Shedding light on the subject
Commentary
Though the season of epiphany traditionally takes its rationale from the coming of the wise men to the place of the birth of Jesus, what we discover is that in every nook and cranny of the Scriptures it is the epiphany of God that is being revealed.
After all, if this God we speak of is truly God and not just an oversized human being; if he is eternal, creator, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, then there would be no way for us to know this God unless he makes himself known to us. Therefore, revelation is at the heart of the Hebrew-Christian faith.
Just take time to briefly review the story line of the Bible and you will discover that on every page God stands in the wings waving his arms and shouting, seeking to gain our attention. We get all bogged down in questions about whether these were real people, or whether these things really happened, or worry about the theological significance and meaning of what we read and all the time we manage to miss the epiphany that is before our very eyes.
Whether it is the voice of the wind speaking to an Abraham, or the word brought down from heaven on a ladder to Jacob, (note that this is not Jacob's ladder but God's ladder on which angels are ascending and descending telling us of God coming to Jacob); or the message coming from a burning bush to Moses or Eli through the boy Samuel, or a hundred other instances, the meaning is always the same Matthew summed it up in his phrase, "Immanuel, which means, God with us," in chapter one of his story.
Luke will have a heavenly host sing of the glory of God at the birth of Jesus.
Mark tells of the voice that speaks at the baptism of Jesus. On and on the story goes.
And remember, every time you preach you are a part of that continuing story. You are privileged to be a part of the continuing epiphany. Check out 1 Peter 2:9 which builds on Exodus 19:6 and reminds us of who we are and what we are to do.
OUTLINE I
The everlasting promise
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Introduction: You begin best by remembering that the book of Deuteronomy is cast as a sermon by Moses. In this sermon he reviews the great and mighty acts of God in the midst of the people and keeps God's calling before him. The lesson for today reveals Moses' word of reassurance to the people whom he has led out of Egypt that when he leaves them they are not going to be alone. One can take either or both of two views of this material.
A. Historical. Joshua was no prophet, of course, and it is unlikely that he is the person referred to. Joshua is the "General Patton" of the Hebrew Scriptures, a military genius who leads the people in their attempts to subjugate the new land and possess it.
Remember, Deuteronomy is pulled together by the priests in Babylon. They are looking backward at the events reported here. Could it be that Samuel, the last of the judges and first of the prophets is in their mind? Or, do they link this prophet with the promised servant of God as identified in Isaiah?
B. Christological. When the Christian reads the Old Testament it is read with a point of view influenced by what we know about God's act in Christ Jesus. What we hear in these lines is the eternal reminder that God is always choosing someone, some people, to carry out his will on earth. Whether that is a Moses, or a Samuel, for a David, or an Amos or Hosea, or Ezekiel, Isaiah, or Jeremiah, or Jesus, what we learn is that God is always doing what he has always been doing. The writer of the Hebrew letter summarizes in Chapter 1, verse 1, that "In many and various ways, God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son."
Conclusion: The point is that those who find Christ in the Old Testament are in truth finding God. They are discovering that this God is the pursuing God who comes to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and to all for whom he "stands at the door and knocks." Here is the true meaning of Epiphany, God is always making himself known to his people and seeking to save them from themselves.
OUTLINE II
The stewardship of our lives
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Introduction: Paul's letters to the Corinthians revealjust how difficult it was to impose the Jewish ethical system on a people who had been accustomed to religions that did not include ethical demands. More than that, Corinth was a wicked city, center of the worship of the goddess Aphrodite. Every evening 1 ,000 sacred prostitutes came down from the acropolis to ply their trade on the city streets. It was said that no young man could go to Corinth and leave with his virginity. Check out Barclay in his Daily Bible Study Series for detailed information on Corinth. It is in this sort of city that Christians are called to be different. The word "holy" meant different. Christians were to make a wholly "different from the usual," presentation of their lives.
A. Sorting out the gods. Note the way Paul acknowledges the "supposed" existence of other gods. For him those who worshiped these gods worshiped nothing. Paul reaffirms the monotheism of Judaism and of the early church. There must have been those who have been taking advantage of the market place in Corinth and causing difficulty in that early fellowship. Food which has been used in religious sacrificial ceremonies is afterward placed on the open market and often at attractive prices. Some who consider these gods as nothing feel it is all right to eat such food. But there are those who believe that when the spirit of the lesser god is invoked upon the food the spirit of that god enters the food. Thus, to eat that food risks ingesting an evil spirit. Many were put off by such actions.
