January 4, 2026: Epiphany - Matthew 2:1-12

If you'll please turn in your Bibles.

This morning to Matthew's Gospel.

We'll be in chapter 2. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 2.

As I mentioned in the Welcome, the word Epiphany means to shine

the light on. So you're in darkness and on

come the lights. Now we need light in our

physical lives just to. Make it through literal

darkness, but it also serves metaphorically, doesn't it, as a

symbol darkness of ignorance or more negatively, evil, and

therefore the theme of. Light and the image of light is

all through scripture to be. The opposite of that instead of

ignorance, knowledge instead of evil, righteousness and so.

Our Lord is considered the Sun of Righteousness and His.

Coming is a kind of dawning into a World of Darkness.

We need light, don't we? Thinking as I was preparing

about how much we hate to be wrong.

Do you hate to? Be wrong.

Do you hate to be proven wrong when the evidence comes up to

you and it's incontrovertible, Incontrovertible and it at last

you have to say, oh, I. Was wrong.

I hate this and hopefully you have enough humility.

To not bend reality, to force it into your narrative.

And you can just say hey. I was wrong.

Probably my most embarrassing moment of being wrong is when I

penned the wrong date on someone's marriage license.

Thereby forever giving them two anniversaries.

I thought it was a gift later, but I was so embarrassed.

I remain embarrassed. I don't.

Like thinking about that, we hate to be wrong.

And so we will sometimes resist the light because we don't want

to be. Wrong.

Sometimes we resist the light so much we try to.

Put it out, Don't we thinking about our Christmas movies that

many of. Us have on.

Repeat during Advent and Christmas time.

And so many of those plots turn on some.

News or some? Revelation.

Some kind of? Epiphany.

That hits the main character and changes everything.

I won't go through them all, but.

If a quick list. You can kind.

Of Think About It, Charlie Brown, Kevin McAllister, The

Grinch, Walter Hobbs. George Bailey and.

A character with whom? Many of us can relate.

Ebenezer Scrooge. Ebenezer Scrooge.

And many, particularly Walter Hobbs and George.

Bailey with him, they. Initially, resist greatly resist

the messenger that comes from without, sometimes from.

The land of Beyond. Resist this messenger.

Don't want them to be true or real or right in order to

maintain their status quo. Which you can recognize as

dysfunctional, but they cannot. We resist the light, and the

Bible tells us that this is an old.

Problem Pastor Brighton last week was talking about the light

in the darkness from John 1. And review a little bit In him

was life, that is Jesus, and the life was the light.

Of men the Light. Shines in the.

Darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it, The light

winds. Down in verse 9 it.

Says this. The true light, which gives

light to everyone was coming into the world.

He was in the. World, and the world was made

through him, yet the world did not know him.

Still in darkness. He came to his own, that is the

Jewish people. And his.

Own. People did not receive him.

But to all, but to all who did receive him, who believed in his

name, he gave the right to become children.

Of God in other places, children of light, the light bearers.

So we've got our. Christmas candles.

It's almost time to put them out, isn't it?

And if you're old enough, you may remember a device.

A very fancy device maybe? You can see it on the side there

and on top it looks like an upside down cone.

It's a snuffer or an extinguisher for candles.

Anybody have one? Raise your hand A.

Few of you do Great, you can just stick it on there.

In case you don't. Want to blow this and blow wax

everywhere? It's a pretty.

Convenient little thing. Charles Dickens uses this as a

very important image in his masterpiece A Christmas Carol.

I read it every. Advent.

It gets me in the mood and it pushes out the grinchy parts.

The first ghost besides Marley that comes to Scrooge at night.

In these visitations. Is a ghost of Christmas past

this ghost will give him scenes from his childhood, his

adolescence and his early life which cause him to feel feelings

he hasn't feel felt for a long time to the point.

Of sobbing in emotion. Becomes so painful for him that

he wants to put out the light. You see this ghost Dickens

portrays as a type of candle? Lots of light coming off their

head. And holding, I don't know how

well you can see this image, an extinguisher, one of those

snuffers as his hat. You can put it on.

And kind of. Dim the light when he wants to

be a little. Bit more dim.

But at the end of these scenes that cause Scrooge so much pain,

you know? What he does?

