, and of gratitude. It’s hard when the darkness seems to cover the earth and one’s spirit to live into the light. Laughter helps. Counting blessings helps. Simply living in gratitude for the life and blessings God has provided helps. That’s the gift!
Bonnie B.
Isaiah 60:1-6
Christmas morning for young kids is exciting. It is for parents too. You know how it goes. Grandparents get to the house early; parents are up, having slept little because of last-minute wrapping and putting toys together. There’s a sense of anticipation. The time comes for the kids to get up. “Rise and shine! It’s Christmas!” There’s no lingering in bed or clamoring for “more time.” The kids rush in to see all that Christmas has brought. It is a happy, joyous time of celebration.
A time of celebration and joy; that’s what is described in this passage. The people of God are told to “Arise and shine.” They are to awaken. The day has dawned. Wonderful gifts have been given to them. The Lord himself and his glory will appear to them. Nations and kings will acknowledge them. God’s people are moving from a time of darkness to light. Promise, hope, and restoration are the message of this text. They are the message of Christmas for us too.
Bill T.
Isaiah 60:1-6
In the novel The Martian, a stranded astronaut prepares for a journey of hundreds of miles across the planet Mars with equipment that wasn’t designed for any such use. The novel (and the movie) chronicle his long preparation for that trip, involving painstaking trial, error, failure, and success before he begins his trek.
It was no less difficult a journey for the magi as they set out to seek a newborn king. They couldn’t just jump on camels and shout “giddyap” in order to get underway. Typically, a caravan might take weeks or months of arduous preparation for a journey across great stretches of terrain on our own planet.
Why should we be surprised that our spiritual journey would go a lot smoother if we prepared ahead of time? Many people have experienced a dismal, harried, or rushed Christmas season. We complain about how long the decorations are up in the larger society, but what about the spiritual decorations that ought to have accompanied our time of prayer and praise?
We are now around a month away from the Lenten journey that leads to the cross and beyond to resurrection. Might it not be good to start preparing one’s heart for this special season, instead of expecting everything to fall into place? What spiritual disciplines are you planning to use? What scriptures will you read? What prayers will you offer?
Frank R.
Ephesians 3:1-12
In the opening to Ephesians 3, Paul emphatically reminds his readers that God bypassed the apostles and revealed to him this mystery of grace: the Gentiles are included in the salvation message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Prior to Paul’s epiphany on this matter, the general understanding was that the Christ’s message should be limited to Jews. Had that exclusive perspective prevailed, the Christian faith, if it survived at all, would have never grown beyond a tiny sect of Judaism. Let us give thanks to God for Paul’s insightful moment in which he suddenly saw and understood in a clear way that, by its very nature, the gospel is to be expansive and inclusive.
In other settings, we note Paul applies the inclusion principle by insisting that in Christ there is not Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, because we are all one in Christ. To use more contemporary parlance, to be the Church of Jesus Christ we need to be eliminating the barriers so that we can welcome all the people of God.
R. Robert C.
Ephesians 3:1-12
Jan Van Ruysbroek died on December 2, 1381. Because he was a mystic, he was often called “the Ecstatic Doctor.” Along with his letters he wrote five major literary works, which influenced church leaders decades beyond his death. Ruysbroeck wrote as the spirit moved him. He loved to wander and meditate in the solitude of the forest adjoining the cloister; his custom was to carry a tablet with him and to jot down his thoughts as they inspired him. Ruysbroeck insisted that the soul finds God in its own depths, and noted three stages of progress in what he called the spiritual ladder of Christian attainment: (1) the active life; (2) the inward life; and (3) the contemplative life.
Application: We are told in Ephesians that we can find wisdom in the church.
Ron L.
Ephesians 3:1-12
Life and other people look different in the light of grace, when the Epiphany light is shone on them. America is not doing very well welcoming those different from most of us. A 2014 Gallup poll indicated that 42% of Americans feel immigration levels should be trimmed. A Zogby poll indicates that 42% of Americans believe police profiling of Muslims is advisable.
