This is a busy time of the year. In fact, for many, these last few weeks may be the busiest of the year, with social gatherings, commitments, parties, celebrations…all that jazz. And it’s no different in the church. We have more services than normal, and we also have parties and celebrations. Yesterday, for example, was the day we call “Epiphany”, when the Wise Men came to see the Baby Jesus, and today is the day we celebrate The Baptism of the Lord. Which means lots to talk about.
Baptism is a huge part of our tradition. We actually have a baptism coming up in a few weeks’ time, so stay tuned for that. Baptism is an outward sign of our relationship with God, and it’s the beginning of our life and ministry in the Christian church. We even say in baptism it’s “one ministry of Jesus Christ in which all Christians participate by virtue of their baptism,” and that “[t]his ministry of the baptised is the fundamental ministry of the Church.” And that ministry can take many forms, depending on the person.
Jesus’ baptism is the time when the Holy Spirit came down upon him, just as it does for us in our baptism, and is when Christ truly began to be seen as God’s own Son, and when His time of public ministry began. It can be confusing that we talk about Jesus’ baptism so soon after we speak about His birth, because it makes it sound like he would have been young when he was baptized. But that wasn’t generally the way things were done, and Jesus would have been an adult, not a baby, when he was baptized.So the Holy Spirit coming upon Jesus was part of His adult life, and in a sense kick-started the stories we are most familiar with, and His ministry to come.

Today we think about baptism, and Christ’s baptism. Through baptism we come to Christ, and acknowledge our relationship with God.As of yesterday, we entered into the season of Epiphany, a season that will last us all the way up to Lent. Epiphany reminds us that Jesus himself was an epiphany -- the epiphany of God, for us.

Many legends and folklore have been built up around Epiphany. I came across a funny, modern version of how Three Wise Women would have made a difference recently. “Three wise women would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, brought practical gifts, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and there would be peace on earth!” Now that may be a bit funny and far-fetched, but we’ve built up some of our own ideas about Epiphany that weren’t necessarily based in biblical teachings. One of Christian scholars’ favourite pastimes seems to be debating things that many people believe, especially things we don’t have definite answers for.

We think of the Three Wise Men coming to Christ, which often gets lumped in with the Christmas story, and we’ve even gone as far as to include them in the nativities we put up at Christmas time. But a lot of these things are creations of our imagination. Some researchers have done the math and actually believe that the Wise Men would have arrived a little before Jesus turned two, not just after His birth. In fact, the word used for the Christ child at this point is in fact “child” rather than a word used to describe an infant or a baby. So he could have been walking, and maybe even talking a little bit, by the time they get there.

We’re not told that they were kings, but instead that they were Magi, which was translated as Wise Men, probably even astrologers, because they used stars to guide their way. The hymn "We Three Kings of Orient Are," may be somewhat responsible for us thinking of them as kings, but it takes a lot of its inspiration by connecting their story to a passage in Isaiah that says "[n]ations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn", and the same passage also makes a reference to gold and frankincense, which are two of the three gifts brought by the Wise Men.

We’reactually also not told exactly how many Wise Men were there, although we’ve come to imagine it as three, probably because they give three gifts. But the gifts they brought were expensive ones, so, who knows, maybe there were more of them, and they went splitsies on the gifts? We don’t really know either way.

In any case, no matter how many were travelling, or what their profession was, and no matter how late to the party they may have been, the Wise Menrepresent the world coming to Christ. That’s a pretty powerful image.And that’s what we need to remember. Not only did they come to honour the Christ Child, but they brought Him gifts too. Which is what we try to do, in our daily lives, bring our gifts, no matter what they may be, as an offering to God. To use our God-given gifts to turn around and honour the one who gave them to us in the first place.

