The Epiphany Of Our Lord
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III, Cycle C
The Church Year Theological Clue
The Epiphany of our Lord is an "only on Sunday" phenomenon in many of our congregations; that is, it is celebrated by the entire congregation when January 6th falls on a Sunday. Should it occur on some other day of the week, it tends to get lost in the liturgical cracks. After all, it has long been forgotten that the Epiphany was one of the first festivals to be celebrated by the Christian Church, proclaiming the visit of the three wise men, Jesus' baptism by John in the Jordan, and his first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana; it was a multi-dimensional festival, in this respect, observing the coming of Christ as a child, his baptism as a man, and the beginning of his ministry as the Son of God who was soon to be the Savior of the world.
Time has seen the primary celebration of Christmas separated from the Epiphany (except for the Matthew 2 gospel), locating the Baptism of our Lord on the First Sunday after the Epiphany. The remainder of the season is given over to the manifestation of Christ to the world in his ministry and the miracles he performed doing it. So, Epiphany has become, at best, a kind of postlude to Christmas, bringing closure to the 12 Days of Christmas. The Gospel for the Day claims the entire Epiphany sequence of Sundays as part of the Christmas cycle. It tells part of the story of Jesus from the beginning. Hence, it has to do with the incarnation, with the meaning of baptism, with revelation and the meaning of Jesus' ministry, and, in those churches that appoint Luke's version of the Transfiguration (9:28-36) for the Last Sunday of Epiphany, the setting of the stage for the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. (The Roman ORDO sets this lection on the Second Sunday in Lent, thereby highlighting the "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem" theme.)
The uneven length of the season from year to year, which depends upon the date of Easter and the beginning of Lent, tends to de-emphasize its role as the manifestation of God here on earth and the season of transition from Christmas to Lent. In those years when longer Epiphany seasons may occur in Cycle C, the Gospel of Luke, especially when Luke 9:28-36 is the concluding gospel, serves the purposes of Epiphany quite suitably.
The Prayer Of The Day
The contemporary collect in The Book Of Common Prayer stresses the manifestation theme by changing the verb reveal ("who didst reveal") in the classic collect to manifested. It reads this way: "O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."
The last portion of that prayer is radically different from the ancient collect ("[that we] may be brought to contemplate the beauty of thy majesty"); it and the Lutheran contemporary prayer both give an eschatological thrust to the celebration of the manifestation theme the Epiphany (the Lutheran prayer concludes: "and bring us at last to the full vision of your glory"). Otherwise, that eschatological motif might be lost.
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 72 is common to the liturgical churches and is used in all three years/cycles. Please see the Lectionary Preaching Workbook III, Cycle A, for commentary on this psalm.
The Readings
Isaiah 60:1-6 - The church has taken this pericope, which originally referred to Israel's return from the exile in Babylon, and put it into a Christian context. Jesus, to the church, is the "light (that) has come," and in him God's "glory is rising on you (and the whole world)." Christ is the light that shines in the darkness and the one to whom all nations shall come. He has staked his claim in the world; all people and all things are his, gold and incense will be brought to him, and the name of God will be praised. After all, it is God who delivered the Israelites from the captivity in Babylon, and it is God who has sent Jesus into the world to free all people from sin and bring to the earth the kingdom of God. (Note: In the older Roman missal, as well as some Lutheran lectionaries, this reading was employed as the epistle for the Epiphany. Archbishop Cranmer was probably the first one to replace this lesson with a New Testament epistle. His choice was Ephesians 3.)
Ephesians 3:1-12 - Paul makes the connection between Isaiah 60 and the Epiphany it-self clear, and he understands his mission to be to communicate the good news of God's revelation, his light, in Jesus' advent, and to declare to the "nations" - Gentiles, as well as Jews - that salvation has come through the grace of God in Christ and that it is meant for all. Just as John the Baptist was close to death when he sent his disciples to Jesus, ask-ing, "Are you the one who should come, or should we look for someone else?", so Paul was close to death when he sent this letter with one of his disciples to the church at Ephesus. The difference between them - and both of them died the same way, by being beheaded - was that John was uncertain about the identity of Jesus Christ while Paul was absolutely positive that Jesus was the Christ of God, the long-awaited Messiah. He had not only been party to the establishment of the church, but he had also witnessed to the now-elusive unity of the church that brought Jew and Gentile into the body of Christ.