Commenting on our lesson’s reference to the one body in Christ that all the faithful become, Martin Luther offers a critical reaction to current American trends: “Thus we too have been joined with Christ into one body and being, so that the good or the evil that happens to me also happens to Him. When I strike you or harm you, or when I show you honor, I strike Christ, I do Him harm, I show Him honor; for whatever happens to a Christian happens also to Christ Himself; He has a stake in it” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 23. p. 149).
The glory of God’s grace changes circumstances, John Calvin noted: “So highly ought the name of Christ to be revered by us that what men consider to be the greatest reproach ought to be viewed as the greatest honor” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XXI/1, p. 247).
Even our conception of God may seem a little different in relation to the Epiphany light, the light of Christ. The great American Puritan Jonathan Edwards offers penetrating insights about how the Incarnation of Jesus makes things different. We have the opportunity for more intimacy with God, he says (Works, Vol. 2, p. 148). Then we see God “as... infinitely lovely, the foundation of all good; a fountain that can never be exhausted, where we can be in no danger of going to excess in our love and joy” (Ibid., p. 147).
Mark E.
Matthew 2:1-12
Christmas pageants often compress the story of Jesus’ birth and the coming of the wise men into one short story. I know why we do it. We want to tell the whole story -- as if these two parts are the whole story. Yet years pass between the birth and the visit -- at least two years, scholars tell us. The wise men do not come to see a babe in a manger. They arrive to see a child at a house. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus are living in Bethlehem, perhaps waiting until Jesus is old enough to make the journey; perhaps because there is work there for Joseph. Time has passed. The baby is now a toddler. And still the wise men travel -- they come bearing gifts to meet this new king.
But what is our part of the story? What gifts do we bear to Jesus? What wisdom moves us to kneel before Christ in prayer? What parts of our lives do we offer up to Jesus as faithfulness for the gifts we have received, for the gifts of forgiveness and reconciliation, of mercy and love? I don’t know about you, but there is little or no gold for me to bring. I do have some anointing oil that has frankincense in it, but I have no myrrh. And I’m not sure that’s what Jesus expects of me anyway. What Jesus expects is for me to love God and my neighbor, to follow the commandments, to live a life focused on what is truly important. That, after all, is the most important gift I can give to Jesus -- my life.
Bonnie B.
Matthew 2:1-12
I like to give gifts. I’m not really a shopper, but when I give a gift I like to try to find what will be “just right” for the person receiving it. My daughter is an English teacher and a lover of books. Each year she and I try to give each other the “best book” we’ve read that year. I enjoy looking for that “best book” and anticipating how much she’ll like it. I have a friend who is a Star Wars fan. I remember getting him for Christmas one year a life-sized standup of Darth Vader. He still displays it in his rec room. I could go on, but I think you get the picture. For me, giving the “right” gift is special.
This passage is a familiar one, but as I read through it again I was reminded of gift-giving. The wise men opened their treasure chests and gave gifts to Mary, Joseph, and the child Jesus. Every Christmas pageant across the country knows about gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Though it is common knowledge, it did prompt a question. What am I giving to Jesus? That question’s been asked before too, but it hit me in a different way this time. The real-life context of this episode is one in which Herod wants to find this child and kill him. The wise men know this is a serious event. Their presentation of gifts is real. The warning they got in a dream was stark and clear. It makes me stop and think: Am I seriously considering what I will give to Jesus?
Bill T.
Matthew 2:1-12
So what was this great star that shone and called the magi to plan a complicated trip, pack their bags, and set out on a long journey? There are many different theories -- a nova or supernova perhaps, although thanks to the Japanese and Chinese we have a pretty good idea of what appeared in the sky and when, and there doesn’t seem to be an obvious candidate.
