Sermon for Sunday 3rd January 2010

Epiphany

'As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed to do more than entertain it as an agreeable, possibility. Once again we have sent Him away, begging though to remain His disobedient servant, the promising child who cannot keep His word for long …'

That is part of a poem by W. H. Auden, called 'For the time being' - and it probably sums up the feelings of many people as, if we have not already done so, we go about the business of restoring our own homes and churches, to their usual decoration.

Twelfth night looms and Auden’s words in that poem I began with, must be adhered to, at least in part. But before we can put Christmas aside for another year, there are another set of visitors who have now arrived to pay homage to the 'New Born King.'

Traditionally held to be three, there appears to be no written evidence to support that. Whether they were Wise Men or Kings, we do not really know. Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, were they really the names?

When and how those names emerged is not known with certainty, although the consensus among modern scholars is that they originated in the East, probably Egypt. Not only do the number, status and origin of the Magi vary between text and image, so also do the spellings of the three traditional names of those visitors. And it is only in Matthew’s Gospel that, we have the recorded visit, set out for us.

The three gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh perhaps, muddying the waters for us.

If we were to look for a sign in the Old Testament we could look at Isaiah 60 - where in verse 6 we read –

'A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They will bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.'

Or we can look to Psalm 72, where in verses 10 and 11 we read –

'The Kings of Tharsis and of the isles shall give presents; the Kings of Arabia and Saba shall bring gifts. All Kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall do him service.'

And in 1158, Robert of Torigny records the miraculous discovery of the bodies of the three kings in an ancient chapel in Milan. While the discovery may have ended speculation about the number of Kings, it established a cult that was a new chapter in the account that effectively began with Matthew’s Gospel.

In 1164 – six years later, after the razing of Milan by Frederick Barbarossa, the bodies of the three Kings were enshrined within a golden reliquary in the cathedral of Cologne.

Today with our acting out of the Christmas story, these three personages complete the tableaux of the nativity – Gentiles from foreign lands being among the first to see the new-born, Prince of Peace.

And what of those gifts – how inappropriate for a baby, but how full of significance in mirroring the child’s future as set forth in that other ‘visitors’ carol – 'We Three Kings'.

First - 'Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain, Gold I bring to crown Him again. King for ever, – over us all to reign.'

If only Herod had known what sort of King had been born in Bethlehem, the lives of the Holy Innocents, could have been spared - the anguish of parents set aside. But those first child martyrs of the ‘new kingdom’, whose blood was shed, reminding us of others, whose lives have been sacrificed because of the unwillingness of those, who have by faith committed their lives to Jesus. Those who have not been prepared to deny their faith in Jesus Christ when challenged by others, even though their lives were forfeit as a result.

The Kingdom which we are called upon to build is to be one where all may live at peace with one another, and where respect for one another, be it their faith or tradition, is allowed to co-exist with our own.

Secondly - 'Frankincense to offer have I, incense owns a deity nigh.'

But this new-born child is not only to be a King – he is also born ‘God incarnate.’

He is to be our great high priest, through whom and because of whom we have access to God our Heavenly Father. Today, many in the various denominations, within the Christian tradition, invoke the saints in their prayers. Those worthies who have fought the fight and been singled out as having a special place in our faith tradition. None of us can feel worthy to approach the throne of God, and for some, the intermediary of one of the Saints, can help in their observances to gain that access. If you were to obtain an audience with the Queen, you would have to be introduced into her presence, you can’t just knock on Buckingham Palace and expect to be taken to her.

We can however, through our great High Priest, Jesus, approach the Father. We need no other, and Jesus himself affirms that for us, not only in the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ but on other occasions when he taught the disciples and people.

Thirdly - 'Myrhh is mine; its bitter perfume, breathes a life of gathering gloom;'

That third and final gift, foreshadowed that this life, the life of Jesus, as with all of us, will end in death. But for the man born to be King – it would be an unjust, cruel and painful death.

For the Virgin Mary – there does come the forewarning from Simeon, when Mary and Joseph take the child for the rite of purification when she is told by Simeon that -

'A sword shall pierce your own soul too.'

For this man Jesus, will not only be our King and High Priest – but he will also be our Saviour – the world’s Saviour, for he will restore the people in their relationship with God. No more will the people be estranged, they will be brought home and be enabled to enjoy their status as children of God, heirs of the new, Kingdom.

And so three questions for ourselves to think about this morning –

What gifts do we offer to this child as we come to worship him?
Of what significance has this annual celebration of his birth had upon us this year?
What new-year resolution in relation to our faith, might we offer to this child in the manger?

Only you of course can respond to those questions.