2
January 2011
St. Athanasius Lutheran Church
The
Epiphany of our Lord (Observed) Vienna, VA
“Unwrapping the Gift”
Text: Matthew 2:1-12; Isaiah 60:1-6
Grace,
mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. Amen.
Eight
days ago, we celebrated the Nativity of our Lord and rejoiced in the gift of
God, that “For us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). Today,
as we celebrate Epiphany and begin the Epiphany season, we will unwrap this
gift and see what it is all about, that we may delight in what we have received
and give thanks for this gift.
For on
the outside, all gifts look pretty much the same - wrapped in colorful paper,
with ribbons and bows; but on the inside, they are quite different. And so it
is when we unwrap the gifts that we delight in what we have received - wearing
the clothes, playing the games, eating the food.
It is
the same with Jesus. On the outside, He looked the same as any other baby; and
actually, maybe even poorer, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a
manger (Luke 2:12). But the Word of God unwraps this gift for us and we see
that under the appearance of a baby is much more. That this gift to us is God
Himself. That the glory of the Lord has come to us in this child. That here is
the King of kings and Lord of lords. And so the Word of God, both today and all
this Epiphany season, will show us just how great a gift we have received, that
we may delight in Him and give thanks to God.
That is
what happened, as we heard today, for the wise men. First, they saw the star of
the king of the Jews; the star which told them that a great gift had been
given. And so they travel to Jerusalem to see this gift. For where else would
the gift of a king be but in Jerusalem, in a palace, in soft and luxurious
clothes, and surrounded by attendants? But this gift is not wrapped like that,
they find out. The words of the prophet Micah tell them that not in Jerusalem,
but in Bethlehem, is this ruler born. And so they set out again, and now follow
the star to the house where Mary and Jesus are. And there they see the gift of
God. On the outside, all they see is a poor and humble mother with her newborn
child. But the Word of God has unwrapped this gift and revealed what is inside
- that here in poor human flesh, is the King. And with the gift unwrapped by
the Word, they delight in this gift, fall down and worship Him, and give this
great gift their poor gifts, of gold and frankincense, and myrrh.
But the
wise men were not the only ones delighted by the unwrapping of this gift - so
was God. For when you give a gift to someone, it is not only the receiver
who is excited to receive and unwrap the gift - the giver is, too. For the
giver, too, the gift so carefully chosen and specially wrapped means something,
and when it is received with delight, there is great joy and satisfaction.
And so
it is with the wise men, these Gentile visitors from the East. When this gift
of a Son, of a King, of a Saviour, is unwrapped for them, and they receive it
with delight and offer their gifts, God is delighted. Not in their
gifts. He doesn’t need
them. He created them. All things are His. No, He is delighted because His gift
is received; because His gift has filled the wise men with faith and joy. For
this gift of a Son, of a King, of a Saviour, is for all people - the Jew and
the Gentile, the simple and the wise, the poor and the rich, people then and
people now. That, as Isaiah said, all nations come and unwrap
this gift; that their hearts thrill and exult; that the
glory of the Lord be seen in this child, this Son that is given to be
your Saviour.
Sadly,
though, this gift is not always received with delight. Some regard the gift of
Jesus a bit like unwrapping underwear or socks on Christmas morning. Yeah, we
need them, but there’s really
no delight in them. And they’re tossed aside in search of other, more exciting gifts.
And so
we, too, need the Word of God to unwrap this gift of Jesus for us. That like
the wise men, we not be fooled by the humble appearance, but understand how
great a gift this is, and how it is given to people who could not be less
deserving than we.
Perhaps
this is where modern notions of Christmas undermine this gift of God. For with
the modern mindset that “I’ve been good all year and so deserve
my gifts,” often comes the
disappointment of unfulfilled expectations, and even anger at not getting what
we think we should. And so the gift of a Saviour? Yeah, that’s nice . . . but what about
the stuff I really wanted, the relationship I really wanted, the
easier life I really wanted, the happiness I really wanted, the
health I really wanted, the healing for my loved one who died that I really
wanted, the solution to my problems that I really wanted. Some would even
say that if God be God, you should receive these things. That’s what God is for.
But is
this not the same thinking that led the wise men to Jerusalem? To look for the King in luxury and ease and glory? To
expect Him in success and highness? But that is not where the King was - for
them, or for us. And as it took the Word of God to correct their thinking, to
send them to a different place, and to unwrap this gift that looked quite
different than they expected - so too for you and me.
For the
truth is that we’ve not
been good all year. In fact, we’ve not been good a single day. For what day goes by without
hurtful words, shameful desires, impure thoughts, and selfish deeds? What day
goes by when we haven’t turned
a deaf ear or a blind eye or a cold shoulder to our neighbor in need? What day
goes by when we do not fear, love, and trust God above all things? Do you
want what you deserve? No, you really don’t!
But into
this world darkened by sin, Isaiah says, a light has come. Not a
star, but a Saviour. A gift we do not deserve, but so desperately need. For
beneath the swaddling clothes and the humble appearance is the Son of God
Himself. For you. He gives Himself to you, and gives Himself for you. To be
your comfort in sadness. To be your hope when everything seems hopeless. To
give you faith when things seem pointless. To be your strength when you think
you can’t go on.
To be with you in sickness and in health, in life and in death, in times of
plenty and times of want. For this gift of God in the manger is the gift of God
joining Himself to you - not just some of the time, but all of
the time. Joining Himself to us in our sin and trouble, even in our death and
condemnation on the cross. That taking our sin, we be forgiven. That dying our
death, we have life. That receiving our condemnation, we receive His kingdom.
And that rising from the dead, we too rise to a new life.
That is
the gift the wise men unwrapped that day, when underneath the humble appearance
they beheld the Lord of all. The Lord who had come for them, to give Himself to
them. And they got up off their knees with a new life.
And that
is the gift unwrapped for you today, as the Lord who came in humbly in
Bethlehem, comes humbly here for you in the swaddling clothes of water and
words and bread and wine. On the outside it looks quite unimpressive. But the
Word of God unwraps these things for you and shows you here your Saviour, the
Lord of life, giving you life in the forgiveness of your sins. In the washing
of Baptism, in the words of Absolution, in the Body and Blood of the Supper,
your Lord giving you what you need the most - not just a better life, but a new
life. A life in Him. A life that will never end.
That’s why God is delighted to have you
here. Yes, you come with your gifts, and those are good things - your gold and
frankincense and myrrh; your prayers and praise and offerings. But what
delights Him most is when His gift of forgiveness, His gift of a Son, is
received with delight. When you come with your sin, with your burdens, with
your sadnesses, with your guilt, with your struggles, and receive the
forgiveness and life, the hope and strength, the faith and love of your
Saviour. That in the midst of a world of darkness and sin, you be set free to
live a new life. And delight in Him who delights in you.
That is
the Jesus the Word of God unwraps for us today. That this is how God wants to
be found, how He wants to be seen, and how He wants to give. That He is a man
for all mankind, a beggar for beggars, poor according to the world but rich in
the things of God. That we, too, might be rich in the things of God. Rich in
forgiveness, in love, in service, in care. And rich in His Word, that we, like
St. Paul, might unwrap this gift for others. That they, too, may delight in
Him. Until that day when all is finally unwrapped; when our Lord returns in all
His glory, and we shall see Him as He is. Which is as He was for us all along.
In the Name
of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Now the
peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through
faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
(Thanks to Rev. Richard Futrell for the analogy about wrapping and Epiphany which he used in a sermon for the Feast of the Epiphany 2009.)