I don't know how many stories in the movies actually depict this,

but he grabs the ghosts extinguisher.

Cap and tries to snuff. Out the light, starting to push

it down on top of his head, pushes all the way down to the

floor. Here's an old drawing of what

that looks like. See him smashing down this

extinguisher on top of the Ghost of Christmas, trying to snuff

out the light, but Dickens writes he could not extinguish

it. See how the light still?

Spills out from underneath. The extinguisher it.

Will not be snuffed out and poor Scrooge collapses in bed,

exhausted, only to be visited by another ghost and another ghost.

You know the story. Why do we?

Seek to snuff out the light. Why is it so?

Deeply ingrained in us. To resist.

What we need the most, it's because of sin.

It's because of an inward bentness away from God, and we

need desperately for angelic visitation and even a God from

on high to come. To us to give.

To us, what we cannot do for ourselves, that's what we need,

and that's what Epiphany is all about.

As I said, we're in Matthew. Chapter 2 And instead of our

Matthew 2 · chapter mention

scripture reading more formally this morning, I'm going to just

enjoy a reading of this chapter with you.

You can relax, kind of step into the story with your imagination

and. See how?

They try to snuff out the light, but the light cannot overcome

it. You know, it's so easy to get

into a nostalgic sentimentality about Christmas time, but in

this story, we're going to see that the Lord entered into a

dark and scary night, a war zone.

There's a dragon in the nativity.

My friends hear the word of the Lord from Matthew 2.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days.

Of Herod the King. Behold.

Wise men or Magi? From the east.

Came to Jerusalem saying. Where is he who has been born

king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it

rose, and have come to worship him.

When Herod heard this, he was troubled.

And all Jerusalem with him. And assembling all the chief

priests and scribes, the people, he inquired of them, where the

Christ? Was to be born, they told.

Him in Bethlehem of. Judea for.

It is written by the prophet. Quote In you of Bethlehem in the

land of Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,

For from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd.

My people Israel, End Quote verse 7.

Then Herod summoned the wise Men secretly, and ascertained from

them at what time the star had appeared.

And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, go and search diligently

for the child. And.

When you have found him, bring me word that I too may come and

worship Him after listening to the King.

They went on their way, and behold the star that they had.

Seen when it rose. Went before them until it came

to rest over the place where the child was.

When they. Saw the star, they rejoiced

exceedingly with great joy and. Going into the.

House they saw the child. With Mary.

His mother and they. Fell down and worship.

Worshipped him then opening their treasures.

They offered him gifts. Gold and frankincense and myrrh.

And being. Warned in a dream.

Not to return to Herod, they departed.

To their own country by another way now, when they.

Had departed. Behold, an Angel of the Lord

appeared to Joseph in a dream, and said, rise, take the child

and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I

tell you for. Herod is about to search for the

child to destroy him, and he rose and took the child and his

mother by night and departed to Egypt.

And remained there until the death of Herod.

This was to fulfill what the Lord has spoken by the prophet

out of Egypt. I called my son verse 16.

Then Herod when he. Saw that he had been tricked by

the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the

male children in Bethlehem. And in all that?

Region who were two. Years old or under, according to

the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

This was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah.

A voice was heard in Rama. Weeping and loud lamentation.

Rachel weeping for. Her children, she refused to be

comforted because they are no more.

But when Herod died, behold. An Angel of the Lord appeared in

a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, rise, take the child and

his mother, and go to the land of.

Israel for those who sought the child's life.

Are dead. And he rose and took the child

and his mother. And went to the land of Israel.

But when he heard that Archelaus.

Was reigning over Judah in place of his father.

Herod, he was afraid to go there and being.

Warned in a dream. He would drew to the district.

Of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city

called Nazareth. So that what?

He was spoken by the prophets, might be fulfilled.

That he would be called. And Nazarene, the word of the

Lord. It's a very raw.

Story and I think it's helpful for those.

Who suffer grief? In the time when everyone else

seems to be rejoicing. There is a.

Loud lament. Every aspect of the emotional.

Range is represented in the text from the Fury.

Of. Herod, to the loud lamentation

of the mothers of Bethlehem, to the exceeding great joy and the

adoration of the Magi as they come to honor King Jesus, So no.

Matter where you are. In that emotional spectrum

today. There's something for you.

