Epiphany of Our Lord
Preaching
Preaching and Reading the Old Testament Lessons:
With an Eye to the New
This serves as the stated text for Epiphany in all three cycles of the lectionary. The preacher may therefore want to look at the expositions in Cycles A and B also.
The church has designated this text for the celebration of Epiphany Sunday, that Sunday when it announces the fact that the gospel is intended for all peoples throughout the world. Both accompanying stated texts emphasize that fact. In the story of the wise men, who symbolize the foreign nations, Matthew shows them coming to Bethlehem to worship the infant Jesus. In Ephesians, Paul's ministry to the gentile world is proclaimed.
Set in that context, this Isaiah passage takes on an interesting twist when it is applied to Jesus. When it speaks of "kings," verse 3, coming to the "light," the light is understood as Jesus, and verse 6 says that the foreigners will bring him gifts of "gold and frankincense." That of course calls the story from Matthew 2 to mind.
Originally, however, the unknown author of this passage intended it as a proclamation of salvation to post-exilic Israel in the last quarter of the sixth century B.C. Many of the Israelites have returned to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylonia, but Jerusalem lies still in ruins, and life is very hard. Thus, Jerusalem is pictured in this passage as a woman, mourning in the dust for her lost children and lost glory. She has been chastised for her continuing sin against the Lord, a judgment spelled out in the preceding chapters 56-59.
Now, however, God declares that he will nevertheless be present in the midst of his people in his "glory" (vv. 1, 2) to restore the life of his people and to make them honored among all the nations. The central thought is stated in verse 10: "In my wrath I smote you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you." Israel does not deserve such mercy, but nevertheless a loving God will shower it upon her.
As a result, Israel will shine with the reflected glory of her God who is present in her midst, and all nations will be gathered to her light. They will carry Israel's exiled children back to Jerusalem (v. 4) and bring with them abundant gifts to rebuild the temple and to supply its sacrifices (vv. 5-7). There will be camels bearing gifts from the desert tribes of Midian and Ephah; gold and frankincense from the Arabian trading center of Sheba; herds from Kedar and Nabaioth; silver and gold from the sea peoples; fine timber from the North. But all will be brought to pay homage, not to Israel, but to the Lord (vv. 6, 9). Because the peoples see that God has visited his people and saved them, all nations will be drawn to Israel's light, to worship that saving God. (The thought is the same as that found in Isaiah 52:13--53:12 and Zechariah 8:22-23.)
So to be true to the text, the preacher can apply this passage to Israel, as it was originally intended, or the preacher can take the text as a reference to Jesus, as in the tradition of the church. There is, however, another option that preserves the integrity of the text.
Suppose we read this passage as an address to the church, the new Israel in Jesus Christ. Certainly in many passages in the New Testament the church is conceived to be "the Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16), the "true circumcision" (Philippians 3:3), that has not replaced Israel but that has been joined to her (cf. Romans 11:17-24; Ephesians 2:11-22). Thus, that which was spoken to Israel by the prophet can be understood as spoken to us, the Christian Church. Read in such a manner, this Isaiah text then becomes a call to the church to be the church.
Certainly there is a lot of mourning taking place in our mainline churches these days. Our life is characterized by conflict, by loss of members, by confusion of theology, by insufficient resources. To that mournful condition, God through this prophet now addresses his word: "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!"
What is that glory? It is the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Paul writes, God "has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). God, in his glory, has come into our midst in the incarnated Person of his Son. Moreover, he has promised us that he remains with us always, even to the close of the age (Matthew 28:20). And he has assured us that nothing in all creation, not even death itself, will separate us from Christ's loving presence with us (Romans 8:38-39). We do not deserve that presence any more than Israel deserved God's presence with her in ruined Jerusalem. Nevertheless, Christ is Immanuel, God with us, in sheer mercy and love.
The role, the mission, of the church then is to reflect in its life the light of the glory of Christ, just as Israel was to reflect the light of God's presence with her. The church's words and proclamations are to point to Christ's work and to declare Christ's redemption. The church's actions are to mirror Christ's love and to imitate Christ's deeds of mercy. The church's worship is to be directed toward the glorification of Christ, praising him for all he has said and done for all peoples everywhere. In short, the life of the church is to reflect that of its Lord -- his love, his sacrifice, his mercy, his goodness, his unstinting obedience of his Father. It is not the church that is to live, but Christ who is to live in it, so that when all peoples look at the church, they see instead Jesus Christ, still at work in his body, the church, to bring his salvation to all peoples.
If the church can carry out that God-given mission and truly be Christ's body and not its own, then indeed, all peoples everywhere will flow to it, as God says in our Isaiah passage that they would flow to Jerusalem. There, in a faithful church, the nations of the world may see that for which they have so longed -- the reflected light of God's peace, of God's truth, of God's hope, of God's joyful salvation. Then there will be "good news" for all peoples and not the evil tidings that we read in our newspapers. If the church will truly be the church, it can spread the gospel to the whole wide world.
There are little groups here and there in the universal church who carry on such a mission now, so it is not an impossible dream. Such groups believe God's promises, given in the scriptures, and so they shine with the light of Christ among them. They do so, however, not by their own efforts, not by their own planning, not by their self-conceived programs, but by surrendering themselves wholly to the working of Christ in their midst. God's salvation of the world comes not from us, but from Jesus Christ working in us. It is not our light that is to shine forth, but the reflected light of God's glory in our Lord.
