Then Shall You See and Be Radiant

Friday was the official Feast of the Epiphany, when the Magi sought out and visited the Christ child, becoming the first non-Jews to acknowledge and worship the Holy One of God as such. These wise men had read the signs and followed the star, and assumed that if they could understand what was taking place, then certainly the local king would not only know of the birth of Jesus, but would welcome that birth and be able to point the way for them so that they could go worship Jesus as they assumed Herod had done.

They were mistaken.

Herod and his followers were not thrilled by this news. They did not drop everything and go worship the newborn king. Instead, they saw this baby as a threat.

And they were right.

This baby was a threat to all those who held power. This baby is still a threat to everyone who holds power and uses it for the wrong reasons. As the psalm proclaims:

Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king's son.
May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.

May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness.
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.

May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.

In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.

May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.
For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper.

He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.
--Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14

Jesus brings the love of God to all, and the Magi were the first Gentiles to recognize this. They were so moved by the signs that they had witnessed that they set out to find this incredible child that they believed had been born, not even knowing where they were going.

And that's the amazing thing. If we really allow God to rule over us, we don't know where we will end up either. That's a truly scary concept to our modern minds. We think we can box God into a couple of hours on Sunday, and the rest of the week is ours to do with as we will. A lot of us talk about "a personal relationship with our Savior," without ever considering that there might be a concomitant demand from that same Savior upon us. That star shone brightly in the sky. It led the Magi to the worship of the Son of God. We can be just like that star. We can reflect the love of God into the world.

To truly radiate that light, we have to make ourselves transparent to God's love. If we do this, who knows how we might influence those around us. It is nothing to proclaim yourself a Christian, if you do not have the love of Christ in your heart. Some of the most "Christian" people in actions may not claim the label of Christian. In the 1960s, Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner put forth the ideas that knowledge of God is innate, even if one is unfamiliar with scripture or religious teaching, and that it was possible for those had never heard the Gospel. He called these people "Anonymous Christians"-- people whose lives represented a holy way of living and who serve as inspirations toward the message of Jesus, even if they never set foot inside a Christian Church. I always think of the example of the Wise Men when thinking about this concept. God's grace shines through all nations.

The reading from Isaiah for the Feast of Epiphany illustrates this:
Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.

Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift 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.

Then 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.

A 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.

Here were these visitors from another country, and God's wisdom shone through them. If only we could be so transparent! Come, O light to enlighten the nations! Amen!