B. Paul knows that these gods are nothing and yet he admonishes those who understand their freedom from these nothing gods to take care lest they injure the sensibilities of those less certain. He raises up the matter of the solidarity of the people. They share a common bundle oflife. If they are the body of Christ then they are to be concerned for their influence and witness. A thing may not affect them at all but it may become a stumbling block for others.
Conclusion: Sometimes the worst thing that can happen to a church is for its people to live in such a manner that they are indistinguishable from other persons. When we take others for granted, or run roughshod over their sensibilities we sin against Christ. His disciples are expected to resist those things which would be offensive. We are meant to be living epiphanies, to show forth the Christ in our daily lives.
OUTLINE III
Witness from a strange place
Mark 1:21-28
Introduction: It is interesting that at the very outset of his gospel, Mark links the voice from heaven and the voice of a demon as witnessing to who Jesus is. Everybody knows! Keep in mind the fact that Mark is the first gospel, that he writes sometime around 70 A.D. when there is a high expectation of the return of Jesus and it is important for him to identify Jesus as the expected Messiah up front. Later Matthew and Luke will drive that witness back to his birth and John will link it with creation but for the moment it is important to Mark to ensure that no one misunderstands his witness concerning Jesus.
A. Immediately. Seven times Mark will use this word in chapter one. Mark is writing at the time of the Roman assault against Jerusalem which will end in the sacking of the city and the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. There are those, and it apparently includes Mark, who are convinced that the Present Age (the evil age) is about to end and that the Age to Come is at hand. Little wonder Jesus' text for his preaching is "the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand."
B. Who is this? Mark presents the evidence. It is up to the reader to decide. The questions being asked by the players upon the scene of the gospel are the questions being asked at the time of the terrible suffering in Jerusalem. It is critical that those who are undergoing this terrible suffering know that they have not placed their bets on a dead horse. Mark seeks to strengthen them with an assurance that they can indeed know that this is the Messiah. After all the Spirit is active here, (and the Jews though the Spirit had departed Israel); a voice from heaven offers validation, and even the demons know. So should the reader.
Conclusion: Mark provides his own epiphany in this first chapter. He is showing those in Jerusalem the evidence that they need to know that their trust is well placed. Offer that witness to your hearers and take time to bring the witness up to date. Does the voice still speak? Does the Spirit still act? Do the demons witness? Answer those questions for the congregation.
After all, if this God we speak of is truly God and not just an oversized human being; if he is eternal, creator, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, then there would be no way for us to know this God unless he makes himself known to us. Therefore, revelation is at the heart of the Hebrew-Christian faith.
Just take time to briefly review the story line of the Bible and you will discover that on every page God stands in the wings waving his arms and shouting, seeking to gain our attention. We get all bogged down in questions about whether these were real people, or whether these things really happened, or worry about the theological significance and meaning of what we read and all the time we manage to miss the epiphany that is before our very eyes.
Whether it is the voice of the wind speaking to an Abraham, or the word brought down from heaven on a ladder to Jacob, (note that this is not Jacob's ladder but God's ladder on which angels are ascending and descending telling us of God coming to Jacob); or the message coming from a burning bush to Moses or Eli through the boy Samuel, or a hundred other instances, the meaning is always the same Matthew summed it up in his phrase, "Immanuel, which means, God with us," in chapter one of his story.
Luke will have a heavenly host sing of the glory of God at the birth of Jesus.
Mark tells of the voice that speaks at the baptism of Jesus. On and on the story goes.
And remember, every time you preach you are a part of that continuing story. You are privileged to be a part of the continuing epiphany. Check out 1 Peter 2:9 which builds on Exodus 19:6 and reminds us of who we are and what we are to do.
OUTLINE I
The everlasting promise
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Introduction: You begin best by remembering that the book of Deuteronomy is cast as a sermon by Moses. In this sermon he reviews the great and mighty acts of God in the midst of the people and keeps God's calling before him. The lesson for today reveals Moses' word of reassurance to the people whom he has led out of Egypt that when he leaves them they are not going to be alone. One can take either or both of two views of this material.
A. Historical. Joshua was no prophet, of course, and it is unlikely that he is the person referred to. Joshua is the "General Patton" of the Hebrew Scriptures, a military genius who leads the people in their attempts to subjugate the new land and possess it.
Remember, Deuteronomy is pulled together by the priests in Babylon. They are looking backward at the events reported here. Could it be that Samuel, the last of the judges and first of the prophets is in their mind? Or, do they link this prophet with the promised servant of God as identified in Isaiah?
