Epiphany Musings

Sunday, January 6, 2013
Epiphany of Our Lord

Midweek Musings

Reflection by Judy Lazenby

INTRODUCTION
Epiphany means "manifestation." On this day we celebrate the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles—that is, to all nations. Some Christian traditions celebrate three great epiphanies on this day: the magi's adoration of the Christ child, Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River, and his first miracle in which he changes water into wine. The word and sacraments are for us the great epiphany of God's grace and mercy. We go forth to witness to the light that shines brightly in our midst.

Prayer of the Day (ELW)

O God, on this day you revealed your Son to the nations
by the leading of a star.
Lead us now by faith to know your presence in our lives,
and bring us at last to the full vision of your glory,
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.

First Reading

Isaiah 60:1–6

Jerusalem is assured that nations will make a pilgrimage to her, because the light of God's presence is in her midst. The bountiful food of the sea and the profits of international trade will come streaming to Jerusalem and thereby declare God's praise.

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
²For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
³Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
⁴Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.
⁵Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
⁶A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.

Psalm (ELW)

Psalm 72:1–7, 10–14

All kings shall bow down before him. (Ps. 72:11)

¹Give the king your jus- ^| tice, O God,

and your righteousness to ^| the king's son;

²that he may rule your ^| people righteously

and the ^| poor with justice;

³that the mountains may bring prosperity ^| to the people,

and the ^| hills, in righteousness.

⁴Let him defend the needy a- ^| mong the people,

rescue the poor, and crush ^| the oppressor. R

⁵May he live as long as the sun and ^| moon endure,

from one generation ^| to another.

⁶Let him come down like rain upon ^| the mown field,

like showers that wa- ^| ter the earth.

⁷In his time may the ^| righteous flourish;

and let there be an abundance of peace

till the moon shall ^| be no more.

¹⁰May the kings of Tarshish and of the ^| isles pay tribute,

and the kings of Sheba and Seba ^| offer gifts. R

¹¹May all kings bow ^| down before him,

and all the nations ^| do him service.

¹²For the king delivers the poor who cry out ^| in distress,

the oppressed, and those who ^| have no helper.

¹³He has compassion on the low- ^| ly and poor,

and preserves the lives ^| of the needy.

¹⁴From oppression and violence he re- ^| deems their lives,

and precious is their blood ^| in his sight. R

Second Reading

Ephesians 3:1–12

What had been hidden from previous generations is now made known through the gospel ministry of Paul and others. In Christ both Jews and Gentiles participate in the richness of God's promised salvation.

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — ²for surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you, ³and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, ⁴a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. ⁵In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: ⁶that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
⁷Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power. ⁸Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, ⁹and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; ¹⁰so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

Gospel

Matthew 2:1–12

God's promise shines bright in the night as magi follow a star to honor a new king. Strangers from a faraway land, they welcome the long-awaited messiah of Israel.

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." ³When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
⁶'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
⁷Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." ⁹When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Reflection

     Matthew is the only Gospel to tell the story of the three wise men.  This short story is not much to go on.  Where exactly did they come from?  What were their names?  How long did they journey?  Was Jesus 2 or 3 or 4 when they got there?  None of these facts are in the Gospel lesson, yet many legends have grown out of the story.  In fact very often the Wise Men are part of the Nativity scene.

     Most importantly, they followed the star in searching for Jesus.  They were overjoyed at finding him and worshiped him with gifts; gold for a King, frankincense for a priest and myrrh for anointing the dead. These gifts speak to the three major aspects of Jesus’ life.  More than likely the Wise men arrived before Jesus was 2 as Herod later ordered all male babies 2 and under killed and more than likely, Mary and Joseph were able to flee to Egypt with Jesus because of the gifs of the Magi.

     After the wise men meet Jesus they were changed in that they did not report back to Herod, but went another way.  Isn’t this true for all of us?  If we find Jesus, we too are changed. 
--

Quote

“The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn't for any religious reasons. They couldn't find three wise men…”  Jay Leno

Prayers

We pray for:

…increased “acts of kindness” in our communities throughout the new year.

…those who have found Jesus and are changed.

…those who have not found Jesus that they continue their search.

…a helping hand for those who are helpless.

