January 4, 2026
Message

I reminded us last week that Christmas was not over . . . and that the twelve days of Christmas was not merely a song, but rather, it is the traditional length of the Church’s celebration of Jesus invading our world bringing the divine gifts of hope . . . peace. . . joy . . . love . . . light . . . and salvation to fallen sinful humanity.  During the Season of Advent, we rightfully focused on the gifts of hope . . . peace . . . joy . . . and love—today, on the eleventh day of Christmas; on the Sunday before Epiphany which brings with it the close of our Christmas celebration; I want us to focus on the gift of light.  The word epiphany means “to reveal” and is similar to an “Aha!” moment where you have a profound, clear realization or understanding about something important.  Often changing how you see the world or yourself forever.  In the Church, Epiphany is celebrated either on January 6th itself or the Sunday before- as we are doing today, and it commemorates the revelation or manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi or the wise men from the East following the star of Bethlehem to worship Jesus—this event is recorded in Matthew 2:1-12.

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We live in a world that often feels covered by thick darkness . . . much like the Prophet Isaiah described in verse two of our text for today.  This darkness covers not just lives or the lives of those who live in our country—this darkness “. . . covers all the nations of the earth, . . .” [Isaiah 60:2, NLT]  We can experience this darkness physically though severe illness,  tragic injury, even through worldwide pandemics. We can experience this darkness economically though the loss of a job, a stock market downturn, even through out-of-control inflation.  We can experience this darkness relationally through divorce, estrangement of children, or siblings, even through the loss of a deep friendship.  We can experience this darkness politically through injustice, discrimination, even through biases.  We can experience this darkness spiritually through a failure to worship Christ regularly, read God’s Word daily, even through an under-exercised prayer life.  We can experience the darkness to which the prophet referred in a variety of ways, yet, Epiphany is the season of manifestation—the moment God’s light breaks through the clouds and we go “Aha!”  Today, we follow the journey of the Magi—those wise men from the East—who teach us how to seek, to find, and to respond to the presence of God in our 2026 reality.

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In our text for today, the Prophet Isaiah commanded Jerusalem directly and indirectly all who follow Christ to “‘Arise, . . . Let your light shine for all to see.  For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.’” [Isaiah 60:1, NLT]  This is not merely poetic hyperbole—it is an invitation for us to stand up in the midst of a dark world because God’s glory has arrived in our lives.  I really like the way The Message renders the first two verses of our text for today—“‘Get out of bed, . . . Wake up.  Put your face in the sunlight.  God’s bright glory has risen for you.  The whole earth is wrapped in darkness, all people sunk in deep darkness, but God rises on you, his sunrise glory breaks over you.’” [Isaiah 60:1-2, MSG] I know that some in our congregation are avid campers but my idea of camping is staying at cut-rate motel.    Nonetheless, I think of the dawn after a long night of camping in the woods.  I have heard all my life that the darkness part of the night is just before daybreak. When the sun finally peaks over the horizon . . . the fear of the shadows disappears.  Epiphany is the “sunrise” of God’s kingdom for all nations—for all people—the Messiah has come!

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In the Gospel of Luke, when Joseph and Mary carried the infant Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to be dedicated to the Lord, they encountered an old man named Simeon who proclaimed to the Lord upon laying eyes on the Baby—“‘I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people.  He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!’” [Luke 2:30-32, NLT]  Referring to Jesus in his gospel, the Apostle John wrote—“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” [John 1:5, NLT]  Then a few verses later he added that as the Light Jesus "came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.  He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.  But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.  They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” [John 1:10-13, NLT]  Later in his gospel, John recorded Jesus saying “. . . ‘I am the Light of the world.  So if you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, for living light will flood your path.’” [John 8:12, TLB]  The shining Star that changed everything was not the radiant astronomical sign in the night sky that led the Magi to the young Jesus in Bethlehem—rather, the shining Star that changed everything was the glory and light of God’s presence in Jesus.  This glory and light affirmed that Jesus is indeed Immanuel—God with us.

