Year C The Epiphany/Second Sunday after Christmas

Isaiah 60:1-6 Matthew 2:1-12

“We three kings of orient are”, and so begins a familiar and favourite old hymn. Our Gospel puts it a bit differently, In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came….”

Both quotes have something in common – three travelers, identified both as kings and wise men, who come from the orient or the east, depending on whether you are more accustomed to the hymn or the Gospel reading. Why “the East”? What does that mean? It certainly does lend a slightly exotic flavour to the story, but for ancient listeners, there was, as there often is, a deeper meaning, something we might easily miss.

The word, anatolai, used for “east” in the original Greek in which the story was first told, would have sparked a number of images for the Greek-speaking, Jewish-Christian who heard it. Anatolai means “the rising”, that is, the rising of the sun in the east, and that in turn suggests the imagery of light, which is often associated with salvation in the Bible and with the Presence of God. As for the word “orient”, which we sing in the hymn, it comes from a Latin word “oriens” which mans the same as the Greek anatolai: and thus we sing about Three Kings of Orient.

Our first lesson today from Isaiah, to which the magi story clearly alludes, begins with the words, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Isaiah’s vision of salvation includes a pilgrimage of the nations, who will come to Israel’s light, to worship the God of Israel. The Gentile magi are to be understood as enacting the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Why is it important to Matthew to mention the magi, to present us with these kings, with the fulfillment of Isaiah’s words? Certainly Luke has a very different approach to Jesus’ birth. Only a week ago we were hearing about other men, probably a slightly larger group, on a hillside doing their job of watching and protecting sheep. We were hearing about shepherds, most likely Jewish, and yet the lowest of the low among employed people in the society of Jesus time.

To these lowlife people, or so the Jews of that day would have thought them, came the Glory of the Lord which shone around them, and a choir of heavenly hosts with an amazing message. Unlike the kings, the shepherds weren’t that far from the stable to which they were directed, but were close enough to run the distance in a short time, and on their arrival there to behold the Christ Child and His family.

How interesting that two Gospels take such a different approach. Each writer had a point to make. Luke, throughout his entire Gospel, impresses on us that Jesus came in particular to the poor and lowly. Matthew wants us to understand that Jesus is David’s descendant, that He is a king, and not just of heaven. The Messiah must be from the house and lineage of King David, and Matthew is making sure we don’t miss the point.

Despite the Gospels’ different approaches to Jesus’ birth narrative, the Kings of Orient, those wise men from the east, and the Shepherds have one thing in common – they are drawn by the Light.

The light is glorious, and we are meant to immediately be caught up in this imagery, that of great light – which is central to our faith. We extend this imagery into our daily lives, speaking enthusiastically of the “enlightened”, and cautiously of those who “live in darkness”, but while we exult in these images, we need to be careful.

Those of us who live and worship here in the United States cannot casually equate “light” with God and “darkness” with evil or ignorance. All of us, no matter our background or good intentions, tend to want to forget that these parallels have led to discrimination and injustice for a huge number of people. We are called to follow the Light of Christ, but we need to keep in mind the dangers that that imagery can present, not only to us, but to those around us. We need to work hard to truly be “children of God’s Light”.

To do this, we need to give serious thought to the images of light and darkness in our hearts and in our world, seeking ways we might show forth the love of God—the One whom John calls “the true light… coming into the world,” but also the One of whom the psalmist says, “darkness and light to you are both alike.” The God whom Isaiah promises will be our “everlasting light” and the One whom the mystical theologian Pseudo-Dionysius calls “the ray of divine darkness.”

We are called by Jesus to be children of the Light, which we do without judging others in any way, but by being in love with Jesus. We are called to be living examples of how His love works in this world. The Holy Spirit we received at our baptism will fill us with Light if we allow it to do so, and to be “filled with the Holy Spirit” means to be open to Jesus’ Love, and to allow Love to flow through us. It sounds lofty, so how do we everyday people accomplish this?

We can begin by becoming thoughtful. To be thoughtful means to be quieter in our lives, in our minds, and in our hearts. It means to have a kind and gentle heart, to think of others, to listen to them, to reflect on their needs, and to be open to what Jesus wants us to do. It is so very easy to become caught up in the world, to be what we call “stressed out”, which can mean to become pushy, distracted, loud, perhaps even unkind.

“Arise, shine; for your light has come,” declares Isaiah; it is an invitation to wake from sleep, to gather in the holy places, to pay homage to the one true Christmas Gift: God’s desire to know and be known by us. It is an invitation to sine brightly with the Love of God.

We have celebrated Christmas. Like the wise men “We observed His star at its rising,” . Now we need to be the little lights, the ones that are patient and quiet, that speak little, but look and listen much, for these are the lights that shine the brightest. Great deeds and great words are not required, only great love.

It sounds simple, but simple is rarely easy when we strive to be children of God. However, we need to remember that God has commanded us to Love one another as He loves us – and God cannot command the impossible. So, we ask in prayer for Jesus’ help, (paraphrasing a prayer by Saint John Neumann):

Dear Jesus, help us to spread Your Love everywhere we go. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit so that our lives may be a radiance of Yours. Shine through us and be so in us, that every soul we come in contact with may feel Your Presence in our souls: let them look up and see no longer us -- but only You dear Lord. We ask for Your love and mercy’s sake. Amen.