Walking on the Lighted PathRev.
Ann Beaty January 4, 2004 Text: Matthew 2:1-12/Isaiah 60:1-6 Have you ever had the experience of walking in the woods late at night with only a flash light to guide your way? I have this experience each year on our 6th grade confirmation retreat. It is a tradition on the retreat, on Saturday evening, to head out in the dark to the bonfire area for s'mores and singing. Away from the city lights, it is really dark as we make our way on the path! We learned the first year that we need flashlights to make the trek out and back safely. Even with a flashlight, the only light you can see is a step or two in front of you. The way we make progress towards the camp fire is by stepping into the edge of the light. As we take a step forward, the light moves on ahead of us…just far enough so we can see the next step. We can't see what is out there ahead of us any further than that next step, but as long as we have the flashlight, we trust that the light will move with us…just far enough ahead for us to take that next step and find our way out to the camp fire and then back to the cabins. Today is Epiphany Sunday on the church calendar. Epiphany is the time when we celebrate the light of God coming into the world in the birth of Jesus. Epiphany is about embracing the light that has come into the world to lead and guide us on the path we walk each and every day Light is central to the Christian message throughout the whole Christmas season. The shepherds see a great light. The star of Bethlehem shines above the stable. The birth of Jesus is proclaimed by the gospel writer of John as the "light of the world." In today's scripture the prophet Isaiah challenges us to "arise, shine; for your light has come." However, not even the light of God can show us what's going to take place in this year to come. Think back to this time last year. None of us knew exactly what the next 12 months would bring. For some of us, it brought unexpected crisis through illness, the death of a loved one, a change in a significant relationship, casualties related to war, or job loss. For others it brought experiences of great joy…a healing of some kind, the beginning of a new relationship, the birth of a new healthy baby, or resolution to a problem or decision. For many it was probably a mix of ups and downs. We may have known some of what was coming for us, but there wasn't any way to predict everything we would face. It is the same today as we begin another new year. None of us can fully anticipate the joys and the sorrows we will meet on the path. We can't change that. But, we aren't left stranded in the dark. Epiphany Sunday reminds us that we have the gift of God's love in relationship with Jesus Christ. In that awareness we CAN walk into the future of our lives trusting that in our joys and in our sorrows, the presence of Christ will light our path. Living life trusting this can make the joys all the more joyful and the sorrows more bearable. Just like using a flashlight in the dark, we take one step at a time, into the edge of the light as we can see it, and trust that more light will be given to see our way on down the path. In the Old Testament passage from Isaiah, the prophet calls us to "Arise, shine; for your light has come." The word "arise" is meant as a call to come and follow the light. As I understand it, it was meant in its original context for those who were carrying burdens to physically get up and get back into life. It was a call to leave behind the burdensome task of carrying sadness and grief, and to move forward, because God was moving forward. The call to "arise" is a literal call for all of us to stand up and get on the road again, the road of life. The call to "shine" was a call to be joyful. "Arise, shine; for your light has come." Get up. It was a call to let go of all that would kill one's spirit, all that would lead to death, and to accept joyfully the light that God was giving to face life day by day. Isaiah wants us to know that God has more to offer us by giving us this light. You don't have it all. I don't have it all. No one has it all. Only God has it, and God is giving it to us in this light that has come. In the scripture reading from Matthew, we see those who are living out this call. Tradition says they were three wise men. Most scholars agree that they came from a far away place, from a different religion, and from a different background. These followers moved not only beyond the light of their own country, they moved beyond the light of their own faith tradition. They moved out and took a great risk to follow this light. Thanks be to God for them, for they witness to us what we are called to do. If you think about it, it was amazing that they were able to follow the star. The journey took a long time; probably two years. It had to be draining and at times discouraging. But, they were able to set aside their previous assumptions and receive new light, explore new possibilities, and find new life. Maybe you and I can do that too…open ourselves up to the new possibilities of faith that God is providing for us in this new year. I've been leading a course this year called Companions in Christ. There is a chapter titled, "How Do I Know God's Will for My Life?" The author writes about being on a retreat and asking the leader several questions such as "How do I live the Christian life? What is God's word to me in various decisions I must make? Have I chosen the path God intends for me? In other words, How do I know the will of God?" The leader smiled and said, "If you think you can see God's will laid out neatly before you for the next five, ten, or twenty years as a clearly defined path, this is emphatically not the will of God. But if you sense that the next hesitant step you are about to make into an uncertain future is somehow directed by God, that is most probably God's will for you." Living into the Christian life in a serious and personal way is not easy business. It is not simply a matter of following the rules or doing what we've always done before. Sometimes it is a murky undertaking. And oftentimes the path is dark. We are called to move forward within the light of Christ trusting that our every step will be lit as needed. Okay, so how do we trust ourselves and God enough to "arise, shine, and follow our light that has come" as we take those next hesitant steps in faith? A scholar by the name of Albert Outler, in studying the theology of John Wesley, developed what has come to be known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, four points of our faith that are used to test new concepts, new ideas, new revelations. Those four points are scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. First, you take your new thought or idea, whatever it is, this new revelation that has come to you, and you test it on the old revelation, the revelation we have in scripture, the surest thing we have in our faith. How does it compare with what you read and understand in the scriptures? The second is tradition. What has the Church said through the ages about this subject? Has the Church said anything about it? How has history dealt with people asking the same kinds of questions? John Wesley was a product of the Enlightenment. He was a student of reason, a very logical thinker. Wesley says we need to test our ideas…our new revelations…by human reason. What does the very best of human thinking have to say about such an idea? Is this new idea congruent with that, or does it run contrary to the best of human thinking? Finally, how does this new idea compare with your personal experience of God to this point? Not just your experience, but the experience of humanity around you? We have our personal faith and the support of a loving faith community for this. So, we have four tests; scripture, tradition, reason, and experience…four means that will help us look at what is being revealed to us, to see if it is truly from God. And then, we take what we have contemplated in prayer and trust that God's light will shine on the path to give us what we need to take that next hesitant step. There is a beautiful quote from Nelson Mandella, taken from his inauguration speech in 1994: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves: 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world…We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same…" On this Sunday when we celebrate the light of God coming into the world, we are invited to come to this table. We will receive the bread and the cup, signs of the love of God for each of us….signs of assurance that the light has come. In this meal, we are being given the opportunity to say yes to this very special feeding of light and love as we begin our walk on the path of this year new. Thanks be to God for this extraordinary gift. Amen.
Resources Used: Albert Outler, Nelson Mandella, Companions in Christ, Sermon material by Jim Standiford |