Or maybe it was a comet, although comets were understood to be atmospheric complications, not heavenly. And besides, comets presaged bad news. The magi were looking for confirmation of good news.
There were some nice conjunctions of Jupiter (the King planet) and Venus (the Queen planet) near Regulus (the King star) in the constellation of Leo, the lion, associated with Judea.
Or was the star nothing at all? Was it simply a theological necessity for the story of the magi?
None of these are nearly as important as the central question -- why were Herod, his royal court, and the residents of Jerusalem and Judea totally puzzled by the news of this star? Why do they know nothing of it? Herod’s court was murderous -- he murdered family and friends when it suited him. Signs in the heavens were probably the last thing on the minds of those at the center of power.
Are we paying attention? To scripture (the answer to the mystery of what this star means is unwound through the interpretation of scripture); to events outside the boundaries we create (if it doesn’t happen on reality TV does it actually happen?); to the beauty that surrounds us in God’s creation?
Frank R.
You can turn on a light in a dark room, and the room will be filled with light. If you come into a room filled with light, however, you might turn off the switch -- but there is nothing you can bring into the room to make it dark. Light can overcome darkness, but darkness can’t overcome light!
The world is in darkness, the Lord tells us, but our job is to bring God’s light into the world so that all those living in darkness will see it and come to God through us.
Nepal was 90% Hindu -- but the first Christian who came into that darkness in the 1990s was Pastor Tir, whom I met over there. In his life of about 90 years, over a million and half people were converted to Christianity. We went back about three years later, and there were over two million converts. Just think what his light did in that country!
We come to church to find that light which lights up our lives. We learn about a world filled with darkness -- a world where many want to kill anyone who differs with them. They try to stamp out the Light that can bring peace. So is God telling us to crush the darkness and kill all who try to bring it, or should we concentrate on shining his light on their darkness?
It seems that when we try to bring light, we may pay a price. Is that why our Lord told us to take up our cross? Does that mean that there may and will be suffering? It may mean that for some, but eventually the nations will come to us. We help bring that about by our contributions to missions in time and money. God needs many to bring that light to the world. He called me when I was 70! It is never too late. Is he calling you?
I once sat in Norman Vincent Peale’s church in Manhattan when he asked some of the members to stand up because the Lord had answered their prayers and made them rich. That should not be our only or main motive for obeying God’s will! Even if we remain poor or middle-class, we must go on serving him. Our reward may come now or later after this life, but knowing it is coming should give us joy!
Bob O.
Isaiah 60:1-6
The twelfth day of Christmas, Three Kings Day, Epiphany -- no matter what you name it, the celebration of gifts on January 6 is a reminder of gift-giving and gift-receiving, of generosity and gratitude. Our gifts from God may not be delivered by strange men on camels, but we receive our gifts each and every day. Look around you. What gifts and blessings have you received?
Not so long ago, Gretchen Rubin wrote a book titled The Happiness Project. She recalls thinking, “The days are long, but the years are short.” She realized that “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” I read the book, and I was inspired to live a life of joy, of happiness, and of gratitude. It’s hard when the darkness seems to cover the earth and one’s spirit to live into the light. Laughter helps. Counting blessings helps. Simply living in gratitude for the life and blessings God has provided helps. That’s the gift!
Bonnie B.
Isaiah 60:1-6
Christmas morning for young kids is exciting. It is for parents too. You know how it goes. Grandparents get to the house early; parents are up, having slept little because of last-minute wrapping and putting toys together. There’s a sense of anticipation. The time comes for the kids to get up. “Rise and shine! It’s Christmas!” There’s no lingering in bed or clamoring for “more time.” The kids rush in to see all that Christmas has brought. It is a happy, joyous time of celebration.
A time of celebration and joy; that’s what is described in this passage. The people of God are told to “Arise and shine.” They are to awaken. The day has dawned. Wonderful gifts have been given to them. The Lord himself and his glory will appear to them. Nations and kings will acknowledge them. God’s people are moving from a time of darkness to light. Promise, hope, and restoration are the message of this text. They are the message of Christmas for us too.
