Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

—Matthew 2:1–2

Epiphany is a church season I didn’t know about until joining a Lutheran church. It’s celebrated on January 6 every year, and it marks the end of the Christmas season. Although it wasn’t always the case, in many modern churches, Epiphany is also associated with the arrival of the Magi, representative of Gentile believers, with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to present to the Christ child. In our home, the Magi “travel” through the house until they arrive at the manger on Epiphany—similar to how the baby Jesus doesn’t appear in the manger until we get home from church on Christmas Eve. The season of Epiphany lasts a few weeks, and it ends when we celebrate the Transfiguration of Our Lord.

Below, I’ve shared the sermon my husband preached this Sunday, January 4, when we observed Epiphany. I thought that a lot of the content coalesced with topics and themes I wrote about in my book, One Nation Under God: 40 Devotions for Patriotic Women, and thus wanted to share it with my readers.

I pray that it blesses you, as you reflect on the miracle of the forgiveness we have in Christ Jesus.

In His love,

Amanda

xoxo

P.S. If you prefer to hear a sermon preached, you can listen to the livestream from my church’s Facebook page (note that you don’t need a Facebook account to access).

Scripture taken from the New King James Version^®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

“What You Have Here Today”

Isaiah 60:1–6; Matthew 2:1–12

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” We know this question troubled King Herod, and we heard the terrible deed of his troubled soul last Sunday. If he had an inferiority complex, he had good reasons: he was neither of a royal family nor of Jewish lineage.[1]

And Matthew begins his gospel this way: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Mt 1:1)—“Jesus Christ” of the family of King David and of the lineage of the father of the Jews (cf. Mt 1:20; 3:9). Jesus had the stock to trouble Herod. But as you sang in the opening hymn, “Herod, why this senseless fear?” (Lutheran Service Book 399:1) Christ didn’t come to rule an earthly kingdom—He came to rule a heavenly one: “Pilate called Jesus and said to him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world” (Jn 18:33–36; cf. Mt 27:42; Jn 1:49; 12:13).

He’s king of a kingdom “not of this world.” Herod has nothing to fear and everything to gain! He could be a Gentile worshiper like the “wise men from the east” if only he’d receive the word of God: “behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” The glory of the Lord could’ve been his, and the darkness of his life could’ve been lifted, if only he’d come to the brightness of Christ’s church, to what you have here today!

Isaiah says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has arisen upon you.” As the start of John’s gospel makes clear, the “light” is Christ, and “the glory of the Lord” is Christ (Jn 1:4–8, 14; cf. 1 Cor 2:8). The light has come and the glory has arisen for “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). He came to be a king and a priest and a sacrifice, so the wise men brought Him “gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Gold for the King of kings as the substance most valuable (1 Cor 3:12; 1 Ti 6:15); frankincense for the high priest as the substance for intercession (Heb 2:17; Rom 8:34); myrrh for the sacrifice as the substance for burial (Jn 19:39). These three gifts brought for the One who would rule us, shepherd us, die for us. For the One who would rule, shepherd, and die not only for the Jews, but for the Gentiles as well, as the wise men believed. Not only for the Jews, but for the Gentiles as well, for “behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples… And nations shall come to your light.” A kingdom not of this world but for this world! A kingdom that “will have no end” (cf. 2 Sa 7:13; Lk 1:33). A kingdom established by the blood of the king and priest who wore a crown of thorns while interceding for all people: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34; Mt 27:29). So that “the earth” and “the peoples” and the “nations” might be saved as the “people [of] Israel,” who are the people of God (cf. Gal 6:15–16).

Not a people defined by lineage or status or sex, but by the grace of God, for “as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. …For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (Gal 3:27–28; 1 Cor 12:13; cf. Col 3:11). If Herod understood grace, he would not’ve been troubled. If he knew the love of God in Christ, he would’ve had no fear, for “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 Jn 4:18)—and what greater love is there than Jesus dying for your sin? What greater love than God becoming man to suffer the “temporal and eternal punishments” that were ours? What greater love than that which removes all fear of death and damnation? What greater gift than being ruled by grace, shepherded in truth, redeemed through love?

The wise men knew of nothing greater, so they “fell down and worshiped him, opening their treasures.” They went “into the house” because that’s where the Christ child lay. They gave their gifts because the Christ child is worthy of greatest honor… which teaches us about gift-giving. A child has no need for gold or frankincense or myrrh, just like God has no need for what we give. The psalm reads, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Ps 24:1). We give not to earn something from God or to provide something that wasn’t His, but to give back with honor what He’s given us for His purpose (cf. Lk 12:21). He extends the privilege of serving His gospel, and at the same time we get the chance to express our gratitude and “let our light shine before others, so that they may see our good works and give glory to our Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5:16; cf. 1 Pet 2:12).

When Isaiah says, “nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising,” he means that every kind of people in the world shall come “to your Jesus,” and kings shall come “to the brightness of you” who are the new creation of the church (cf. 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15)! So “Lift up your eyes [of faith] all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you”—“they all” which include “angels and archangels and all the company of heaven [who] laud and magnify [God’s] glorious name” (cf. Heb 12:22–24)!

And your gifts are more than monetary. What you say is gold, and how you worship is frankincense, and what you do is myrrh, for “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver,” and “Lord, let my prayer rise before you and incense,” and “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Prv 25:11; Ps 141:1–2; Rom 12:1–2; cf. 1 Pet 2:5). Your brightness as the church is a beacon in the darkness that covers the earth, a witness to what you have here today: Jesus Christ in flesh and blood with all His divinity and forgiveness of sin! You are the people of God, His “people Israel,” just as the angel predicted: “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:20–21).

“Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.” The wise men brought gold and frankincense and myrrh, but the true “wealth of the nations” is the “good news, [the gospel of Jesus Christ, by which all nations sing] the praises of the Lord [for] salvation from your sins.” That you have here today in spades for Christ is in His word and under bread and wine. The epiphany of our Lord until the end of time is now in word and sacrament, and you receive them in grace from your king and high priest and sacrifice, Jesus Christ. Amen.

[1] Herod (72 – 4 BC) was appointed king over Judea by the Roman Senate ~40 BC, and was the son of Antipater, an Idumean (that is, an Edomite; cf. Ge 36:9)

Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.