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
Matthew 2:1-12 (RC, E, L, C) - "They Followed A Star. " - A headline in the newspaper (Minneapolis Star Tribune), a half dozen years ago read: "His maps may chart course of ancient travelers." The story that followed was about Gerald W. Johnson, who has made "the first detailed photo-maps of the Nazca Lines (in Peru), which some speculate were ancient airfields for extra-terrestrial spaceships." One of those who holds that belief is Erich von Daniken, who advances such a thesis in Chariots Of The Gods? Johnson argues that there is no scientific evidence for such an interpretation of the lines, suggesting that "one possible explanation is that the lines had astronomical significance, perhaps relating to the paths followed by the sun and the stars" (but, the article contends, "no one has been able to use this theory to explain all of the two to 15 lines that radiate from each of 58 separate 'ray center' points on the desert floor"). Johnson, who is something of an explorer and archaeologist (he is a professor of civil and mineral engineering at the University of Minnesota), who with two colleagues, Bill Johnson and Doug Meisner took aerial photos of the Nazca Lines and provided the first atlas of this 120 square mile area in an attempt to explain the meaning of the lines. But the maps really lead nowhere, at this time.
The wise men followed no maps on their trip from the "East" to Bethlehem; they didn't need one, because they had a star to guide them to the place where Jesus was born. They had a divine guidance system and they allowed God to lead them to Bethlehem.
With us, it is the Word of God that, through the Holy Spirit, leads us to the Christ, identifies him as our Lord and Savior, and orchestrates our worship of him and the only gift we have to give him that he wants - ourselves. Like the wise men, we don't need a map, nor do we need a star, because the risen Lord himself is our guide and leader.
Isaiah 60 - "The Son And God's Morning."
1. In Jesus Christ, the light of the Lord has surely come upon the earth; a new day is dawning.
2. Sin has been defeated by Jesus' perfect obedience, but its darkness has yet to be eradicated from the world.
3. As the good news is told to all people, more and more will turn and "come to Christ," their Lord and God.
4. That great day is coming when everyone who exists will bring gifts to Christ and sing praises to the God who is Creator and Father of all.
Ephesians 3:1-12 - "The 'Swan Song' Of A Faithful Apostle."
1. The mystery of the gospel was incarnate in Paul. Probably a prisoner facing execution in Rome, he sings his "swan song" about the glorious gospel which has been entrusted to him. He is faithful to Christ, when a word or two of denial could save his life.
2. With the revelation of God's mystery in the person of Jesus Christ, the secrets of God's plan of salvation are made known to all who hear the gospel; Christ came for the sake of the whole wide world.
3. Through the grace of God, all who believe are made members of the church, the body of Christ, and come to know how great God really is.
4. Epiphany teaches us to sing a new song, even a "swan song," if we must.
The Epiphany of our Lord is an "only on Sunday" phenomenon in many of our congregations; that is, it is celebrated by the entire congregation when January 6th falls on a Sunday. Should it occur on some other day of the week, it tends to get lost in the liturgical cracks. After all, it has long been forgotten that the Epiphany was one of the first festivals to be celebrated by the Christian Church, proclaiming the visit of the three wise men, Jesus' baptism by John in the Jordan, and his first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana; it was a multi-dimensional festival, in this respect, observing the coming of Christ as a child, his baptism as a man, and the beginning of his ministry as the Son of God who was soon to be the Savior of the world.
Time has seen the primary celebration of Christmas separated from the Epiphany (except for the Matthew 2 gospel), locating the Baptism of our Lord on the First Sunday after the Epiphany. The remainder of the season is given over to the manifestation of Christ to the world in his ministry and the miracles he performed doing it. So, Epiphany has become, at best, a kind of postlude to Christmas, bringing closure to the 12 Days of Christmas. The Gospel for the Day claims the entire Epiphany sequence of Sundays as part of the Christmas cycle. It tells part of the story of Jesus from the beginning. Hence, it has to do with the incarnation, with the meaning of baptism, with revelation and the meaning of Jesus' ministry, and, in those churches that appoint Luke's version of the Transfiguration (9:28-36) for the Last Sunday of Epiphany, the setting of the stage for the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. (The Roman ORDO sets this lection on the Second Sunday in Lent, thereby highlighting the "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem" theme.)
The uneven length of the season from year to year, which depends upon the date of Easter and the beginning of Lent, tends to de-emphasize its role as the manifestation of God here on earth and the season of transition from Christmas to Lent. In those years when longer Epiphany seasons may occur in Cycle C, the Gospel of Luke, especially when Luke 9:28-36 is the concluding gospel, serves the purposes of Epiphany quite suitably.
The Prayer Of The Day
The contemporary collect in The Book Of Common Prayer stresses the manifestation theme by changing the verb reveal ("who didst reveal") in the classic collect to manifested. It reads this way: "O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."
The last portion of that prayer is radically different from the ancient collect ("[that we] may be brought to contemplate the beauty of thy majesty"); it and the Lutheran contemporary prayer both give an eschatological thrust to the celebration of the manifestation theme the Epiphany (the Lutheran prayer concludes: "and bring us at last to the full vision of your glory"). Otherwise, that eschatological motif might be lost.