Bill T.
Isaiah 60:1-6
In the novel The Martian, a stranded astronaut prepares for a journey of hundreds of miles across the planet Mars with equipment that wasn’t designed for any such use. The novel (and the movie) chronicle his long preparation for that trip, involving painstaking trial, error, failure, and success before he begins his trek.
It was no less difficult a journey for the magi as they set out to seek a newborn king. They couldn’t just jump on camels and shout “giddyap” in order to get underway. Typically, a caravan might take weeks or months of arduous preparation for a journey across great stretches of terrain on our own planet.
Why should we be surprised that our spiritual journey would go a lot smoother if we prepared ahead of time? Many people have experienced a dismal, harried, or rushed Christmas season. We complain about how long the decorations are up in the larger society, but what about the spiritual decorations that ought to have accompanied our time of prayer and praise?
We are now around a month away from the Lenten journey that leads to the cross and beyond to resurrection. Might it not be good to start preparing one’s heart for this special season, instead of expecting everything to fall into place? What spiritual disciplines are you planning to use? What scriptures will you read? What prayers will you offer?
Frank R.
Ephesians 3:1-12
In the opening to Ephesians 3, Paul emphatically reminds his readers that God bypassed the apostles and revealed to him this mystery of grace: the Gentiles are included in the salvation message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Prior to Paul’s epiphany on this matter, the general understanding was that the Christ’s message should be limited to Jews. Had that exclusive perspective prevailed, the Christian faith, if it survived at all, would have never grown beyond a tiny sect of Judaism. Let us give thanks to God for Paul’s insightful moment in which he suddenly saw and understood in a clear way that, by its very nature, the gospel is to be expansive and inclusive.
In other settings, we note Paul applies the inclusion principle by insisting that in Christ there is not Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, because we are all one in Christ. To use more contemporary parlance, to be the Church of Jesus Christ we need to be eliminating the barriers so that we can welcome all the people of God.
R. Robert C.
Ephesians 3:1-12
Jan Van Ruysbroek died on December 2, 1381. Because he was a mystic, he was often called “the Ecstatic Doctor.” Along with his letters he wrote five major literary works, which influenced church leaders decades beyond his death. Ruysbroeck wrote as the spirit moved him. He loved to wander and meditate in the solitude of the forest adjoining the cloister; his custom was to carry a tablet with him and to jot down his thoughts as they inspired him. Ruysbroeck insisted that the soul finds God in its own depths, and noted three stages of progress in what he called the spiritual ladder of Christian attainment: (1) the active life; (2) the inward life; and (3) the contemplative life.
Application: We are told in Ephesians that we can find wisdom in the church.
Ron L.
Ephesians 3:1-12
Life and other people look different in the light of grace, when the Epiphany light is shone on them. America is not doing very well welcoming those different from most of us. A 2014 Gallup poll indicated that 42% of Americans feel immigration levels should be trimmed. A Zogby poll indicates that 42% of Americans believe police profiling of Muslims is advisable.
Commenting on our lesson’s reference to the one body in Christ that all the faithful become, Martin Luther offers a critical reaction to current American trends: “Thus we too have been joined with Christ into one body and being, so that the good or the evil that happens to me also happens to Him. When I strike you or harm you, or when I show you honor, I strike Christ, I do Him harm, I show Him honor; for whatever happens to a Christian happens also to Christ Himself; He has a stake in it” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 23. p. 149).
The glory of God’s grace changes circumstances, John Calvin noted: “So highly ought the name of Christ to be revered by us that what men consider to be the greatest reproach ought to be viewed as the greatest honor” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XXI/1, p. 247).
