When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. (Matthew 2:10)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.
This year the day of Epiphany falls on a Sunday. While this does leave us with one less Sunday to sing Christmas carols, it also gives us the opportunity to celebrate the arrival of the magi. (And of course sing ‘We Three Kings’ on the day assigned to celebrate the visitation of those kings)
Epiphany means ‘revelation.’ The significance of the arrival of the magi is that Christ was no longer only revealed to the Jews. God is now revealed to the Gentiles as well! The love of the savior extends outside of the 12 Tribes of Israel. To a nation so intent on ethnocentrism and purity, this was earth-shattering.
It also signifies the recognition of Jesus as king to the outside world. Wise men from far away worship Christ as the King. They rejoice in His light. They see His light. Boundaries between Jew and Gentile were removed. Ethnic boundaries were wiped out. Social and economic boundaries were broken down. This mysterious Christ-child was sought and worshipped by the rich (magi), the poor (shepherds), Jews (shepherds, Anna, Simeon), and Gentiles (magi). The previous boundaries that separated people suddenly were rendered moot. Jesus came to save them all.
It is easy to get caught up in ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentalities. Systems’ theorists use a series of circles to illustrate this idea. Our brains perceive people as being in our inner circle, then in our next circle of intimacy, then another, and another. We mentally organize the people in our lives within these circles depending upon how close we are to them and how we view that relationship. At times, we see those outer circles as threatening. Those people are the ‘thems’ or the outsiders.
The magi existed in the outermost circle of Mary’s and Joseph’s lives. Economically worlds apart, socially worlds apart, ethnically worlds apart, educationally worlds apart, and geographically worlds apart, these people had very little in common with the carpenter from Nazareth and his young wife. By the same token, Mary and Joseph, were far outside the magi’s inner circle. The upper class of the far east did not normally associate with the lower class of an occupied nation. Yet, their commonality was the recognition and revelation of the Christ-child. They were privy to the identity of Jesus. They were recipients of this Epiphany. They saw the Light. The Son of God united them together. This revelation bonded them into One.
Jesus blasts right through the circles. The Light banishes those circles. Those circles only exist in the absence of the Light. They are shadows that tempt us to treat our fellow humans as ‘others’ or somehow ‘less.’ Those circles tempt us to see our brothers and sisters in Christ as ‘them.’ They separate us from God and neighbor, constructing mental, emotional, and spiritual constraints on our faith. There can be no ‘us’ and ‘them’ within true faith. Christ makes us ‘one body.’
As the world throws ‘us’ and ‘them’ designations around like, remember who unites us as one. The Light, Jesus Christ, came into the world to make all people one. He came to tear down the man-made boundaries between us. He came to bring all people into His kingdom. Rely on His faithfulness and obedience to remain in the light. His light has been revealed to you. Walk in the ‘light of life.’ Be filled with great joy. You have seen the light. The light of Christ frees you from your own restraints.
Contemplate John’s testimony and envision the reality he describes: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5) The darkness, the shadows, the circles cannot dim the love of God revealed to the world in Christ Jesus. Christ continues to shine in the world, in us, and through us. No matter how impervious the darkness appears, no matter how great our fear of the darkness, no matter how many ‘circles’ we construct to isolate ourselves – the light of Christ shines. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not, does not, and will not overcome it. You have the light of life – walk in it – walk in Christ – and let the light shine.
The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,
Pastor Carla

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 5:12)