The
Rev’d. Stephen E. Stults
Second Sunday after the Epiphany
St. Paul’s Anglican Church
Second Sunday after the Epiphany
St. Paul’s Anglican Church
January
19, 2014
“Behold, Emmanuel!”
Mark 1:1-3: “The beginning of
the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my
messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 3 The voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”
It is fitting that we should read this
particular Gospel selection for this Second Sunday after the Epiphany. This is, after all, the first full Church season
in the new year and the one that proclaims that the newly-born Messiah is here
among us. Recall that Jesus was manifested forth to mankind twice before: once
in Bethlehem as the Magi worshipped Him, and once again in Jerusalem, as he sat
among the doctors and scribes, hearing them and asking them questions.
Today, we note that St. Mark, in his
inimitable, brisk style, launches right into Jesus’ ministry. He tells us briefly about John the Baptizer
and how he baptized Jesus in the river Jordan. Recall that wonderful scene
where Christ comes up out of the water: (Mark 1:10-11): “And immediately
coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a
dove descending upon Him; 11
and a voice came out of the heavens: "Thou art My beloved Son, in whom I
am well-pleased."
For additional emphasis, recall the same
passage from St. Matthew, which occurred when Christ came to John for baptism:
(Matthew 3:13-15) “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to
be baptized of him. 14 But
John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to
me? 15 And Jesus answering
said unto him, Suffer it to be so now:
for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.”
Matthew then relates the same appearance of the Holy Spirit in bodily form
alighting on Jesus. This is, of course, the first evidence that Christ came not
to destroy the Law, but rather to fulfill it.
It also highlights how utterly false the Jews’ accusations were against
him, as they wanted, desperately, to see him as an enemy to Judaism.
What are we to make of this? Is it “just”
another amazing theophany that we witness through the testimony of the Word
Written? It is “just” another
affirmation of our faith, as we read about God the Father speaking audibly to
us, as he affirms his love for the Son?
Is it a proclamation of the Holy Trinity, as we see, in one scene, all
three Members of the Holy Trinity highlighted in stark relief? First, we have
the Son, being baptized, then we see the Holy Spirit alighting upon him in
bodily form, while God the Father speaks about His Son. We believe that a
clearer example of, and witness to, the Trinity would be difficult to find.
Beloved, we should make note of all
these things. This passage contains all of these important items, yet with one,
all-important, encompassing theme: they all point to the Christ. Note that Mark uses the prophecy of Isaiah to
introduce John the Baptizer, "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,
which shall prepare thy way before thee.
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the
way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”[1] Thus, with single-minded focus, Christ is the
emphasis and center of this passage, just as He is the emphasis and focus of Epiphany.
He is shown forth, and He is manifested to us in this Epiphanytide. With that
fact presented to us, we ask again, what are we to make of this? In short, how
are we to regard Epiphany and, what difference can it make it our lives?
To answer that question, we must turn
and consider the very nature of God Himself and our relationship to Him. Of
course, we all are familiar with the attributes of God, the so-called “three
Big O’s”: Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence. We know that He is
all-knowing, all-powerful and always present. Perhaps we could add another
great “O” to the list by saying that He is Overwhelming Love as well. After all, St John tells us in 1 John 4:16:
“God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” While this is obvious to all of us, perhaps
its ramifications are not as obvious in regards to Epiphany and our attitude
towards it.
When we consider the love of God, my own
mind always flies back to the concept of forgiveness and its attendant virtue,
restoration. True love always forgives a
fault, when it is sought with sincerity and true repentance. It also provides
for restoration, or the putting of one back in the place where one was before
the fault. This is the most genuine and the most absolute love possible. We all
know how difficult it is to have a normal relationship with someone who has
wronged us in the past. Yet, this is exactly what God the Holy Trinity
does, every time we sin, repent, and seek amendment of life. In a blessed
community of forgiveness, The Holy Spirit facilitates our prayers, the Blessed
Son intercedes for us, and the Holy Father hears our pleas.
Through the blessed mercy and
overwhelming love of God, we are forgiven and we are restored.
Can we not see the Epiphany Season in
the same light? That is, what is the
point of Epiphany if not to point to Jesus, which in turn points to our eternal
blessedness in God? In this light, Epiphany becomes something not trivial, as a
mere passage of time, but something more meaningful, even momentous for our
lives.
We say this because Epiphany offers us
something new and something fresh. That something is simply this: a new
beginning in Christ. It is simply too easy, when we are burdened with the
various troubles and vicissitudes of this life, with all the daily bothersome
details of life, as well as its very real trials and tribulations, to remember
what we ultimately are: new creatures in Christ and the Children of God.
Forgive me if this sounds too pat, too
well-worn, and perhaps just said too many times. Yet, with all the integrity of
the Holy Trinity and with all the truth of God behind this statement, let me
proclaim it again unto you. We Christians are blessed to be the Children of God
in every sense of the word. We are not the slaves of God, nor are we merely the
lowly and subservient subjects of a great King.
No, we are something different.
We are children, members of the royal household and thus inheritors of our
Father’s Kingdom. You parents think of
how much you love your own children and then multiply that by infinity, if you
can. That is how much Our Father loves
those who love Him. It is how much He
loves us, his blessed children in Christ.
Putting this in context with Epiphany,
it is God’s Love that we celebrate this Epiphany Season. It is God’s Love that
sent us our Emmanuel, our Intercessor, and our eternal Friend. It is God’s Love, through Christ, that makes
possible our repeated forgiveness and restoration. It is God’s Love that makes
possible our status as Children of God.
Finally, putting this in practical
terms, how do we celebrate the Epiphany Season this year?
What can we do to make a new start, to
put a fresh face on our faith this year?
We will submit to you that it comes down
to renewing and refreshing our relationship to God. We do this by seeking God’s Face in prayer, meditation,
and worship. We do this first by
engaging in daily morning and evening prayer in our respective homes. In so
doing, let us bathe our homes in prayer and in reading of the Holy Scriptures
day and night. Secondly, let us continue
to be faithful in our attendance at corporate worship, which is, after all, the
most powerful form of prayer, as we ingest the Blessed Sacrament at mass.
Third, let us seek for the recognition of God’s continual Presence in our
lives, every moment of every day. Let us, as much as possible, pray without
ceasing, in the words of St. Paul.
Better said, let our lives be a continual prayer unto God as we seek Him
through all our activities, every day. In so doing, we will indeed be” a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service”,
from Romans 12: 1.
When we do this, we will find a greater
joy and a greater sense of purpose than ever before, because it is only in
Christ that we find our true purpose.
For a truly succinct answer, let us
recall this simple question and answer from the Catechism, found in our Book of
Common Prayer:
Question: What
is thy duty towards God?
Answer. My
duty towards God is To believe in him, to fear him, And to love him with all my
heart, with all my mind, with all my soul, and with all my strength: To worship
him, to give him thanks: To put my whole trust in him, to call upon him: To
honour his holy Name and his Word: And to serve him truly all the days of my
life.
If we can fulfill this duty, we shall be a happy and productive people.
Epiphany is the beginning of this fulfillment, one that we should embrace
and celebrate, every day of our earthly lives.
In the Name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN.
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