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In Matthew 5:14 Scripture tells us that as His followers we “are the light of [Christ to] the world...” [AMP]  This is not just some random Bible verse—it is a core teaching from Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount”.  In this sermon, Jesus called His followers to live visibly godly lives that reveal God’s goodness serving as beacons of truth and hope in a dark world thus attracting others to glorify God through their transformed actions.  In simplest terms, your life should shine guiding those in spiritual darkness towards God.  Your faith and acts of righteousness should not be “hidden under a basket”—God wants them to be visible to others as an inspiring example to them.  Every follower of Jesus, not just a select few, are to be like a mirror reflecting the light and glory of Christ into the world around us.  We are not to wait for the world to get better or more accepting of the Gospel before we let our lives shine with the reflection of God’s glory.  Since the world tends to reject Christ—that is the world seems to prefer darkness instead of the Light.  Therefore, most people will likely reject our message about Jesus, but not everyone.  Some will believe and find redemption from their sins.  Regardless of our anticipated outcome, we are to shine for Jesus right now, where we are, because the Light of Christ is already here shining on us.

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​As I said earlier “to reveal” is the meaning of the word “epiphany”.  In his Letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul wrote of a mystery once hidden but now revealed because of the Incarnation of Jesus—that mystery was that the Gentiles—the outsiders—all the nations that the Prophet Isaiah wrote about are fellow heirs with the Jews in God’s plan of redemption for fallen sinful humanity [Ephesians 3:3].  The wise men from the East were the initial manifestation of this astonishing revelation. Imagine a “secret garden” that has been locked for generations.  Suddenly the owner of this magnificent garden throws the gate wide open and everyone on earth—not just the original tenders of the garden—but the owner has invited everyone in to his beautiful garden.  The Gospel is no longer a private club—that is salvation and access to God are for all people not just for the Jewish people, the physical descendants of Abraham—instead, with the coming of Jesus, the Gospel is a global invitation to salvation.  Jumping forward some thirty-three years after His birth and the institution of God’s plan of redemption and forty days or so after His resurrection from the dead and the securing of our salvation, Jesus gave us what we know as the “Great Commission”—“. . . ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.  [He said]  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father          and the Son          and the Holy Spirit.     Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” [Matthew 28:18-20, NLT]  Our mission as we enter the new year that lays before us is to ensure that no one feels like an outsider to God’s grace.  I did not say a word about compromising our doctrinal beliefs—I spoke only about lovingly inviting the lost into the Kingdom of God.

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In the Gospel of Matthew, the Magi followed a star to a house in Bethlehem where they found the infant Jesus along with His parents [Matthew 2:9-12] causing them to fall down in worship of the newborn King.  They then offered gifts that revealed who Jesus is.  Their first gift was gold which revealed Jesus’ royalty—He is the King of kings.  Their second gift was frankincense which revealed that Jesus is the great High Priest.  Their third and final gift was myrrh—an ointment used in Jewish burials which revealed that Jesus came to earth to bring us salvation by dying for our sins.  The Magi, or wise men, were astronomers—people of science and observation.  Everyone in that part of the world could see the star but the Magi were the only ones who acted on what they saw.  Like them, Scripture calls us to look at the world’s “data”—the signs of our times—and find where God is moving even in unexpected places.  True wisdom is not just knowing about God—it is traveling “another way” after you have encountered Him.  The Apostle Matthew told us that the Magi did not return to Herod as Herod had requested—instead, they took a different route home.  As we begin 2026, I urge you not go back to the “Herods” of your lives—that is your old habits, fears, and sins.  Instead, I beg you to shake off the post-holiday slump and shine the Light of Christ—the Star that changed everything in your home, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, in your school, in your church.  As I prepare to close, I have one more challenge for the new year—offer your best to God’s work.  To do that you will have to ask yourself what are your gold, frankincense, and myrrh that you give to Christ.