Sermons at St. John’s Presbyterian Church

2727 College Avenue Berkeley, California 94705
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Seeing Jesus: Epiphany Sunday

Transcribed from the sermon preached January 6, 2013 

The Reverend Karen Thistlethwaite, Pastor of Education

Scripture Readings:  Ephesians 3:1-12

 Happy New Year! Welcome to 2013! Somehow we have managed to escape the Mayan calendar’s dooms day and more locally, avoided the perils of the fiscal cliff. Yet, I have a feeling 2013 will not be without its fare share of joys, challenges and larger than life events.
In fact, today is epiphany. Today we celebrate “God’s manifestation or self-revelation to the world in Jesus Christ. Today we celebrate the fact that God wanted to know us more fully and so he sent the second person of the trinity, Jesus Christ, to walk and live among us. In a very crude comparison, Christ is sent from God into this world, much like a foreign exchange student might travel to a different country to learn about the new country’s ways, only to find out that the host family is also able to learn about him and where he is from, based on their time together.
 “In particular, we celebrate the revelation of God’s promise and purpose, to the nations of the world, that God’s covenant of grace is extended to all who believe the good news of Christ Jesus.”1
Are you ready to celebrate epiphany?
Well, for one man, the good news of epiphany, of Christ’s birth and all that Jesus has to offer, came to him like this…
Imagine you are sitting at home reading a newspaper and in the letters to the editor section you see a letter written by a young man from a jailhouse in Sacramento. Hum you think to yourself. What could a man in jail have to say to me? I wonder what he did to be put in jail?
Now curiosity has gotten the better of you, and, as you begin to read the letter, the first thing you notice is that this author claims to be writing on your behalf and is saying that his boss has given him special instructions and trained him for your benefit? What, you think to yourself, what have I done that I need the help of this jailbird? How could someone in jail help me anyway? And do I really want to be associated with a criminal?
This “jailbird” is also writing about how what he is going to say has never been said until recently, and only a select group of people, mostly other prisoners and outcasts, have heard this message before. Then you come upon the message, the big reveal, “because of the actions of another prisoner, one who has recently received the death penalty, all people, sometime in the future, will be receiving an equal wage for the rest of eternity.” An equal wage, you think to yourself. You mean doctors and lawyers, school teachers and bus drivers, coffee baristas and those who stand on street corners… will all be given the same compensation, the same reward?
But, if this revelation wasn’t enough, there is more. Not only will everyone be treated equally; we will all become brothers and sisters, one big happy family. This man must be crazy, or at the very least not too bright you think to yourself. And, as if answering your question, you read how this prisoner admits that he is probably one of the least qualified people to deliver this message, but his boss has selected him anyway.
His boss has selected this prisoner to tell the whole world that all of humanity is connected, that we are to treat each other like brothers and sisters, like siblings (and not the kind of siblings who fight all the time, but the kind of siblings who look out for each other, share with one another and protect each other). So now as you reach the end of the article, you see that this prisoner is asking you to join him in spreading this “good news” to those around you
This prisoner is asking you to tell your family that your family is about to get a lot bigger; and is asking you to tell your friends and community members, your senators and the leaders of every nation, people whom you have never spoken to in your life, that one man has changed everything, and that a future of grace and equality is on the horizon. Amen
Well, I don’t know about you, but I am not always sure if I am ready to take on that kind of responsibility. I mean, knowing in my heart that someone sacrificed himself for me feels great, but talking with others about that sacrifice is another step all together. Sometimes I am not ready to celebrate epiphany.
Hear again the words of Ephesians 3:1-12:
1This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles, 2for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, 3and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, (as I wrote above in a few words, 4a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ).
5In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. 8Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.
Can you see it? The story of the prisoner and the newspaper article is simply a modern rendition of Ephesians 3:1-12. The prisoner is the apostle Paul. Having angered the Jews by advocating the equality of the Gentiles, he is thrown in jail and is now writing to the people of Ephesus.
The prisoner’s boss is God. God chose Paul to bring this revelation, this mystery, this epiphany, to the Jews and to the Gentiles. To those who are in prison, and those who are free, that we may all equally receive the inheritance that is given to us through Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ, the fellow prisoner, who received the death penalty, death on a cross.
Yet, God in God’s wisdom did not choose a president, a news anchor or a celebrity to share this good news with the world. God chose a prisoner, an outcast, a humble man, who considered himself the least of the saints, to tell us that from now on things would be different. Paul was showing us that things would be different. Paul was showing us that sometimes the most important news, and some of the world’s greatest gifts, come from the most unlikely places. Paul was showing us Jesus Christ.
And so, the first part of celebrating epiphany this morning means finding Jesus in unlikely places; seeing how God has revealed God’s self to us, in places that we might not have expected or thought to look.
