Year A Epiphany III Isaiah 9:1-4 Matthew 4:12-23

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness--on them light has shined.

If that passage sounds familiar, it’s because we just heard it a few weeks ago on Christmas morning. Its importance is underscored by the fact that not only does it appear today in our Old Testament lesson from Isaiah, but Jesus, Himself, quotes it in our Gospel reading.

This is the season of Epiphany, of discovery, and when we look back to Christmas we are aware of the great light and of how it shone on both shepherds and Wise Men alike, helping them discover the Christ Child. Angels surrounded with the glorious light of heaven announced Jesus birth to shepherds who had been resting on a hill in the dark of night. Wise Men saw a star shining in the east, and followed its light to the place where the Baby lay.

We love these stories, but if anyone asked us, we’d say that, indeed, there’s nothing like that today. When God became incarnate, the Light was overwhelming, at least for some. When He walked on earth, many were drawn to Him without question or doubt – drawn by an inner light in Him that they perceived in their hearts and souls. But, what about us today? Are we still looking for that Light, or do we assume such stories are only found in the Bible, and because we are sure they don’t happen today have become more concerned with worldly troubles and affairs?

Jesus said it another way, in last week’s Gospel when He saw John’s disciples following Him, He asked them: “What are you looking for?” And this is the challenge for us today: what are we looking for, who are we listening to, what are we valuing most in our common life together? What are our spiritual priorities?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us clear directives about our past, our present, and our future, directives that help us set our priorities . He tells us in no uncertain terms what we are to look for, what we are to listen to, and what we must value above all else.

First, the past — clear and simple, unambiguous and direct, Jesus says it this way: “Repent.”

Repent — for we are all of us sinners, we have each one of us and all of us together failed to live up to our true calling, we have made mistakes, we have fallen down.

And Jesus says, basically, “Get up and try again.” That is what we do when we repent. We are forgiven, loved, and free.

This is not to say we’ve been notoriously sinful or wicked — at least not any more than anybody else. We all make choices, and frequently we make poor ones. We are human, we want to do so much better than we so frequently are able, we want to let go of small annoyances and petty gripes and senseless quarrels among us and grab on to what is really important, but often we fall short of our goals.

So, repent.

Then there is the present: What is really important is that the Kingdom of Heaven has come near. Jesus lived among us, not to predict some future and yet-unachieved utopia, but to proclaim that God’s mercy, justice, and love are already here — manifest, in this place, now, this day. It is so close we can touch, taste, smell, see, and hear it — if that is what we are seeking, looking and listening for.

This is not to deny the sometimes-painful realities of our world — not to forget about hunger amidst so much waste, or homelessness amidst economic vitality, or sickness amidst amazing healing power. This is to say we are all of us sinners, and that we can make a choice whether to dwell on life’s problems or to look for life’s opportunities.

What we are called to do is look and listen for signs of the Kingdom, here and now.

As for the future: Jesus says, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” We are called — each and every one of us, and all of us together — to bring the Light of Lights into the world, to proclaim, by word and deed, to all people the Good News of salvation, to make known the glory of God’s marvelous works.

While it is very important for us as a Christian community to repair the church roof, balance the books, and print up the bulletins – these things are not our mission, they are not what Jesus calls us to listen to, to look for, they are not what our Lord and Savior commands us to value. When we follow, Jesus makes us fishers of “men”, of people. We are to find Christ in each person we meet. We are to be ambassadors of Christ, evangelists, spreaders of His Love.

When we follow Jesus, we acknowledge and admit that we are, each and every one of us, marvelously made, that God’s works are wonderful, and that we know this very well. It’s like suddenly noticing a light that has been burning all along, or hearing a cricket that has always hidden underneath the din of our existence — for the only thing that changes is our attitude, our perception, our choice.

So—this is the charge to us today: Let your light shine. Repent, and it will shine. Look for signs that the kingdom that has drawn near, and it will shine. Follow Christ, and it will shine, and what is more, you will see and find it shining in others.

There’s a story about a farmer from a rural part of the country. And this farmer comes to visit a relative in a major city. They’re walking down the busy and noisy main street, amidst the clamor and confusion and traffic and general hubbub of the city at rush hour. And just then, a fire truck goes by, siren blazing. And the farmer says, “Listen: I hear a cricket over yonder.” The relative — the carefully conditioned city dweller — replies, “How can you hear a cricket in the middle of all this?” The chirp of a cricket in the very core of a buzzing city — we can’t hear that, right? But the farmer, unfazed, says, “I figure you hear what you’re listening for.” And with that, he takes the spare change from his pants pocket and drops it on the ground. And at the almost imperceptible sound of a few coins hitting the sidewalk, children stop in their tracks, heads turn, notice is taken.

Sounds real, doesn’t it? Most of us would hear the coins and miss the crickets.

We are called to look around us for the Kingdom: that’s not a game of making something happen, but a matter of noticing what has already been accomplished.

Follow Jesus: that’s not a quick fix to all life’s problems, but a promise that walking in the Way of the Cross will fling wide the gates of heaven.

We hear what we are listening for, we find what we are seeking. Repent. Look for the signs around you. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Let us pray: (Prayer of St. Boniface - abridged)

Eternal God, the refuge and help of all your children, we praise You for all You have given us, for all You have done for us, for all that You are to us. In our weakness, You are strength, in our darkness, You are light, in our sorrow, You are comfort and peace… May we live as in Your presence, and love the things that You love, and serve You in our daily lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.