Sermons for the Month

Oooh…Ahhh…See the Light!
DATE: January 7th, 2007
SERVICE: The Epiphany of our Lord
TEXT: Isaiah 60:1-6

“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN

The last time I was in western Nebraska, where they now have snow piled up to their ears, I went to a rodeo in the Sand Hills. If you haven't seen this part of the country it's difficult to imagine and to describe.

North of where I grew up there is a two lane highway that extends to the South Dakota border. As you travel on that highway, for more than 100 miles, there are only two towns and each of them has less than 200 people. It's mile after mile after mile of rolling hills. There are no trees, few houses and lots of cattle. It's ranching country.

In any case, I tell you all that in order to tell you this. On my way back to my hometown from that rodeo I pulled onto a side road and got out of the car. It was a hot August night and, as is usually the case at that time of year, there was not a cloud in the sky. It was darker than dark - no artificial light in sight - and as I looked into the night sky the stars created their own fireworks display.

It took my breath away to see the heavens displayed with such brightness, and I may have even uttered an oooh or an ahhh, just as people do when the first sky rocket is launched on the 4th of July.

I was reading another pastor's Epiphany sermon this week and he contends that throughout the world people react in the same way to a firework display. As soon as there is a "boom", and a gorgeous explosion overhead, people breathe an oooh and an ahhh of appreciation. He contends that all human beings react positively and appreciatively to light because God is light. In God, there is no darkness at all. Furthermore, the divine spark of God is in all people; God's light is in all people; and therefore all people love and are attracted to light. (1)

And, I would add, all people are bearers of that light. After all, in our baptism service don't we light a candle and proclaim, "Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good work and give glory to your father in heaven."

In today's first lesson from Isaiah this calling is clear, "Arise, shine; for your light has come," the Prophet proclaims, "and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." It's interesting to remember to whom these words are being spoken. This is the third section of the book of Isaiah. The people of Israel have been in exile and, in the book's second section, the Prophet announced a word of hope that promised them a great future as God's people.

But as the words we read today are spoken life for the Israelites is not turning out as planned; they had regained possession of the land as promised. But, they are barely existing. Everything has been gutted by war, all is rubble, we can imagine that everyone is struggling and depressed. They are in no shape to be a light to the nations.

It is into this situation that the Prophet announces a new day for the community of faith. God - the light - is with them so they are to arise, they are to shine, and they are to give light because their light has come. It doesn't matter that the situation is so dismal because they have no light of their own; their light is the reflected light of God's presence.

Now that's an interesting idea isn't it? We have no light of our own, but our light is the reflected light of God's presence. What does that imply? Could it mean that even when our world seems dark it is possible - because of God's spark within us - for us to rise and to shine and bring light to that darkness?

Today we remember how the Magi from the east were guided by light to find the Light. They honored Jesus, the one who John describes with these words, "the light the shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." They received his light in what might be considered the first Christmas gift exchange, and took it with them to new people and places. Can we imagine ourselves as Magi, having come to honor Jesus, and walking away with his light?

Margaret Schwarzer tells a story about herself and her twin sister Mary who, at age four, became the Magi. They had a college-age sister who was home for the holidays and had a date with a young man named David. When he arrived, and was waiting in the living room, the little girls pressed him into service in their nativity play. They cast him in the role of Mary, gave him a blue cocktail dress to wear on his head as a veil and told him to knell in front of the Christmas tree with a naked plastic baby doll. Then, they came trooping in their Dad's shoes and coats to present their gifts - a stone pillbox and an ashtray - to Mary and Jesus.

When their sister entered the room to meet her date there was a thick silence. That's because David was from a conservative Jewish family and had strong feelings about not celebrating Christmas. Yet, he graciously entered these little girls' story, and in that way both received and offered the light of God. The writer concluded that the Light becoming human and dwelling among us is about as preposterous as a Jewish man dressing up as the Virgin Mary. (2)

The Light came to us; he entered into our human drama. He is the true light; like a bright beacon, he guides us and like the warm sun, he empowers us. No matter how dark the darkness gets, the light of Jesus does not fade. This is true even when a loved one dies, or a marriage ends, or health fails, or jobs disappear, or self-esteem is damaged.

No matter how dark the darkness gets, the light of Jesus does not fade. This is true even when war and violence escalate, or people are hungry, or disease spreads or injustice prevails.

No matter how dark the darkness gets, the light of Jesus does not fade. "Rise shine," we are told, "your light has come." Give light because your light has come.

There is a part of me that thinks doing so is difficult. That's the part that relies too much on myself and my abilities and focuses too much on my feelings. If it were up to me, on my own, not much light would seep out.

Then there's the part of me that realizes, as was noted earlier, that I have no light of my own, but only the light that is reflected from the presence of Divine Light within me. So, it's not that I have to become light as much as it's true that I already am light, and when I allow the true Light to guide and empower me, that light shines.

It's like that night sky that I told you about at the beginning of my sermon. When there's no artificial light or clouds, and when I stop to look, the light is breath-taking. It's a reminder to us to let go of all that distorts or blocks the light - fear, anger, doubt, misplaced trust … the list could go on and on. Then, we can pause to see the light that is coming from us; it will be blinding. Arise! Shine! For your light has come! Like the fireworks in the darkness or the stars blazing in the heavens, it will take our breath away. Oooh…Ahhh.

AMEN

(1) Sermons from Seattle by Edward F. Markquart, Series C, "Exploding Light", www.sermonsfromseattle.com.

(2) The Abingdon Women's Preaching Annual, Series 2, Year B, "Epiphany" by Margaret K. Schwarzer, pgs. 47-48, 1999 by Abingdon Press, Nashville.

---