Like this past Sunday, I am taking a little liberty with the readings.  We will be celebrating Epiphany Sunday (even though it really takes place Saturday on the church calendar).   My decision to celebrate Epiphany means that we have four completely different readings than we would if we went along with the typical Sunday fare.  Ultimately what this all means is that Sunday we’ll be discussing the arrival of the Wise Men and not John the Baptist.

With that said, here is what we’re using Sunday (January 7^th):

• Isaiah 60:1-6
• Psalm 72:1-7,10-14
• Ephesians 3:1-12
• Matthew 2:1-12

When I read the Old Testament lesson, two things come to mind instantly.  The imagery of a totally dark world and how the light of God can pierce through it is powerful.  This world can be filled with bleakness, but no matter how dark, there is God.  There’s a saying I’ll probably butcher that says something about you can’t know that its dark if you have never seen the light.   I think about in the morning when Adrian gets up before anyone else and starts turning on lights.  The light that shines through the smallest spaces between the hallway and the door can seem so incredibly bright.  The other thing reminds me of what we were just talking about on Sunday and how the Shepherd’s reacted to the news of the birth and then of actually seeing the baby Jesus.  In verse 5a, the NIV puts it this way, “Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy…”  Let our hearts throb with joy when we think of and look to our wonderful God.

I never promised that my first blush look at these texts would be any kind of theological gold, so I don’t mind telling you that it was verse six of the Psalm that spoke to my simple life.   My former colleague Jim Britt and myself used to talk about the satisfaction of mowing the lawn just before the rain, literally pushing the mower into the shed as the first drops fell from heaven.  The Psalmist talks about God coming down like rain on the freshly mowed field.  Think about the field.  The field is in an absolute state of readiness to best receive the rain and when the rain arrives at that time it is going to help that field grown, not to be burned up like a freshly mowed field wilting under the hot summer sun.  I think about that feeling of satisfaction I mentioned earlier and think that we should strive to have that level of satisfaction or perhaps fulfillment from our relationship with God.

I had to read the lesson from Ephesians a couple times before thinking I might have anything to offer on it.  On third glance, it is the final verse with the understanding garnered from the earlier verses that the Gospel was being spread to all.  Paul says in verse 12 there in the 3^rd chapter that God not only has an eternal purpose, but that purpose includes you and me.   Jesus Christ gives us access to God in a way that any generation before the birth did not have.  The wise men may be the ones bearing gifts when we get to the Gospel lesson, but none will ever match that given to us that day in a manger.

The story of the wise men is a fascinating one.  Many would tell you that the wise men were astrologers and that is how they came knocking on Herod’s door seeking “the king of the Jews.”  What is interesting to me is that when they ask the question, they don’t ask where is the one who they claim is the king of the Jews or is supposedly or might be or could be, they ask where is the child who has been born the king of the Jews?  They are asking a question with Jesus’ sovereignty as a certain thing.  Has always seemed odd to me that astrologers would not only come all this way, but to also bring gifts and honor Jesus.  Where did their faith come from?  Maybe that’s something for me to explore this week as I craft the message for us on Sunday.

Happy New Year to all of you and look forward to seeing you in church on Sunday!