Even our conception of God may seem a little different in relation to the Epiphany light, the light of Christ. The great American Puritan Jonathan Edwards offers penetrating insights about how the Incarnation of Jesus makes things different. We have the opportunity for more intimacy with God, he says (Works, Vol. 2, p. 148). Then we see God “as... infinitely lovely, the foundation of all good; a fountain that can never be exhausted, where we can be in no danger of going to excess in our love and joy” (Ibid., p. 147).
Mark E.
Matthew 2:1-12
Christmas pageants often compress the story of Jesus’ birth and the coming of the wise men into one short story. I know why we do it. We want to tell the whole story -- as if these two parts are the whole story. Yet years pass between the birth and the visit -- at least two years, scholars tell us. The wise men do not come to see a babe in a manger. They arrive to see a child at a house. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus are living in Bethlehem, perhaps waiting until Jesus is old enough to make the journey; perhaps because there is work there for Joseph. Time has passed. The baby is now a toddler. And still the wise men travel -- they come bearing gifts to meet this new king.
But what is our part of the story? What gifts do we bear to Jesus? What wisdom moves us to kneel before Christ in prayer? What parts of our lives do we offer up to Jesus as faithfulness for the gifts we have received, for the gifts of forgiveness and reconciliation, of mercy and love? I don’t know about you, but there is little or no gold for me to bring. I do have some anointing oil that has frankincense in it, but I have no myrrh. And I’m not sure that’s what Jesus expects of me anyway. What Jesus expects is for me to love God and my neighbor, to follow the commandments, to live a life focused on what is truly important. That, after all, is the most important gift I can give to Jesus -- my life.
Bonnie B.
Matthew 2:1-12
I like to give gifts. I’m not really a shopper, but when I give a gift I like to try to find what will be “just right” for the person receiving it. My daughter is an English teacher and a lover of books. Each year she and I try to give each other the “best book” we’ve read that year. I enjoy looking for that “best book” and anticipating how much she’ll like it. I have a friend who is a Star Wars fan. I remember getting him for Christmas one year a life-sized standup of Darth Vader. He still displays it in his rec room. I could go on, but I think you get the picture. For me, giving the “right” gift is special.
This passage is a familiar one, but as I read through it again I was reminded of gift-giving. The wise men opened their treasure chests and gave gifts to Mary, Joseph, and the child Jesus. Every Christmas pageant across the country knows about gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Though it is common knowledge, it did prompt a question. What am I giving to Jesus? That question’s been asked before too, but it hit me in a different way this time. The real-life context of this episode is one in which Herod wants to find this child and kill him. The wise men know this is a serious event. Their presentation of gifts is real. The warning they got in a dream was stark and clear. It makes me stop and think: Am I seriously considering what I will give to Jesus?
Bill T.
Matthew 2:1-12
So what was this great star that shone and called the magi to plan a complicated trip, pack their bags, and set out on a long journey? There are many different theories -- a nova or supernova perhaps, although thanks to the Japanese and Chinese we have a pretty good idea of what appeared in the sky and when, and there doesn’t seem to be an obvious candidate.
Or maybe it was a comet, although comets were understood to be atmospheric complications, not heavenly. And besides, comets presaged bad news. The magi were looking for confirmation of good news.
There were some nice conjunctions of Jupiter (the King planet) and Venus (the Queen planet) near Regulus (the King star) in the constellation of Leo, the lion, associated with Judea.
Or was the star nothing at all? Was it simply a theological necessity for the story of the magi?
None of these are nearly as important as the central question -- why were Herod, his royal court, and the residents of Jerusalem and Judea totally puzzled by the news of this star? Why do they know nothing of it? Herod’s court was murderous -- he murdered family and friends when it suited him. Signs in the heavens were probably the last thing on the minds of those at the center of power.
Are we paying attention? To scripture (the answer to the mystery of what this star means is unwound through the interpretation of scripture); to events outside the boundaries we create (if it doesn’t happen on reality TV does it actually happen?); to the beauty that surrounds us in God’s creation?
Frank R.