Our first stop in finding Jesus brings us to the streets of L.A., where Los Angles Times reporter Steve Lopez, first discovered the beautiful music of Nathaniel Ayers, a musical genius, whose battle with schizophrenia took him away from his studies at Julliard and straight into homelessness.
In the movie, "The Soloist", audiences see how Mr. Ayers and Mr. Lopez, both find healing in their newfound friendship and a shared love for music. “I just want to know if I am good?” Mr. Ayers asks Mr. Lopez in the movie’s preview, and it is here where we see Jesus Christ shine though. Here is where the epiphany takes place.
 “Yes, you are good. You are a good musician, but you are also good because you are a child of God.” Looking carefully, you see Christ in the fact that, like God’s grace, Mr. Ayers’ talent is not something he has to work for, but is a gift. You see Christ in the way Mr. Ayers lights up with joy in using this musical gift from God. You see Christ in the fact that a man, who most of the world has cast aside, brings back to life another man, a journalist who has had a few setbacks of his own, through the power of friendship.
When was the last time you looked under an overpass hoping to hear music that would fill your soul? When was the last time you looked into the eyes of a homeless man expecting to see Christ?
Our next portrait of Christ comes from Akiane Kramarik, a self-taught artist, who at the age of nine painted this portrait entitled “Father Forgive Them”2.
On her website, Akiane says that her biggest wish is "that everyone would love God and one another" and her life goal is “to share her love for God and people around the world.” Surprisingly, Akaine’s mother was an atheist, but at four, Akiane “had a life-changing spiritual transformation, bringing the family to God.”
Can you see Christ? Can you feel the excitement of epiphany? Not only in the paint on a canvas, but in a girl who is not afraid to tell the world, where her inspiration comes from, who is not embarrassed to tell her family about experiences in her life that might now make sense to those around her.
Epiphany. When was the last time you looked to a child to tell you about God? When was the last time you asked a child to show you Christ?
Most recently, I heard Christ on the radio. And before you jump to conclusions, I was not listing to Catholic Radio 1260, K-LOVE nor another Christian radio station. Instead, I was listening to The Script’s song entitled “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved”. As you listen to a clip of this song, see if you too, can find glimmers of Jesus Christ. Ssee if you can find epiphany.
In these lyrics we heard about a man waiting on a corner, “who cannot be moved,” waiting for a girl he once knew. In the song he pledges to wait for her for a day, a month, or even a year, even if it rains or snows, even if the authorities ask him to move, he will wait.
This man reminds me of Christ, reminds me of Paul, unrelenting in their desire for us to see the gospel message, waiting as long as it takes till we turn back to our maker, knowing that we are forgiven, knowing that we are one of God’s own.
The man, like Paul, like Christ, is humble in his quest to find his lost love. With a sleeping bag and a cardboard sign, he carries out his mission. From a prison cell, an underpass, an easel, a radio, Christ is all around us.
Or, perhaps some of you saw Christ not in the love struck man, but in that face of the girl he was looking for. Maybe you saw yourself as the man desperately looking for God. Separated from God, you feel lost, lonely and discouraged, so you head back to the place where you first met God and are eagerly trying to connect with Christ again. Maybe, you too have been waiting a day, a month, or perhaps even a year and yet you are still searching. You still feel like God has not heard your cry; you cannot see the light within the darkness.
And this is where our second celebration of epiphany takes place. For some the celebration of epiphany is discovering Christ in the unlikely places of this word, while for others, the celebration of epiphany is about helping people to see Christ. As scripture says “through the church, the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known everywhere.”
We are the church. We, like Paul, have graciously been called by God, to use our wide variety of talents to tell the world around us who Christ is, to show the world who Christ is. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we, like Paul, have been given the resources to share this news with others, even if we ourselves don’t always feel ready. We have been called to celebrate and spread the good news of epiphany.
In preparing for this sermon, I had to ask myself when was the last time I pointed someone to Christ? When was the last time I told someone about God’s love?
I realized that I inadvertently talk about God all the time: as I describe life with my daughter, Siena; as I explain how blessed I am to be her mother.
But, what would it look like if I moved from inadvertently talking about Christ’s love, to boldly making Christ’s love the center of the conversation. What would it look like if, after describing my time with Siena, after describing the blessings in my life, I paused and asked the person I was talking with “and where has God been blessing you in your life? Or, where do you desire God to bless your life?”
Or, what would it look like if, after talking about a moment of grace in your life, you were to ask how have you received God’s grace lately, how are you doing? Talk about a revelation, an epiphany.
For some, these types of questions might seem strange or confusing. They may think to themselves, I am worthy of God’s blessings? God has forgiven me? While for others, these questions might invite further conversation and ways for you to reflect Christ’s actions in your own. Perhaps you may be given an opportunity to help someone see Christ in his or her life. Either way, in bringing God to the forefront of the conversation, an epiphany will have occurred; Christ will be seen and God will do the rest.
So on this day of epiphany, I would like to ask you, “Where are you searching for God and what are you doing to spread the good news of Christ’s birth?”
It is my hope that 2013 will be about two words: everywhere and everything.
Where are you searching for God? Everywhere. What are you going to do to spread the good news of Christ’s birth? Everything. Amen.

1 PCUSA Website
2 http://www.artakiane.com/gallery