Rev. Roland J. Wells, Jr. - Pastor

The Epiphany of our Lord - January 6, 2002

Lessons: Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12

"Light!"

I) Introduction: (Read Isaiah 60:1-5a, below)

Today is a Sunday we call 'The Epiphany of Our Lord." For hundreds of years, Christians around the world have used this day to begin to talk about the ministry of Jesus, the Light of the World breaking forth in darkness.

Light is something we take for granted these days. 100 years ago, a lantern was a great light. Then they invented mantle gas lights. Then along came electricity.

Light has an amazing effect around this neighborhood- this is 400,000 candle power spotlight. I've had some fun spotlighting drug dealers at night- until I thought a bit about what a good target it would make...

So, this morning, let's think a little about the meaning of LIGHT.

The Bible talks about Light as a symbol of God, of God's Word, and of Jesus, God's Word come as a human.

1 John 1:5 goes so far as to say:

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

God is light. Jesus said he is the light of the world. And Jesus said you are now the light of the world. So, if we speak of this season as being 'Epiphany,' the beginning of the light shining in the world, it's quite a picture.

Let's take a look at some of the things light can do, and let's see if they illuminate our understanding of God.

II) LIGHT-

A) Gives life. All life on the planet comes from the ability of plants to turn light into food by photosynthesis. We eat the plants, or we eat animals that eat the plants. All life comes from light. Turn off the light, like from the dust of an asteroid hitting the planet, and virtually all life on the planet ends. All life comes from light.

And all life comes from the light of God. Oddly enough, most of the people in the world, of all religions, and even those who claim no faith, by far the majority of all people on this planet believe in some sort of a Creator. It's hard to get away from that belief, which is so foundational to all human existence. Light comes from a Source. Life comes from Light.

Many scientists believe that the creation began with a great burst of light. We know that; 'And God said 'Let there be light.' It all fits.

B) Heals. Virtually no germs can live when exposed to light. When no other treatment worked for Howard Johnson's childhood rheumatic fever, the doctor put him out in the summer sun. That finally did the trick. One of our boys had raw skin when he was a tiny baby, and nothing worked, no salves, no antibiotics- so we were told to put him in the sunshine- bottoms up- healed him right up.

But today light heals in so many ways. Today, with lasers, some of you have had eye treatments with lasers, which saved your eyesight. Some of you have had internal surgery where lasers were used to cut or cauterize. That's all light. When you go to the dentist, composite fillings are hardened instantly with laser light. Light burns away tattoos, kills skin cancers, and may even clean out clogged up hearts soon.

The light of God heals people so many ways, too. When we are bathed in the light of God's Word, it cleanses and heals us. It destroys the things that destroy us. It opens our eyes, cuts out the cancer of our soul and the intense power of God's Law destroys the things that need to be destroyed in order to save us. And the light can even harden us where we need to be hardened, so we can make it through the tough times.

C) Lasers are just light, but they're light, all on the same wavelength and all the same frequency- it's light in agreement and in perfect harmony. As well as the healing I mentioned before, lasers can cut steel, go to the moon and back, carry thousands of conversations and keep a missile on track across an ocean.

We could do a whole sermon the spiritual parallels of lasers- but can you see some of them already? When the Body of Christ is shining forth as the Light of the World, what tremendous power comes when we're all on the same wavelength and in perfect harmony! That kind of power, God's power working in our midst, can cut through anything, --darkness, impossibilities- just like a laser can cut through steel. And a laser can weld it again, just as God's action can weld broken hearts and relationships. A laser keeps on track, even so far as to bounce of a mirror on the moon and come back to earth again! Talk about staying power for the long run! That same power can keep us on the track of God's will, doing the ministry he's called us to do, just like a missile's guidance system. And where the light of God is, people can communicate as never before.

We just said that a laser can go in a straight line to the moon and back. But even if I shine a flashlight through that window, some of it will go all the way across the Universe. Some little photons will be scattered by the window, some by the air, but some of those quintillions of photons will keep going for millions of years. There might be so few as to be undetectable, but they just keep on going, and going and going.

And so it is with the light that comes from your life. Think of the light that came to you from other Christians. At Steve and Robyn Ose's wedding yesterday, Pastor Roger Ose talked about how his grandfather dreamed of going to China as a missionary 100 years ago, but it wasn't possible. Then his mother dreamed of going to China, but due to the financial situation 60-70 years ago, instead married and raised nine children. Roger and his wife had planned to go to China 30 years ago, but the political situation wouldn't allow it then, and so they went to Madagascar instead. But now, over 100 years later, Steve and Robyn are going. The dreams and the hopes of four generations- it took the light a while to get there, but it kept going.

D) Can be Bent-

That same light that goes so straight has another amazing property. It's flexible. A lens can bend it! Suddenly, when we bend it, it lets me read with glasses, lets microscopes show us germs and lets us see the tiny details of planets millions of miles away. The light of God's Word makes the impossibly complex come down to the point of focus- the God who created the Universe came to us as a tiny baby. And the smallest point is magnified- even little, the hairs on the heads of unimportant little you and I are each known by God.

E) Sunlight is very close to what we call pure white light. But if we run it through a prism, all of a sudden we get a real surprise. There is no such thing as white light. What we see as white light is a mixture of all the wavelengths, all the colors of the sun. What we see as natural light is made up of every imaginable color of the spectrum. For light to look whole, it takes literally all the colors of the rainbow before it looks right. And so it is for the Kingdom of God, for the Children of Light.

For things to look right in the kingdom, it's a kingdom of many colors. Of many backgrounds. For light to be natural, it must be made up of many colors, of people of all races, times and places. That's what the kingdom of God will be like.

Now, you figure out more parallels between light and God's action:

F) And Light

Brings warmth

And the warmth of light can prepare food to feed hungry people- Gordon Magny's solar ovens

And light can leave an image for all to see- even printed on you

Light can bleach things clean- where do you need to be cleansed by the light?

It moves the fastest of anything we understand - God's Word is unfettered- only needs to be released.

Light creates safety; shows us what's really there. It stops crime and controls evil.

Darkness is the absence of light- one tiny light, and darkness flees- you are the light of the world!

III) What will you do with this? You can ponder all this 'til the cows come home- but it's only a little exercise in simile and metaphor -- until you apply it to your life. That's always true with the Word of God. How will you respond? As we go to our time of prayer this morning- let the light shine deeply inside; and let the light shine through you, as well. "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. [2] See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. [3] Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. [4] "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. [5] Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; Amen

January 6, 2002-Epiphany of Our Lord

Isaiah 60:1-6

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

[2] See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,

but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

[3] Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

[4] "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you;

your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm.

[5] Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy;

the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.

[6] Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah.

And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense

and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.

Ephes. 3:1-12

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--

[2] Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, [3] that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. [4] In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, [5] which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. [6] This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

[7] I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. [8] Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, [9] and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. [10] His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, [11] according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. [12] In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Matthew 2:1-12

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem [2] and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

[3] When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. [4] When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. [5] "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

[6] " 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

[7] Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. [8] He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

[9] After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. [10] When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. [11] On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. [12] And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.