And there is good news for all of us.

First thing that we're going to think about.

Is the regal. Rejection.

The regal rejection. We have to talk in order to set

this up. We have to talk a little bit

about the. Historical context of what's

going on here, right as you know, even.

As far back as. Abraham, God promised.

Abraham that through his. Family, he would bless the

nations and so. We get this two people motif.

The insiders, the Jewish people, the descendants.

Literally. Of Abraham and his family.

But also those who are. Not.

The gentile nations who will receive revelation from this

special nation of priests in order to know the good news and

in order to. Know that indeed.

There is a God in Israel, indeed the only true.

God lives in Israel. And the Old Testament sets up a

type. Of.

Candle or a light on a hill to. The nations by which?

They may come and. See that there is a God in

Israel. That motif kind of hits its high

point with the Glorious King. Solomon in the Golden.

Age and there's this beautiful story that is so.

Precious to me where the. Queen of Sheba journeys from a

far distance. This gentile dignitary, this

queen comes to Israel to see if all the stories she had heard

about King Solomon were indeed true.

And she comes. And she is amazed.

By his wealth, amazed by his. Wisdom and exclaims not half of

what was told me. You exceed this abundantly.

More. And we get a.

Little glimpse. Of how it was.

Supposed to be. And as you know, in the Old

Testament, there's just a series of failure and decline until

there's exile. And return.

And what you get now in this text is a reiteration where you

have foreign dignitaries coming and seeing the one God giving

him worship and adoration here in Israel, a recasting of the

great Gentile. Pilgrim to come and see.

It's awesome. But we also have right there

beside it this regal rejection because all the insiders, the

Jewish people who have access to revelation.

They can kind of look it up. And say, oh, yeah, it's in

Bethlehem. It's right here in the prophets.

Yep, Bethlehem right over there. That's where it's going to

happen. These people, Herod and all of

Jerusalem with him, is referring to the Jewish religious

establishment, the Sanhedrin. They enjoy their power as the

puppet protectors of the Jewish state under Rome.

They enjoy their power too much to be troubled with, Jesus to be

troubled with. The Messiah, and so you.

Have this. Resistance and this.

Grand attempt A genocidal, maniacal attempt to stuff.

Out the light. Killing children.

Horrific. The regal rejection.

Now, though, we read the story as Gentile.

Outsiders and can resonate with the Magi.

Perhaps the good guys. We always do that, don't we?

We read the stories and we think we're not the bad guys, we're

the good guys. But if?

You've grown up in church. In your whole life, you've been

a. Part.

Of a type of privilege that comes.

From being within the Christian establishment, particularly in

this country where that doesn't bring you much persecution, it

can be. Very easy to slip.

Into a type of hardness which is Herodian and Pharisaical and

much less magi than we would like to think.

So when we read about a regal. Rejection.

We must think that could be me too.

It could be I who? Seek to snuff out the candle of

Revelation. I don't like the preacher Medlin

too much. I don't like those.

Parts of my Bible. Let's push that back.

Let's explain that away. Let's deconstruct it a bit to

make it a bit. More comfortable instead of

coming with a seeking, journeying humility that bows

before these things and says, Here am I Lord, I'm open to your

word, may it be unto me. As you have said, thy will be

done. The regal rejection.

The text is obviously putting into putting to you a.

Direct contrast between Herod and the Magi.

And it's also. Proclaiming a whole Bible.

Theme, which is the gospel, goes first to the Jews.

And then to the Gentiles. And so we shift now to think

about the. Gentile Reception.

The Gentile. Reception.

Represented here by these. Magi, your texts may say kings.

Magi would have been heard by the original audience as a.

Very negative word. Think astrologers or Pagan

priests of some kind. Now they may have.

More. Access.

There's theories about. Them having access to old

records from Daniel that go way back that they have knowledge.

But you notice that they're following a *.

That means something to them, a regal.

Sign Bible gives us very. Little more than this.

Other than Matthew's original audience would have.

Heard Magi and they would have been like Magi to make a very

important point. Careful insider.

Sometimes the outsider that you think shouldn't get it

understands better than you do. Listen to them, pay attention to

them. What are we going to see?

Well, for one thing, we see that they journey to see Christ,

don't they? They journey to see the Christ.