B. Christological. When the Christian reads the Old Testament it is read with a point of view influenced by what we know about God's act in Christ Jesus. What we hear in these lines is the eternal reminder that God is always choosing someone, some people, to carry out his will on earth. Whether that is a Moses, or a Samuel, for a David, or an Amos or Hosea, or Ezekiel, Isaiah, or Jeremiah, or Jesus, what we learn is that God is always doing what he has always been doing. The writer of the Hebrew letter summarizes in Chapter 1, verse 1, that "In many and various ways, God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son."
Conclusion: The point is that those who find Christ in the Old Testament are in truth finding God. They are discovering that this God is the pursuing God who comes to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and to all for whom he "stands at the door and knocks." Here is the true meaning of Epiphany, God is always making himself known to his people and seeking to save them from themselves.
OUTLINE II
The stewardship of our lives
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Introduction: Paul's letters to the Corinthians revealjust how difficult it was to impose the Jewish ethical system on a people who had been accustomed to religions that did not include ethical demands. More than that, Corinth was a wicked city, center of the worship of the goddess Aphrodite. Every evening 1 ,000 sacred prostitutes came down from the acropolis to ply their trade on the city streets. It was said that no young man could go to Corinth and leave with his virginity. Check out Barclay in his Daily Bible Study Series for detailed information on Corinth. It is in this sort of city that Christians are called to be different. The word "holy" meant different. Christians were to make a wholly "different from the usual," presentation of their lives.
A. Sorting out the gods. Note the way Paul acknowledges the "supposed" existence of other gods. For him those who worshiped these gods worshiped nothing. Paul reaffirms the monotheism of Judaism and of the early church. There must have been those who have been taking advantage of the market place in Corinth and causing difficulty in that early fellowship. Food which has been used in religious sacrificial ceremonies is afterward placed on the open market and often at attractive prices. Some who consider these gods as nothing feel it is all right to eat such food. But there are those who believe that when the spirit of the lesser god is invoked upon the food the spirit of that god enters the food. Thus, to eat that food risks ingesting an evil spirit. Many were put off by such actions.
B. Paul knows that these gods are nothing and yet he admonishes those who understand their freedom from these nothing gods to take care lest they injure the sensibilities of those less certain. He raises up the matter of the solidarity of the people. They share a common bundle oflife. If they are the body of Christ then they are to be concerned for their influence and witness. A thing may not affect them at all but it may become a stumbling block for others.
Conclusion: Sometimes the worst thing that can happen to a church is for its people to live in such a manner that they are indistinguishable from other persons. When we take others for granted, or run roughshod over their sensibilities we sin against Christ. His disciples are expected to resist those things which would be offensive. We are meant to be living epiphanies, to show forth the Christ in our daily lives.
OUTLINE III
Witness from a strange place
Mark 1:21-28
Introduction: It is interesting that at the very outset of his gospel, Mark links the voice from heaven and the voice of a demon as witnessing to who Jesus is. Everybody knows! Keep in mind the fact that Mark is the first gospel, that he writes sometime around 70 A.D. when there is a high expectation of the return of Jesus and it is important for him to identify Jesus as the expected Messiah up front. Later Matthew and Luke will drive that witness back to his birth and John will link it with creation but for the moment it is important to Mark to ensure that no one misunderstands his witness concerning Jesus.
A. Immediately. Seven times Mark will use this word in chapter one. Mark is writing at the time of the Roman assault against Jerusalem which will end in the sacking of the city and the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. There are those, and it apparently includes Mark, who are convinced that the Present Age (the evil age) is about to end and that the Age to Come is at hand. Little wonder Jesus' text for his preaching is "the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand."
B. Who is this? Mark presents the evidence. It is up to the reader to decide. The questions being asked by the players upon the scene of the gospel are the questions being asked at the time of the terrible suffering in Jerusalem. It is critical that those who are undergoing this terrible suffering know that they have not placed their bets on a dead horse. Mark seeks to strengthen them with an assurance that they can indeed know that this is the Messiah. After all the Spirit is active here, (and the Jews though the Spirit had departed Israel); a voice from heaven offers validation, and even the demons know. So should the reader.
Conclusion: Mark provides his own epiphany in this first chapter. He is showing those in Jerusalem the evidence that they need to know that their trust is well placed. Offer that witness to your hearers and take time to bring the witness up to date. Does the voice still speak? Does the Spirit still act? Do the demons witness? Answer those questions for the congregation.
