Homily for
The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Vigil Mass on the Eve of the Feast Day
Thursday 5 January 2017
Thursday 5 January 2017
The Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
A Parish of the Diocese of Bethlehem and The Episcopal Church
Readings:
Dear brothers and sisters, the glory of the Lord has shone upon us, and shall ever be manifest among us, until the day of his return.
Through
the rhythms of times and seasons let us celebrate the mysteries of salvation.
Let
us recall the year’s culmination, the Easter Triduum of the Lord: his Last
Supper, his Crucifixion and Death, his Burial, and his Rising, celebrated
between the evening of the 13th day of April and the evening of the 15th day of
April, Easter Sunday being on the 16th day of April.
Each
Easter—as on each Sunday—the Holy Church makes present the great and saving
deed by which Christ has forever conquered sin and death. From Easter are
reckoned all the days we keep holy.
Ash
Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, will occur on the 1st day of March. The
Ascension of the Lord will be commemorated on the 25th day of May.
Pentecost,
the joyful conclusion of the season of Easter, will be celebrated on the 4th
day of June.
And
this year the First Sunday of Advent will be on the 3rd day of December.
Likewise
the pilgrim Church proclaims the Passover of Christ in the feasts of the holy
Mother of God, in the feasts of the Apostles and Saints, and in the
commemoration of the faithful departed.
To
Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come, Lord of time and history, be
endless praise, for ever and ever. Amen
›šœ ›šœ ›šœ
There
are a number of different focal points we can have as we celebrate the Feast of
the Epiphany. On a good many occasions we look at the Wise Men and their
journey. And if we were to do so tonight, we would hardly be alone.
Throughout the history of the Church Christians have focused on these men,
wondering who they were and from where did they come. The Scriptures tell
us precious little. Based on the martyrdom of the Holy Innocents after
the Wise Men return from whence they came, we can determine that Jesus was
about 2 years old when at last they found him. So obviously we know they
had a long journey. That doesn't narrow things down too much as to a
place.
Interesting
also is that tradition speaks of three Wise Men. The Scriptures say
nothing of the number. The names which tradition has tagged on them have
no root in the Bible. The only thing named and numbered in the Gospel
account was the gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
As a
result of this it is common for one preaching at this feast to focus on the
gifts. I know I certainly have done that in the past. There are all
sorts of explanations on the significance of each of these three gifts for this
Holy Child. But tonight I don't want to look at any explanation of the
significance of these gifts.
So
what is it that I want to focus on tonight? It is simply that the Wise
Men, however many there were, brought gifts to Jesus. They were so moved
that they sought to give freely of what they had.
Only I
cannot help but wonder and even to speculate as to whom gifts were given on
this occasion and by whom they were given. I say that because in my own
lifetime I have been involved in relationships and exchanges in which the
tables were radically turned in ways I could never have imagined possible.
Let me
give you an example. In October 2013 (it hardly seems possible it was
that long ago) we as a diocese celebrated the ministry of Bishop Jack at
Diocesan Convention, marking his retirement and conclusion of his time as the
Assisting Bishop of our diocese. Many of you know how dearly I love
Bishop Jack. And those of you who have had the occasion to meet him
understand why I feel this way about this man. Following the banquet, I
got in line, quite a long line, to have a brief personal moment with Bishop
Jack. It was important for me to do so because I felt strongly a desire
to say thank you to him for his collegiality, his warmth and compassion, and
for his faithfulness to the Church. I well remember finally getting to
the head of the line. He extended his arms to me, and we embraced in a
hug. As I hugged him, I said to Bishop Jack, "Thank you, Bishop! You
have been such a blessing to me!" He pulled his head back in order
that he could look into my eyes. And with that typical Bishop Jack smile
he said to me, "No, Father, you have been a blessing to me."
I
don't think I will ever forget that moment. I was blown away by this
exchange. My intent was to give Bishop Jack a gift, the gift of my
thankfulness and appreciation, wrapped in brotherly love. But he in that
moment became not the recipient of a gift, but the giver of a gift. And I
who longed to be the giver was amazed at the gift given that I had not
anticipated. Even now I am still amazed at this gift a little more than
three years later.
I
wonder if the Wise Men had such an experience. They were expecting to
discover the next King of Israel, the heir to the throne. They were
greeted by Christ, God in human flesh, God among us, among them.
Tonight
my friends I want to impress upon us that in fact the journey of Wise Men (and
Wise Women too) continues on. We are the successors to those who saw the
star and journeyed from a far country to discover the Holy Child. Like
them, we bring ourselves, our talents, our resources, that we might offer gifts
to the one we seek. Only we are so much seeking as we are being sought
out. And the same could be said of the
Wise Men. God was drawing them to behold
the mystery that in the child Jesus God took on human flesh and gave himself as
a gift.
Tonight
my friends, I want to remind us that we are drawn also by this same God who
seeks us out in the person of Jesus Christ, the mirror of the Father, God
clothed in humanity. When we remember this, we will soon be reminded in
the Gospel and in the Sacraments of the New Covenant that Jesus turns
everything upside down. We seek God only to discover that God has been
seeking for us much longer than we for him.
We bring gifts to God, only to be reminded again and again that in our
relationship with God, we ultimately are the recipient of gifts, not the giver.
When we
recall this our gifts seem pretty insignificant in comparison. Perhaps they
seem an awful lot like a couple of small fish and a few pieces of bread. But what did Jesus do with these gifts? He received them and turned them around,
feeding thousands with what could not have been expected to be sustaining for
more than a couple of people at best.
Tonight
we are reminded of what Jesus does with gifts, and how we the giver receive far
more in turn than we could ever desire or imagine. How fitting it is then
that the celebrations of the remainder of the year are set before us this night
as we ponder our gifts and God’s gifts. Tonight we as a community respond
in awe to Christ's mercy, committing ourselves again and again to bring the
best that we have and the best that we are, trusting in Jesus who so turns
everything upside down and makes us feel as if we have only received grace upon
grace, mercy upon mercy, blessing upon blessing. May the gifts we receive so fill us with awe
that in the days and months of this year and beyond we come to know and love
God all the more, and have a deeper desire to share these gifts with those
around us who have not yet discovered the God who seeks us out and never lets
us go.
Father
Timothy
Alleman
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