They come from a distant land, probably a risky enterprise.

It's not easy. There's not big Interstate.

Highways back then. They come from a distant.

Land and when they and they are seeking when they come to

Jerusalem they're asking questions can you please tell us

more we're. Following the star we need more

information and then when they. Are shown this.

Child, you hear, You see this exuberant rejoicing exceedingly,

with great joy. Matthew's just stacking all of

these. Intensifiers.

We see them giving. To the Christ child Expensive.

Gifts should note, by the way, that they're up to two years.

Later than the nativity story, which goes with.

The first to the. Jews, then to the Gentiles.

This is why Herod seeks to murder the children that are two

years and younger. You can also notice in the text

that they're at a house now instead of some temporary

accommodation. No room in the end.

And they come and they give these gifts, these gifts that

were prophesied by at least two of them by Isaiah 60.

In our call to worship, we heard this, but then we sang it.

As many have noted that there is probably very.

Significant biblical theological significance.

To the types of gifts that are. Given remember seeing it.

Born a king on Bethlehem's plain gold, I bring to crown him again

king. Forever ceasing.

Never. Over us all terrain, so the.

The poet notices. Gold is a regal gift fit for a

king. Next verse says frankincense to

offer Have I incense owns a deity?

Nye. Prayer and praising.

Goes up like incense. Voices raising, worshipping.

God on high. So, the gift.

Of frankincense evoking an. Incense of prayer and praising.

A worship of God. Next.

Myrrh is mine. It's bitter perfume.

Breathe a. Life of gathering gloom this

could be a embalming agent attend a funeral type of smell

sorrowing sighing bleeding dying sealed in the stone cold tomb

and the. Poet looks forward to Christ's.

Passion into his burial. But it.

Comes to the climax glorious. Now behold him arise

resurrection language, and then the stacking of the. 3 gifts.

And their significance. King and God and sacrifice, and

then the Word. Of praise.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Sounds through the.

Earth. And skies.

It's a beautiful song, it's an important song, and it's a way

to understand perhaps what's going on in the text with these

gifts in a broader framework. Last thing that we see them

doing besides journeying and rejoicing exceedingly with

great. Joy and giving is protecting,

don't they? They're warned by.

The Angel that Herod. Does not mean well and decide to

go back a different way protecting the Christ child.

This doesn't work with every text, but in many texts it does

where you do. Have a model.

When you move into your application section.

Of the sermon. These are held forth to the.

Reader as examples. So the first thing I have is

come. We also like to sing about this

during. Advent, Christmas time.

Come, let us adore him. Come, let us adore him, O Come.

All Ye Faithful all. Right.

The idea that your Christian life is a movement, it's a type

of journey. It isn't a passivity that sits,

it goes forth. It seeks first thing that we're.

Seeking is Jesus. Are we seeking Jesus this year

as we? Move into the new year.

Is he our? Passion.

Not only are they seeking Jesus, but here there's this idea of of

seeking out to the lost because God is revealing himself to

these Gentiles with a *. Seeking them out, drawing them

in. Now the church is called A.

City on a hill, a lamp on a stand, a place a bright light.

We must be seekers, but we also must care.

And Minister? To those who are.

Seeking as a star in this text. So we see these.

Journeying pilgrims on their way, coming to a door.

Seeking Jesus. But we can also.

See that their response of worship entails gifts.

Doesn't it? We give.

You don't have to be long in a church before you should be

hearing about the proper response.

Of faith to. God is a heart of.

Giving what happens to Scrooge stingy old Scrooge can barely

afford light. Or.

Heat, he thinks. But when this change is wrought

in him, he becomes exceedingly generous.

Instantly. Buy the biggest Turkey.

That we can find. Take it over to Bob Cratchit's

house. He meets the people that asked

him for charitable donations earlier, and he says here

there's a lot of. Back payments included.

He intends to change Bob's life forever and his nephew.

'S life forever because. He has been changed forever.

So when we. See these magi outsiders giving

abundantly out of their abundance.

We see a model all through Holy. Scripture.

Reflected in what we should do that a mark of a Christian is

generosity. Generosity.

Toward God, generosity. Toward his people generosity.

Toward those in need, generosity.

Toward neighbor generosity. This is our worship.

Our hearts should well with joyful.