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 72 is common to the liturgical churches and is used in all three years/cycles. Please see the Lectionary Preaching Workbook III, Cycle A, for commentary on this psalm.
The Readings
Isaiah 60:1-6 - The church has taken this pericope, which originally referred to Israel's return from the exile in Babylon, and put it into a Christian context. Jesus, to the church, is the "light (that) has come," and in him God's "glory is rising on you (and the whole world)." Christ is the light that shines in the darkness and the one to whom all nations shall come. He has staked his claim in the world; all people and all things are his, gold and incense will be brought to him, and the name of God will be praised. After all, it is God who delivered the Israelites from the captivity in Babylon, and it is God who has sent Jesus into the world to free all people from sin and bring to the earth the kingdom of God. (Note: In the older Roman missal, as well as some Lutheran lectionaries, this reading was employed as the epistle for the Epiphany. Archbishop Cranmer was probably the first one to replace this lesson with a New Testament epistle. His choice was Ephesians 3.)
Ephesians 3:1-12 - Paul makes the connection between Isaiah 60 and the Epiphany it-self clear, and he understands his mission to be to communicate the good news of God's revelation, his light, in Jesus' advent, and to declare to the "nations" - Gentiles, as well as Jews - that salvation has come through the grace of God in Christ and that it is meant for all. Just as John the Baptist was close to death when he sent his disciples to Jesus, ask-ing, "Are you the one who should come, or should we look for someone else?", so Paul was close to death when he sent this letter with one of his disciples to the church at Ephesus. The difference between them - and both of them died the same way, by being beheaded - was that John was uncertain about the identity of Jesus Christ while Paul was absolutely positive that Jesus was the Christ of God, the long-awaited Messiah. He had not only been party to the establishment of the church, but he had also witnessed to the now-elusive unity of the church that brought Jew and Gentile into the body of Christ.
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
Matthew 2:1-12 (RC, E, L, C) - "They Followed A Star. " - A headline in the newspaper (Minneapolis Star Tribune), a half dozen years ago read: "His maps may chart course of ancient travelers." The story that followed was about Gerald W. Johnson, who has made "the first detailed photo-maps of the Nazca Lines (in Peru), which some speculate were ancient airfields for extra-terrestrial spaceships." One of those who holds that belief is Erich von Daniken, who advances such a thesis in Chariots Of The Gods? Johnson argues that there is no scientific evidence for such an interpretation of the lines, suggesting that "one possible explanation is that the lines had astronomical significance, perhaps relating to the paths followed by the sun and the stars" (but, the article contends, "no one has been able to use this theory to explain all of the two to 15 lines that radiate from each of 58 separate 'ray center' points on the desert floor"). Johnson, who is something of an explorer and archaeologist (he is a professor of civil and mineral engineering at the University of Minnesota), who with two colleagues, Bill Johnson and Doug Meisner took aerial photos of the Nazca Lines and provided the first atlas of this 120 square mile area in an attempt to explain the meaning of the lines. But the maps really lead nowhere, at this time.
The wise men followed no maps on their trip from the "East" to Bethlehem; they didn't need one, because they had a star to guide them to the place where Jesus was born. They had a divine guidance system and they allowed God to lead them to Bethlehem.
With us, it is the Word of God that, through the Holy Spirit, leads us to the Christ, identifies him as our Lord and Savior, and orchestrates our worship of him and the only gift we have to give him that he wants - ourselves. Like the wise men, we don't need a map, nor do we need a star, because the risen Lord himself is our guide and leader.
Isaiah 60 - "The Son And God's Morning."
1. In Jesus Christ, the light of the Lord has surely come upon the earth; a new day is dawning.
2. Sin has been defeated by Jesus' perfect obedience, but its darkness has yet to be eradicated from the world.
3. As the good news is told to all people, more and more will turn and "come to Christ," their Lord and God.
4. That great day is coming when everyone who exists will bring gifts to Christ and sing praises to the God who is Creator and Father of all.
Ephesians 3:1-12 - "The 'Swan Song' Of A Faithful Apostle."
1. The mystery of the gospel was incarnate in Paul. Probably a prisoner facing execution in Rome, he sings his "swan song" about the glorious gospel which has been entrusted to him. He is faithful to Christ, when a word or two of denial could save his life.
2. With the revelation of God's mystery in the person of Jesus Christ, the secrets of God's plan of salvation are made known to all who hear the gospel; Christ came for the sake of the whole wide world.
3. Through the grace of God, all who believe are made members of the church, the body of Christ, and come to know how great God really is.
4. Epiphany teaches us to sing a new song, even a "swan song," if we must.
