Introduction
I don’t usually tackle two texts (and usually I prefer to take the assigned lectionary text rather than the feast day). However, given that Epiphany and the 2nd Sunday of Christmas are only separated by a day, I know that there will be a big split of preaching decisions. So, I’m pushing these two together because I think there is a theme that goes through both. So, let’s start with the assigned John text and then jump to the Matthean Epiphany.
John 1:1-18
“Jesus was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.”
This is a line that can cause us preachers all sorts of trouble. It is a line that, when paired with the next two verses, can lead to antisemitic messages and perspectives very easily. But that’s where we need to lean against that instinct to pivot our congregations.
It’s easy to say, this already happened, and the people of Jesus’ time messed up in not seeing him and we would never do that too. But then we remember that the intensely educated religious leaders didn’t recognize him. Then we remember that the disciples who followed him more and saw more of his miracles than anyone else didn’t really understand either.
It begs the question: If Jesus came into the world today (a question we can ask as we think about the incarnation of Christmas), who would be his people? Christians. And if Jesus came today, do we think that we’d recognize him?
Back in 2007, the Washington Post wrote about an experiment with the world-class violinist, Joshua Bell. Bell, who regularly played for sold-out concerts for over $100 a ticket back then, instead played in a Washington D.C. Metro station. His instrument was a three-hundred-year-old Stradivarius violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Just two days before he played a sold-out concert in Boston. He gave the same concert that he had just given in the concert hall but this time, played just in a simple Metro station. In the 45 minutes that he played, 1,097 people walked by him. Only one person recognized who he was. Just one.
A world-class violinist, playing some of the most beautiful music in the world, on one of the most beautiful instruments in the world, was anonymous. Joshua Bell was right in front of those people, in the ordinary world all around them, but they did not know him. They did not see him. He was just an ordinary performer in the metro station, just another person.
“If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the greatest musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, on one of the most beautiful instruments ever made, how many similarly sublime moments do we miss out on during a normal day?”[1]
Now, of course, classical music is not the same today as it was once upon a time. The experiment would probably go very differently if Taylor Swift or Rihanna was singing in the train station. But even still, I think most people would say that they would pay attention if they heard extraordinary music being played. I think most people would say that they would stop and watch an amazing performance or a work of art or something spectacular. But we end up looking for something too grand. And we end up missing the amazing moments that are all around us every day.
We always think that we are the exception to the rule. We think that we will see the special moments. We think that we will be attentive. And yet 1,097 walked by and only one noticed.
How often do we walk on by the moments where beauty or wonder or just something neat is happening because we’re too busy, too rushed, too caught up in our own importance?
Matthew 2:1-12
In our Epiphany text, we see a stark contrast of those whose eyes are open and those whose eyes cannot see beyond themselves.
Wise men, magi, from the far east, come thousands of miles following a star in hopes of finding something special. Their eyes were open. They were looking for something spectacular. A king to pay homage.
Herod, the King, hears of this news and is terrified. News of the birth of a Messiah is not good news for Herod. It threatens his power. It threatens his way of being. News like this means that things could change. Herod’s eyes can only look at what is impacting his own life. And he demands that every person only see how his life is impacted.
Eyes wide open. Or eyes closed to the world. It is a stark contrast. But one that is not foreign to our lives. And this story in the Gospel only illustrates it further.
The magi are looking for a glorious king and seek him by going right to the seat of power in Jerusalem. Herod is fearful of a coming conqueror who will usurp his power and sees every person as a threat.
The magi then continue to follow the star as it stops overhead. And it stops over a house. A simple home in Bethlehem. It is there that they find what they were truly looking for. They saw the child in Mary’s arms, and they were filled with joy.
The promise that they received was not the one they expected. In it they found something far greater. In the arms of a young mother, in this ordinary home, in this ordinary town, they found God.
That is the theme that runs through so much of scripture, it is a theme that runs through so many of our beloved stories. We walk around in this world in hope of seeing something miraculous and beautiful knowing that it can only happen in the extravagant, expensive, and elegant moments. But the true beauty and miracles of this world, can be found when our eyes are open to see the beautiful in the ordinary.
It’s a theme that runs throughout all of scripture. Eyes open. The light shining forth so we can see.
That is God’s hope for us. That is God’s dream for us. Is that our eyes can be open to this world. Open to see the gifts and beauty in this world. That we might be able to open our eyes and see that God has been with us and around us the whole time.
At Christmas time we hear the promise of Emmanuel, which means God with us. That is not just a promise for Christmas but a promise for every day of our lives. As we trudge into the winter months, we could close ourselves off. But in our ordinary, everyday lives, in our commutes to work, in the podcasts or playlists that we listen to, in our work or schedules, God is with us. And there is beauty, love, and joy to be found.
The Epiphany season is here for a purpose. It calls for us to keep our eyes open. Because when we do, we will see gifts and beauty and love that we never knew that we needed, that is all around us.
[1] Mark Batterson, 2014, The Grave Robber, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, p.15-16
Micah Krey 
Leave a comment