Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12; St Matthew 2:1-12
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
The first question in Holy Scripture by God Himself could be paraphrased this way, “Where’s the king?” The king was Adam. God created him to rule, to have dominion, to be king. But where was he? He was seeking the darkness. He was hiding behind the bushes. He was throwing his bride under the bus.
The king was scared. He had sinned against his Creator who had only ever been good to him. What a pathetic little king. Made to be king, he turned from his Creator to become a slave. A slave to the devil. A slave to the dust. A slave to death. The king now dwelt in a darkness of his own making.
But God his Creator had mercy on this poor, miserable sinner. The failed king. And He shined light into that darkness. He came to him. Drew him out of the darkness by the Light of His Word. He gave him the promise of a triumphant King to come who would atone for all of the royal failures of Adam and Adam’s children.
And instead of punishing him, God gave him a gift. A gift greater than gold, frankincense or myrrh. He gave him faith. Faith in the promise of the King to come. So even though Adam was driven out into a dark, miserable world, he was driven out with the Light of a promise that he would one day reign with God in the world to come. He was driven away from the Tree of Life, but still boldness and access with confidence through faith in the Promised Seed.
Matthew’s Gospel is the first book of the New Testament. It is sometimes considered the Torah, or even the “Genesis” of the New Testament. In Greek it actually begins, Biblos geneseos Iesou Xpistou. Translation - the Bible of the genesis of Jesus Christ. And the first question in this first book is the same question. The wise men came to Jerusalem and asked, Where’s the King? But this King was not hiding. He was not in the dark. Not like Adam. He was revealing Himself. Epiphany means “revealing.”
This King comes to seek the darkness. He has come to conquer and overcome it. To draw out Adam and Adam’s children. And so this King draws the wise men to Jerusalem by a miraculous star so that there He can shine the even greater Light of His Word upon them. As the Micah prophesied, And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a King who will shepherd My people Israel. The King of kings born in Bethlehem. A King born not only reveal Himself to the Jews as you heard from Luke 2 on Christmas Midnight, but also the reveal Himself to the Gentiles, as you hear tonight - Christmas for the Gentiles. He has come to enlighten every man.
“Where’s the King?” Its a good question to ask ourselves. Where is your Ruler? Where is the King of your life? The Israelites were led in the darkness by a Pillar of Fire to led them to the Promised Land. These wise men were led by a star and by the Word to the promised land of Bethlehem.
But where is the Light that will lead you in this dark world to the promised land? Our lips know the right answer: Jesus is our King and His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. But our hearts are often far from believing this. We have wandered. We have gone astray in disobedience to His will because we want to be king of our lives. Its our entire experience as Adam’s children. And so we struggle. We fight against the inherent notion within us that we are the center of the universe. It’s not hard to see why we’re always measuring things by what pleases us. And so we plan our lives apart from God. We live not to serve, but to be served. We think we’re kings. In truth we are slaves like Adam. What pathetic little kings we are.
But the true King has come. The True Center of the Universe has come to earth to be born in Bethlehem. The mystery of Christ which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by Spirit. He has come to reveal this marvelous mystery to enslaved sinners. He is not like Adam or us. He is the Second Adam come to do what the first Adam failed to do. He has come to do the Father’s will. To draw you out of darkness and away from the devil into His marvelous light.
For He is the King who doesn’t seek the darkness, but who seeks to bring His Light into a dark world, lead you out of darkness, death, and into the promised land of His heaven. He wants to be seen. He wants to reveal Himself. He wants to be known, even to a world that will reject Him and hang Him on a Cross under the cover of darkness. Because that’s exactly where this King wants to go! To bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, as St Paul writes to the Ephesians.
So “where is the King?” Right there in Bethlehem, as promised. Not hiding in the bushes throwing His woman under the bus. But in the house with His Mother, receiving the wise men’s gold, like a King should.
But at the same time He is giving to them something even more precious - faith in the promises of God, which is more precious in His sight than gold, though it perishes. Again, St Paul: Through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. They come seeking the King of the Jews. They leave receiving faith that makes them partakers with the Jews.
And you receive this faith too! For His Gospel has been preached to you. His Baptism has been given to you. He has redeemed you, not with gold or silver, or with frankincense or myrrh, but with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. And by the Light of His Word He makes you wise unto salvation in world of fools.
“Where’s the King?” Well, in case you miss Him at the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, see Him at the end, when men who claim to be wise take God’s King and pierce Him and hang Him on a Cross. They even pound a sign over His head that leaves no doubt who this is: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews (Mt 27:37).
Where’s the King? At this Altar, for you. In this Bethlehem, this House of Bread. He’s risen from the dead. He has trampled down the devil, your sins, and death itself. All that would have enslaved you. He has trampled it under His feet and tonight enthrones Himself again on this Altar. Arise, shine, for your Light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. Lift up your eyes, as Isaiah says.
Lift up your heads and your hearts! This is the King of Glory. Strong and mighty. Your King. Born to reconcile man to God by His death. Risen to bring life and immortality to light. He is your King and has graciously chosen you has His subjects, His children, to live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. He is your King and He rules His Church just as He does again tonight - with His Word of forgiveness, mercy and steadfast love.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
The first question in Holy Scripture by God Himself could be paraphrased this way, “Where’s the king?” The king was Adam. God created him to rule, to have dominion, to be king. But where was he? He was seeking the darkness. He was hiding behind the bushes. He was throwing his bride under the bus.