They came to honour the King of Kings, who was still a small, helpless child, but who would soon perform miracles, heal people, and ultimately sacrifice His life for all of humankind. But they came before all of that pomp and circumstance. When He was still young, before He was famous or well-known, before He was loved or hated, before His baptism and the Holy Spirit came upon Him. They came to Jesus in the early stages of His story. And, realistically, they were also part of the reason that He even survived beyond His early years to live His life. Because that’s a part of the story we can easily skim over, but the reason Herod talked to the Wise Men was to find out more information about this child. That’s not why the Wise Men went (they went because they wanted to and felt moved to), but Herod wanted to get information from them about the Christ child because he was afraid of the power and influence Christ might have. Herod likely didn’t know Jesus’ name, or who his parents were, or where he was born, but he knew that Jesus was going to be dangerous to either himself or future rulers, and he was afraid. So he agrees that the Wise Men should go find him, and basically tells them “Go find him. And let me know when you do, because I want to “honour” Him too.” Aka “get rid of Him”. I can just picture Herod crossing his fingers behind his back, or biting his tongue, as he says this.

Luckily the Wise Men are told in a dream that Herod actually wants to kill the Christ child, so they decide to take a different route back to their homeland, and not return to tell Herod anything. Which, of course, he’s not a big fan of. And he got pretty mad, went on a nasty killing spree of all the kids two and under, and tried to get rid of what he saw as a threat to power. A horrible, terrible, messy part of the story we don’t often talk about, or try to gloss over. The loss of so many innocents, because of one man’s ego and self-preservation. Incredibly dark. And then, not long after, Herodhimself died.

From His birth, Jesus is seen as dangerous, because he is countercultural. He goes against the norms of His society, speaks truth to power, and acts in ways people wouldn’t expect. He is dangerous and unpredictable. Which is why, throughout His life, those in power try to get rid of him. But no one, yet, managed to squash His Spirit or His love.

Thankfully the Holy Family had escaped to Egypt during this time, thanks to a dream Joseph had, so Jesus survived this massacre. The Light continues to shine in the dark.After Herod’s death, the Holy Familymoved to Nazareth, and we have a pretty big gap in Jesus’ life, with few details or stories, until His baptism and public ministry many years later.
I love the story of the Wise Men, and I love Epiphany. No matter what we come to believe about what happened, or when it happened, this is a story of love and devotion to God, of following the path to Christ, of giving our gifts to God, and speaking to power, through one’s actions. The Wise Men risked a lot by not returning to tell Herod what they had learned and discovered. It may not have been the best outcome or result, but they did it with the best of intention, to protect the Christ child and His family. And it’s a story of worshipping God, with all that we have, in all ways that we can. May the Light of the Christ child, the light that the Wise Men saw, continue to guide you in your life.

Prayers of the People

As the prophet Isaiah rang out, “Arise, shine; for your light has come”. Empower your Church, O God, to ring out the Good News of the Light of your son Jesus, which pierces even the deepest darkness. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

As a star rose high into the nighttime sky to draw the nations to the Christ-child; send your blessing, O God, on this nation, and every nation, and draw the whole world to your peace and truth. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

As John the Baptist guided throngs of people to the edge of the wilderness and baptized Jesus in the River Jordan, we pray that you would guide our country and our leaders to the ways of justice and righteousness. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
As Jesus climbed the mountaintop, and proclaimed blessings on the people of the world; we pray for the sick and the distressed, the poor and the lame. We especially pray for those we name now, either silently or aloud…… Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, Light of the World, hear our prayers, and make us reflections of your Light, that the places of darkness in our world would be pierced by your Light, and that all nations would be drawn to you and be overwhelmed with joy. Amen.

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Prayers of the People:

On behalf of St. John’s, Westphal, I ask for the prayers of your churches as you come together at yourSundayservice(s) onJan. 7.

After the service at10:00 am, the congregation will come together to discuss the future of St. John’s. We ask for God’s guidance and direction and welcome the support of the Dartmouth region as you hold us in prayer during this time.

Benediction:

Lord Jesus, may your light shine our way, as once it guided the steps of the magi: that we too may be led into your presence and worship you, the Child of Mary,the Word of the Father, the King of nations, the Saviour of mankind; to whom be glory for ever. AMEN (