Generosity. And we often talk about giving

to the church, not just material.

Resources like money, but also giving generously out of our

time. Here you are, first day of the

week. You could be doing other things

Sunday mornings, kind of like a time ties the first fruits off

the top of the week. Let's go be with the people.

Let's go rehearse the story. Of redemption in Word and prayer

and song. And here we are.

We give our time not only for corporate worship, but in

ministry. So.

Many of you give countless hours to this church and to this

community. God bless you.

We couldn't do. Even a fraction of what we do

without generous volunteer hours.

Countless generous volunteer out.

Hours from our community. God bless you.

God bless you. Our time, our treasure.

Yes, Preacher, there are three T's.

What's the third one? You've heard it.

Before your talents, what gifts do you have to bring for the

King? I hope at some point in the next

few weeks you go and hug a musician.

They've been working super hard, giving a great gift.

During Advent Christmas time. And then they'll continue to do

that week after week after week as they help lift.

Our hearts in worship. But it's not just the musicians.

Right that are giving. Their spiritual gifts of worship

to the church. We have teachers and

encouragers, those who are good at hospitality and acts of

mercy, people who visit the sick, people who extend kindness

to the poor. What is your spiritual gift and

how is it? Being activated.

And are there places? Where it can increase treasure,

time and talents. The last thing we see in the

text. Which can and does.

There was a model for us is. Protection, protection.

Does Jesus need your help? On the one hand, no he does not.

The King of heaven has his. Own sword he doesn't need.

Yours. We learned this from the story

of Peter, who, in his rash boldness and attempt to save his

Savior, whips out a sword and lops off someone's ear.

Such an interesting story. Jesus is like, put the sword

away, here's your ear back. That's not what we need, right?

Now. So there's an inappropriate way.

That we're too defensive. Too protective too.

Rash and brash. We can dial all that back a lot

into a better slot that's less insecure and more aware of the

end of the story, right? However, however, there is a

protection which is appropriate. So if your Savior is being

besmirched, if your church is being made fun of, if your

pastoral leadership is being unjustly criticized, that you

could maybe you know, say something to the bullies, at

least don't agree with them or pretend to.

Yeah, you're kind of right. The church and all her problems.

So there's a appropriate. Type of defensiveness.

Same kind that I have as a husband and as a father and as a

pastor of all y'all the right type of.

Shepherding defensiveness. Now I say, well, pastor, that's

awfully vague. Well.

It's awfully contextual, and it depends.

Very much on the. Situation.

You have to read it and choose wisely in each situation.

But the Lord helped the Magi, didn't they?

Didn't he gave him a message? By an Angel, don't go back the

way you came. Herod's a bad guy, so they

didn't. So all of us, we depend on the

Lord to give us the. Discernment to know how to.

Appropriately respond. Protecting Christ's dignity,

protecting Holy Scripture. Protecting the dignity.

Of the of the community of faith, in spite of our problems.

And I think finally, what? I would say is.

There's a protection which has to do with protecting your own

attitude from not being. Drawn off by the cynical.

And those who are deconstructing and who are putting forth doubt.

As a virtue. That we must in our inner.

Man and woman. Protect our.

Affections from the cynical. And this is maybe one of the

reasons why I have some of these Christmas movies on repeat and A

Christmas Carol Dickens on repeat.

And along with. These holy scriptures, it's

because you live in a dark and cynical world.

A doubting world that has no place for wonder and enchantment

and even Christmas itself. So you will protect your heart

from those grinches and hope that they have a same epiphany

as Grinch himself when he recognized that under all the

materialism there was a spirit of.

Unquenchable generosity. God bless them.

God bless us everyone indeed. So with exceedingly great joy,

we protect. Our hearts from the cynical and

the scoffers. So, my friends, let us shine our

lights brightly in a Dark World that seeks to snuff out the

Christmas candle. We can do this.

With Christ, His coming changes everything.

He forces a choice we can reject like Herod or receive.

And come and. Adore Give.

And bless and protect like the Magi.

Let us pray. Father in heaven, we're super

grateful for these beautiful stories that are so.

Deep and complex, yet totally accessible to us.

Will you change our hearts by the gospel this morning?

We love you in Jesus name, Amen. Would you please stand and sing?

A song of response.