The church has designated this text for the celebration of Epiphany Sunday, that Sunday when it announces the fact that the gospel is intended for all peoples throughout the world. Both accompanying stated texts emphasize that fact. In the story of the wise men, who symbolize the foreign nations, Matthew shows them coming to Bethlehem to worship the infant Jesus. In Ephesians, Paul's ministry to the gentile world is proclaimed.
Set in that context, this Isaiah passage takes on an interesting twist when it is applied to Jesus. When it speaks of "kings," verse 3, coming to the "light," the light is understood as Jesus, and verse 6 says that the foreigners will bring him gifts of "gold and frankincense." That of course calls the story from Matthew 2 to mind.
Originally, however, the unknown author of this passage intended it as a proclamation of salvation to post-exilic Israel in the last quarter of the sixth century B.C. Many of the Israelites have returned to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylonia, but Jerusalem lies still in ruins, and life is very hard. Thus, Jerusalem is pictured in this passage as a woman, mourning in the dust for her lost children and lost glory. She has been chastised for her continuing sin against the Lord, a judgment spelled out in the preceding chapters 56-59.
Now, however, God declares that he will nevertheless be present in the midst of his people in his "glory" (vv. 1, 2) to restore the life of his people and to make them honored among all the nations. The central thought is stated in verse 10: "In my wrath I smote you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you." Israel does not deserve such mercy, but nevertheless a loving God will shower it upon her.
As a result, Israel will shine with the reflected glory of her God who is present in her midst, and all nations will be gathered to her light. They will carry Israel's exiled children back to Jerusalem (v. 4) and bring with them abundant gifts to rebuild the temple and to supply its sacrifices (vv. 5-7). There will be camels bearing gifts from the desert tribes of Midian and Ephah; gold and frankincense from the Arabian trading center of Sheba; herds from Kedar and Nabaioth; silver and gold from the sea peoples; fine timber from the North. But all will be brought to pay homage, not to Israel, but to the Lord (vv. 6, 9). Because the peoples see that God has visited his people and saved them, all nations will be drawn to Israel's light, to worship that saving God. (The thought is the same as that found in Isaiah 52:13--53:12 and Zechariah 8:22-23.)
So to be true to the text, the preacher can apply this passage to Israel, as it was originally intended, or the preacher can take the text as a reference to Jesus, as in the tradition of the church. There is, however, another option that preserves the integrity of the text.
Suppose we read this passage as an address to the church, the new Israel in Jesus Christ. Certainly in many passages in the New Testament the church is conceived to be "the Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16), the "true circumcision" (Philippians 3:3), that has not replaced Israel but that has been joined to her (cf. Romans 11:17-24; Ephesians 2:11-22). Thus, that which was spoken to Israel by the prophet can be understood as spoken to us, the Christian Church. Read in such a manner, this Isaiah text then becomes a call to the church to be the church.
Certainly there is a lot of mourning taking place in our mainline churches these days. Our life is characterized by conflict, by loss of members, by confusion of theology, by insufficient resources. To that mournful condition, God through this prophet now addresses his word: "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!"
What is that glory? It is the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Paul writes, God "has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). God, in his glory, has come into our midst in the incarnated Person of his Son. Moreover, he has promised us that he remains with us always, even to the close of the age (Matthew 28:20). And he has assured us that nothing in all creation, not even death itself, will separate us from Christ's loving presence with us (Romans 8:38-39). We do not deserve that presence any more than Israel deserved God's presence with her in ruined Jerusalem. Nevertheless, Christ is Immanuel, God with us, in sheer mercy and love.
The role, the mission, of the church then is to reflect in its life the light of the glory of Christ, just as Israel was to reflect the light of God's presence with her. The church's words and proclamations are to point to Christ's work and to declare Christ's redemption. The church's actions are to mirror Christ's love and to imitate Christ's deeds of mercy. The church's worship is to be directed toward the glorification of Christ, praising him for all he has said and done for all peoples everywhere. In short, the life of the church is to reflect that of its Lord -- his love, his sacrifice, his mercy, his goodness, his unstinting obedience of his Father. It is not the church that is to live, but Christ who is to live in it, so that when all peoples look at the church, they see instead Jesus Christ, still at work in his body, the church, to bring his salvation to all peoples.
If the church can carry out that God-given mission and truly be Christ's body and not its own, then indeed, all peoples everywhere will flow to it, as God says in our Isaiah passage that they would flow to Jerusalem. There, in a faithful church, the nations of the world may see that for which they have so longed -- the reflected light of God's peace, of God's truth, of God's hope, of God's joyful salvation. Then there will be "good news" for all peoples and not the evil tidings that we read in our newspapers. If the church will truly be the church, it can spread the gospel to the whole wide world.
There are little groups here and there in the universal church who carry on such a mission now, so it is not an impossible dream. Such groups believe God's promises, given in the scriptures, and so they shine with the light of Christ among them. They do so, however, not by their own efforts, not by their own planning, not by their self-conceived programs, but by surrendering themselves wholly to the working of Christ in their midst. God's salvation of the world comes not from us, but from Jesus Christ working in us. It is not our light that is to shine forth, but the reflected light of God's glory in our Lord.
