ANOTHER CHANCE TO LOVE Today we observe the sixth day of 2008. However, on the Christian calendar, this is the twelfth day after Christmas. The medieval Christian Church use to observe the 12 days of Christmas as holy days. It’s where the famous Christmas carol got its name. Well, 12 days after Christmas is The Epiphany. We celebrate it by remembering that God got the attention of wise men, astrologers from the Orient, by sending a star to guide them to the Christ child. They traveled by camel from Asia, which took about two years. So Jesus is a toddler when he receives gifts of gold, frankincense (costly air freshener) and myrrh (expensive, heavily perfumed oil). King Herod did not receive a report from the Magi – he wanted to kill Jesus, whom he saw as a threat to his kingdom. Matthew 2:12 says that God warned the wise men in a dream to return home by another route, and that’s what they did. Why do you suppose God intrigued people from Asia to visit Jesus? Matthew 2:2 says these non-Jews came to worship him. It was a sure way to take the message of the Messiah’s birth to another continent. Another opportunity to spread the gospel. Another chance for God to demonstrate love for all people, not just the chosen. The Epiphany refers to the moment we come into realization of the truth. It’s when God is suddenly made clear. Have you ever had an “aha” moment? It’s like a light switch is flipped in your head, and you really “get it!” I’ve heard parents say many times that they knew intellectually that they were going to be parents, but it really hit them when they knew with certainty that their whole lives would never again be the same. “Aha! I’m responsible for another human being!” Wow! God — a toddler, driving his parents crazy with love or just driving them crazy, keeping them up all night, demanding to be the center of attention, yelling “no” repeatedly, for no reason. Aha! I get it! God acting like an only child, a two-year-old because God was an only child, a two-year-old. Do you suppose he played with the gold, frankincense and myrrh, or just the packages they came in? God, loving us so much he chose to live and grow, vulnerably, as one of us, to experience learning to walk and talk, falling down, teething, being comforted, taught and chastised by Mary and Joseph. God—a spoiled brat. Aha! That’s what John 3:16 means: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, Word Became Flesh—Emmanuel--God With Us--so that who ever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Aha! Now I get it! God’s motive for coming is pure love. Period. That’s all, folks. That’s enough. On this 6th day of year 2008, we have 357 days to look forward to with all of the anticipation and uncertainty they bring. We may spend several days getting use to writing 2-0-0-8 instead of 2-0-0-7. Trying to fulfill New Year resolutions. Trying to be wiser, healthier, wealthier, happier, thinner people. Striving to be better friends, family members, leaders, followers, Christians. A new year brings so many opportunities. But more than anything, the New Year brings another chance to set things right – to love as Christ loves. What does the New Year hold for you and me? I don't know. But I pray you will experience more of the love of Christ in your hearts, in your homes, in our church, our community, our nation, our world. I pray for more Aha moments as we extend ourselves for others and challenge ourselves to grow more spiritually mature. But more than anything, I hope we will give more love to our neighbors, our Mozambique partners, the people sitting around us now. In the Gospel of John, chapter 13, verses 34 & 35, Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples. Then he instituted the Sacrament of Holy Communion, and said these powerful words: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." |