A United Methodist Pastor's Theological Reflections

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory (nikos) through our Lord Jesus Christ." - I Corinthians 15:57


Sunday, January 5, 2020

Sermon (Jan. 5/Epiphany Sunday) by Rev. Robert McDowell

    What has it been? Eleven days since Christmas? Are your Christmas lights still up or have you already taken them down? And by what date should people take down their lights?

     That’s a really good question so I did a little research on this and I went to the very top authority on this topic. I consulted with Disney World.  And they tell me that they take down their Christmas lights by the first Monday after New Year’s Day which would be tomorrow.

     So, if you keep up your lights after tomorrow, you are going to be out of sync with Disney World’s schedule.  Take that for what it’s worthy.

     Actually, Disney World is pretty close to the official church calendar on this issue. According to the church calendar, Christmas is a period of twelve days beginning on Christmas Eve which means that the Christmas season ends every year on January 6 which just so happens to be tomorrow. 

     Tomorrow is Epiphany Day when the church celebrates when the Wise Men visited the Christ Child and offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. So, if you want to get technical about it, it would make sense to box up those Christmas lights by the end of tomorrow evening. And as a side note, since we are talking about Christmas decorations, any ugly Christmas sweaters or ties should definitely be put away as soon as possible.

     One of the reasons why I think people tend to keep up their Christmas lights for so long is because this is such a dark time of the year. The presence of light in the midst of darkness can lift our spirits. So in this sense, maybe we should keep those Christmas lights up until March 8 when Daylight Savings Time begins.  Well, I think most of us know that we probably shouldn’t keep our Christmas lights up for that long. At some point, we need to put the lights away for another year.

     I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of light by reflecting on our Old Testament reading for this Epiphany Sunday. Hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, the people of Israel were living during a very dark time in their history.

     It seemed like they were constantly being overrun by foreign powers. Israel was in the middle of neighboring nations at war with one another. Some of these nations have taken the Hebrew children from their parents as captives.

     It’s also a time in their history when the people of Israel are beginning to give up on God because there is so much darkness in their lives. An enemy army has wiped out Jerusalem, the temple, and the once proud economy of Judah. And the tiny remnant of Israel which is holding on to dear life, continues to feel threatened with certain destruction.

     In the middle of all of this darkness and hopelessness, God sends the Prophet Isaiah to offer some much needed light. It’s in the middle of the night when Isaiah jumps out of his bed, not because he thinks he has heard Santa and his eight tiny reindeer, but because he has seen the light of God.  

     Get out of bed, God is here!,” Isaiah tells the people. Imagine being awakened in the middle of the night with somebody shouting out the good news that…

     Your sons will return from far away, and your daughters will be carried in their mothers’ arms again. The sight of the exiles coming home will make your face break out in a grin, your heart pound, and your eyes light up. The whole world will come riding camels and bringing gifts. People will march in from the South and sail in from the West. They will bring gold and frankincense, and they will bow down and worship in the slender or God’s light.”

     There aren’t too many times that I like to be awakened in the middle of the night. But if I was experiencing the kind of darkness that the people of Israel were experiencing during that time of their history, I’m sure that I would arise and shine if I heard Isaiah shouting out this good news.

     As we begin a new year, we might be facing the darkness as well. Maybe it’s the uncertainty of what this new year holds. Maybe it’s a medical concern or a financial need that has us in the darkness. Maybe it’s a relationship problem or a dream that has gone unfulfilled or maybe it’s another kind of darkness. 

     Our world often feels very dark. It’s seems like no community is immune from the opioid epidemic. Gun violence in our country continues to be a major problem. There is major unrest in the Middle East. People are lonely and out of work. Many are lost and are in despair.

     I received an email from somebody who was asking the church to help a young man who recently graduated from high school. He had no home, no job, and he was trying to find his way in this world. After offering some ideas on how he might get on his feet, I just said a little prayer for him that he would be able to see God’s light.

     Epiphany is a time to for us to remember that it was a light that led the Wise Men to find the Christ Child. And when they arrived, we are told that they were overwhelmed with joy. They offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

     When we encounter the light of Christ in our dark world, we too, are overwhelmed with joy. It’s this joy that leads us to offer our very best gifts in gratitude for God’s light. Perhaps this is why the Prophet Isaiah was getting everybody out of bed one night. He had joy to share and he wanted everyone to know it.