Advent 2 Musings

Sunday, December 9, 2012
Second Sunday of Advent
Midweek Musings

Reflection by Karen Grover

INTRODUCTION
Forerunners and messengers advance the advent of our God. While John the Baptizer's voice in the wilderness may be the principal focus of the day, Malachi's prophesy could as easily herald the coming Lord Jesus as forerunner of the Lord of hosts. Finally all the baptized are called to participate in the sharing of the gospel. In so doing we prepare the way for the coming of the Lord and assist all flesh in capturing a vision of the "salvation of God.".

Prayer of the Day (ELW)

Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son.
By his coming give to all the people of the world knowledge of your salvation;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.

First Reading

Malachi 3:1–4

The Lord announces a covenant with Israel. A messenger like Malachi (his name means "my messenger") shall prepare the way for the coming of the Lord by purifying and refining God's people, as silver and gold are refined.

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the LORD whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight — indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. ²But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; ³he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness. ⁴Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

Psalm (ELW)

Luke 1:68–79

In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us. (Luke 1:78)

⁶⁸Blessed are you, Lord, the ^| God of Israel,

     you have come to your people and ^| set them free.

⁶⁹You have raised up for us a ^| mighty Savior,

     born of the house of your ^| servant David.   R

⁷⁰Through your holy prophets,

you promised of old to save us ^| from our enemies,

     ⁷¹from the hands of ^| all who hate us,

⁷²to show mercy ^| to our forebears,

     and to remember your ^| holy covenant.

⁷³This was the oath you swore to our ^| father Abraham:

     ⁷⁴to set us free from the hands of our ^| enemies,

free to worship you ^| without fear,

     ⁷⁵holy and righteous before you, all the days ^| of our life.   R

⁷⁶And you, child, shall be called the prophet of ^| the Most High,

     for you will go before the Lord to pre- ^| pare the way,

⁷⁷to give God's people knowledge ^| of salvation

     by the forgiveness ^| of their sins.

⁷⁸In the tender compassion ^| of our God

     the dawn from on high shall ^| break upon us,

⁷⁹to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shad- ^| ow of death,

     and to guide our feet into the ^| way of peace.   R

Second Reading

Philippians 1:3–11

The apostle Paul was the pastor of many new churches. He writes in this letter about his joy to be in partnership with the Christians of Philippi. Listen to how tender-hearted Paul, sometimes a stern preacher, is with his friends as he encourages them to grow in love and knowledge.

³I thank my God every time I remember you, ⁴constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, ⁵because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. ⁷It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. ⁸For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. ⁹And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight ¹⁰to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, ¹¹having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Gospel

Luke 3:1–6

John the Baptist is a herald of the saving Lord, whose way is prepared by "repentance for the forgiveness of sins." As we hear the careful record of human leaders, we sense the spectrum of political and religious authority that will be challenged by this coming Lord.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, ²during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
⁵Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
⁶and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

                                                                             

Musings:

     In Luke, John the Baptist tells us of the misery and oppression that existed in the times before Christ's birth.  There was death, destruction, oppression and unbelievable brutality.  Sound familiar?  Today there is horrendous brutality and mass killing in the Middle East; there is increasing poverty, as well as oppression, all over the world and in our own backyards.  In these times of strife, the "crooked made straight", the "mountain and hill made low", and "the rough ways made smooth" seem to be so out of reach, just as they did in John the Baptizer's time.  He travelled the Roman Empire on foot (no small accomplishment) spreading the message of repentance and forgiveness, warning the people to shape up, as God's coming, would bring His judgements, as well as His mercy.      

     He had a message of hope, something that drew the people to him.  They were ready to receive John's message to reform their ways--to receive God's salvation.  John the Baptizer paved the way for Christ's coming.

     As much as our world and local communities are in the same troubling times that existed in the Roman Empire, we have so much to hope for--filled valleys, low mountains, straight paths..........  We are blessed.  Yes, we experience troubling times, but John says that we "shall see the salvation of God."  That swaddled baby in the manger is our salvation.  We just need to patiently wait for Him and hold Him in our hearts during these difficult times.

Let us Pray for:

·         an end to the bombing of the people in Egypt                                                                                                                          

·         peace on our streets

·         shelter and food for our homeless

·         quiet waiting for our Savior