The king was scared. He had sinned against his Creator who had only ever been good to him. What a pathetic little king. Made to be king, he turned from his Creator to become a slave. A slave to the devil. A slave to the dust. A slave to death. The king now dwelt in a darkness of his own making.
But God his Creator had mercy on this poor, miserable sinner. The failed king. And He shined light into that darkness. He came to him. Drew him out of the darkness by the Light of His Word. He gave him the promise of a triumphant King to come who would atone for all of the royal failures of Adam and Adam’s children.
And instead of punishing him, God gave him a gift. A gift greater than gold, frankincense or myrrh. He gave him faith. Faith in the promise of the King to come. So even though Adam was driven out into a dark, miserable world, he was driven out with the Light of a promise that he would one day reign with God in the world to come. He was driven away from the Tree of Life, but still boldness and access with confidence through faith in the Promised Seed.
Matthew’s Gospel is the first book of the New Testament. It is sometimes considered the Torah, or even the “Genesis” of the New Testament. In Greek it actually begins, Biblos geneseos Iesou Xpistou. Translation - the Bible of the genesis of Jesus Christ. And the first question in this first book is the same question. The wise men came to Jerusalem and asked, Where’s the King? But this King was not hiding. He was not in the dark. Not like Adam. He was revealing Himself. Epiphany means “revealing.”
This King comes to seek the darkness. He has come to conquer and overcome it. To draw out Adam and Adam’s children. And so this King draws the wise men to Jerusalem by a miraculous star so that there He can shine the even greater Light of His Word upon them. As the Micah prophesied, And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a King who will shepherd My people Israel. The King of kings born in Bethlehem. A King born not only reveal Himself to the Jews as you heard from Luke 2 on Christmas Midnight, but also the reveal Himself to the Gentiles, as you hear tonight - Christmas for the Gentiles. He has come to enlighten every man.
“Where’s the King?” Its a good question to ask ourselves. Where is your Ruler? Where is the King of your life? The Israelites were led in the darkness by a Pillar of Fire to led them to the Promised Land. These wise men were led by a star and by the Word to the promised land of Bethlehem.
But where is the Light that will lead you in this dark world to the promised land? Our lips know the right answer: Jesus is our King and His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. But our hearts are often far from believing this. We have wandered. We have gone astray in disobedience to His will because we want to be king of our lives. Its our entire experience as Adam’s children. And so we struggle. We fight against the inherent notion within us that we are the center of the universe. It’s not hard to see why we’re always measuring things by what pleases us. And so we plan our lives apart from God. We live not to serve, but to be served. We think we’re kings. In truth we are slaves like Adam. What pathetic little kings we are.
But the true King has come. The True Center of the Universe has come to earth to be born in Bethlehem. The mystery of Christ which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by Spirit. He has come to reveal this marvelous mystery to enslaved sinners. He is not like Adam or us. He is the Second Adam come to do what the first Adam failed to do. He has come to do the Father’s will. To draw you out of darkness and away from the devil into His marvelous light.
For He is the King who doesn’t seek the darkness, but who seeks to bring His Light into a dark world, lead you out of darkness, death, and into the promised land of His heaven. He wants to be seen. He wants to reveal Himself. He wants to be known, even to a world that will reject Him and hang Him on a Cross under the cover of darkness. Because that’s exactly where this King wants to go! To bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, as St Paul writes to the Ephesians.
So “where is the King?” Right there in Bethlehem, as promised. Not hiding in the bushes throwing His woman under the bus. But in the house with His Mother, receiving the wise men’s gold, like a King should.
But at the same time He is giving to them something even more precious - faith in the promises of God, which is more precious in His sight than gold, though it perishes. Again, St Paul: Through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. They come seeking the King of the Jews. They leave receiving faith that makes them partakers with the Jews.
And you receive this faith too! For His Gospel has been preached to you. His Baptism has been given to you. He has redeemed you, not with gold or silver, or with frankincense or myrrh, but with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. And by the Light of His Word He makes you wise unto salvation in world of fools.
“Where’s the King?” Well, in case you miss Him at the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, see Him at the end, when men who claim to be wise take God’s King and pierce Him and hang Him on a Cross. They even pound a sign over His head that leaves no doubt who this is: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews (Mt 27:37).
Where’s the King? At this Altar, for you. In this Bethlehem, this House of Bread. He’s risen from the dead. He has trampled down the devil, your sins, and death itself. All that would have enslaved you. He has trampled it under His feet and tonight enthrones Himself again on this Altar. Arise, shine, for your Light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. Lift up your eyes, as Isaiah says.
Lift up your heads and your hearts! This is the King of Glory. Strong and mighty. Your King. Born to reconcile man to God by His death. Risen to bring life and immortality to light. He is your King and has graciously chosen you has His subjects, His children, to live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. He is your King and He rules His Church just as He does again tonight - with His Word of forgiveness, mercy and steadfast love.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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