     Even though the Christmas Season is almost over, like the Wise Men we are called to offer our very best gifts so that others may find the light. And like the Prophet, Isaiah, we are called to tell all of those around us, Arise, shine; for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

     Bob Russell, former Senior Pastor of Southeast Christian Church located in Louisville, Kentucky, once shared this story which had happened to him several years ago.  One year, he noticed that a house near the entrance of his subdivision kept their Christmas lights up long after the Christmas holiday was over.  

     This family kept them up through January and then around the middle of February, Bob began to develop a critical attitude toward this family for keeping their Christmas lights on for so long.

     But around the middle of March, Bob noticed a sign outside of this house that explained why they had kept their Christmas lights on.  The sign simply said, “Welcome home, Jimmy.”  Bob learned that this family had a son in Vietnam and they had unashamedly left their Christmas lights on in anticipation of their son’s return.

     This family knew that the light of Christ burns brightly long after the Christmas season. The light of Christ will continue to shine brightly even when our days feel like they can’t get any darker.

     Whether you put your Christmas lights away the day after Christmas, or you’re more of a purist and you wait until the twelfth day of Christmas, or even if you wait to take them down until sometime in March, remember that the light of Christ has come.

     Long after we box up those Christmas lights, the light of Christ will continue to shine brightly through even the darkest of days. Those lit candles that we held up in a darkened sanctuary on Christmas Eve just a few days ago will continue to light our way and lead us home.

     I attended a funeral service for a loved one. It was held on a late Saturday afternoon. The sanctuary was filled and I was sitting in one of the pews.

     During the service, the song, “Out of the Dark” by Gloria Estefan was played. It had been cloudy for most of the day and just before this song was played, the sun began to shine brightly through our beautiful stained glass windows as if on cue.

     As I listened to this beautiful song and saw the sun pouring through our windows, I felt God’s presence even in the midst of our sadness and grief. The words of that song seemed to be speaking to each person in that room.


     Why be afraid if I’m not alone

     Though life is never easy the rest is unknown

     Up to now for me it’s been hands against stone

     Spent each and every moment

     Searching for what to believe

 

     Coming out of the dark, I finally see the light now

     It’s shining on me

     Coming out of the dark, I know the love that saved me

     You’re sharing with me

     As we prepare to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we come like the Wise Men to greet the Christ Child. God’s light has led us to this place where we find the bread and the cup. We are reminded that even a dark Friday gave way to a bright and glorious Easter.

     Arise, shine, for your light has come.


When to Box Up the Christmas Lights
Sermon Discussion Questions
Isaiah 60:1-6 & Matthew 2:1-12
January 5, 2020

When do you take down your Christmas decorations? How do you decide when it’s time?

Some people take down their Christmas decorations on January 7th each year because January 6 this is the official conclusion of the Christmas season. January 6th is the twelfth day of Christmas, also known as Epiphany which is often associated with the light of Christ. The Wise Men were led by a light to find the Christ Child. The prophet Isaiah uses the image of light in offering hope to the people of Israel who were living during a dark time of history when they were exiled from their homes. - “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

 – Isaiah 60:1 During this dark time of the year when the days are so short, many of us are in need of more light in our lives.


How has God been your light during the dark times of your life?


The true story is told of a couple who kept their Christmas decorations up through the month of March. The neighbors were complaining and people wondered why they were too lazy to put the lights away. They stopped complaining when one day in March, the noticed a sign in this couple’s front yard. The sign read, “Welcome Home, Jimmy!” Their son who served in the military was finally coming home after a long tour of duty.


Even though many of us will soon be putting away our Christmas lights, in what ways can the light of Christmas continue to give us hope long after the lights are put away? In what ways can you be the light of Christ for someone who is in need of hope?


Pastor Robert shared a story of when he attended a funeral at a church. It had been very cloudy and rainy all day so it was a little dark in the sanctuary when he sat down. The family had requested that the song, “Out of the Dark” by Gloria Estefan be played at the beginning of the service. It was during this song about light that the sun poured into one of the stained glass windows of that sanctuary filling the place with light. This was an example of what our church has been calling, “A Thin Place Moment,” in which heaven and earth overlap in mysterious ways in ordinary lives.


Share a Thin Place Moment that you have experienced that reminded you that the light of Christ was present in your life during a dark and difficult time.

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