` Epiphany 2007

Epiphany 2007



Rev. Todd A. Peperkorn
Messiah Lutheran Church
Kenosha, Wisconsin
The Epiphany of Our Lord 2007
For an audio MP3 of this sermon, please CLICK HERE

TITLE: “A Light Has Come to All Eternity”


In the name of the Father and of the † Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.  Our text for tonight is the Epiphany of our Lord, and the visit of the wise-men to the infant Jesus from Matthew chapter two.

In the story of our Lord’s Nativity, there are two groups of people who come to worship our infant Lord: the shepherds and the wise-men from the east.  The shepherds were Israel.  They were the keepers of the Temple flocks, waiting for sacrifice.  And despite the fact that these shepherds were the keeps of the Temple flocks, in Israel’s day, shepherds had a well, not a very savory reputation.  They were the earthiest of characters.  In their culture, the shepherds were the ones who ended up doing all of the work no one else wanted to do.  They took care of sheep, a dirty, frankly pretty smelly animal.  But these shepherds represented all of Israel in the story of our Lord’s birth.  They are a part of the promise, even though they don’t always look it.

But our Lord came to save Israel, to save shepherds such as they were, poor and dirty and messy.  He came for all of the lost sheep of the house of Israel, not just the Israelites that smelled good, lived in nice homes, or had perfect lives.  We can find much comfort in this, for poor sinners such as you and I.

So now the season of Christmas has come to a close, and the Magi, these wise-men from the east, enter in to the picture.  They followed the star.  These sages, perhaps astrologers from Babylon, followed the star all the way to Jerusalem to find the infant king.  They came to worship and adore, and remembered all the way back to when the prophet Daniel had been in their midst generations before.  Where would they go?  They remembered the prophecy of Balaam, where he said:

A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.  And Edom shall be a possession; Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession, While Israel does valiantly.  Out of Jacob One shall have dominion, And destroy the remains of the city." (Numbers 24:17-19)

These wise-men knew that a star would rise who would destroy the enemies of the Lord and bring all of the world under His gracious dominion.  But where did they go?  How did they find Him who was born king of the Jews?

They first went to Jerusalem, where King Herod was forced to go to the one and only place where we finally learn the will of God: the Sacred Scriptures.   In the prophet Micah we hear the prophecy: But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for our of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel. (Micah 5:2)

Now this is a prophecy brings all of the peoples of the world together, Jew and Gentle, slave and free, male and female.  For this infant King is not born like the rulers of the world.  He does not slavishly demand obedience, charge taxes and seek to rule with an iron fist.  No, our Lord comes as a shepherd king.  This shepherd, this truly wise man, will take care of all of the peoples of the world, by forgiving their sins and drawing them into His gracious embrace, by protecting them from danger and giving them eternal life in His name.

Now this is very good news for you, dear Christian.  Christ our Lord came into the world as an infant not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.  The very gifts of the magi testify to our Lord’s person and word.  Gold, the metal of kings.  Frankincense, the sweet smelling aroma used at both the Temple for prayer and for embalming the dead.  And myrrh, that bitter spice that our Lord was offered on the cross, and which was also used for embalming the dead.  The gifts of the wisemen only make sense if Jesus is coming to save us from our sins.

Jesus Christ, our infant King who is born to die, comes this day to say to you: be free.  I have come to claim your life, and to pay the price for your redemption!  No matter what your sin, I will pay it.  No matter how ignorant you are of me, I will teach you by my very Word!  No matter what the cost, I will come to you and make my abode in you, for I love you with an everlasting love.

Our Lord does not promise happiness or peace as the world knows it.  Right after our text, Jesus and his mother and foster father are forced to flee Bethlehem to Egypt because of Herod’s murderous rage over the infants of Bethlehem.  Later in John Jesus even says, In this world you will have trouble, but be not afraid, for I have overcome the world.

In our hymn this morning all of these beautiful texts and promises come together.  Comfort for the bereaved, life to the dying, hope to those in prison and under the pain of sin, and most importantly a life everlasting in His Name.  Hear again the final words of our sermon hymn:

What joy to know, when life is past,
The Lord we love is first and last,
The end and the beginning!
He will one day, oh, glorious grace,
Transport us to that happy place
Beyond all tears and sinning!
Amen! Amen!
Come, Lord Jesus!
Crown of Gladness!
We are Yearning!
For the day of Your returning.

Dearly baptized, the coming of the wisemen shows us that you are a part of that great joy, you are in that promise.  For just as surely as Jesus came born of the Virgin Mary in lowliness and humility, even so will He come again in glory to bring us from this vale of tears to Himself in Heaven.  You have a life, a hope, a future that shines for all eternity.  God has come into our flesh and blood, and has revealed Himself to the world.  Trust in Him, Word and Water, Body and Blood, with the holy comfort that only He can give.  Trust in Him, for He gives himself to you, now even forevermore.

Believe it for Jesus’ sake.  Amen.
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This page was created on 01/07/2007 and last edited on: 01/07/2007
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