{"id":2427,"date":"2019-01-06T20:07:29","date_gmt":"2019-01-06T20:07:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk\/web\/?page_id=2427"},"modified":"2019-01-13T12:40:56","modified_gmt":"2019-01-13T12:40:56","slug":"sermon-6th-january-2019","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk\/web\/information\/sermons\/sermon-6th-january-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Sermon – 6th January 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sermons index<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epiphany – evening<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Sunday 6th January 2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Epiphany – evening
\nIsa. 60. 1-9
\nJohn 2. 1-11<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Maureen<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But the clue to the selection of this passage lies \u2013 not in the main part of the story, but in the closing sentences… \u201cJesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThis\ntale from the very beginning of the public ministry of Jesus \u2013 at a\ntime when he did not feel quite ready himself, is all about his glory\nbeing revealed. And that is the meaning of Epiphany \u2013 a showing or\nshining forth, a manifestation. And that is the point. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAfter\nall the fun and the food of Christmas, Jesus escapes our best efforts\nto surround him with fable and fanciful notions. And the arrival of\nthe wise men is a brilliant illustration of this. The story \u2013\nwhich features so heavily in all the nativities you will ever have\nseen, and on our Christmas cards (just look at the frequency with\nwhich the wise men or kings are depicted on your cards, compared with\nthe lowly shepherds!) I\u2019d be surprised if you did not find that\nkings outnumber shepherds by at least 2:1! But the story is almost\nincidental to the main event of Jesus\u2019 birth. It is recounted in\nonly one of the four gospels and then in very basic terms. We don\u2019t\neven know for certain how many there were \u2013 we only stick to the\nnumber 3 because of the three gifts mentioned. But maybe there were\n4, 10, or even more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\nstory is there because \u2013 for a Jewish audience \u2013 they would have\ncaught the many references to earlier events in the history of God\u2019s\npeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\nprophet Isaiah, writing for a people who had suffered an enormous\ncatastrophe. Invasion, defeat and exile of the brightest and best\namong them \u2013 promising young men like Daniel, – taken off to live\nand serve a foreign king in the east. The rich gold from Solomon\u2019s\nTemple had been carried off to a land in the East \u2013 Babylon. Isaiah\nwanted to reassure the people that God had not forgotten and\nabandoned them \u2013 despite evidence to the contrary. One day,\n\u201cnations will come to your light, and kings to your dawning\nbrightness\u201d and they will come bearing gifts of frankincense and\ngold. Could this be why the wise men are recorded bringing such\ngifts?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nOthers\nwould have been made to think of Psalm 72 as well; promising a day\nwhen kings would come from Tarshish, Sheba and Seba, bringing gifts\nand rendering tribute. And of course, riding camels!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIn\nthe story of the three kings, the wound of the exile is healed;\nevents are reversed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThose\nwho once took Israel captive, desecrated the Temple and stole its\nwisdom, now return and bend the knee, bringing gold \u2013 and\nfrankincense and myrrh. Not only does this story remind them of the\nprevious scriptures, but it brings restoration and redemption!..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nSo\nover the years all sorts of additions were made; the mysterious\nvisitors were first of all upgraded from magi \u2013 wise men schooled\nin science and astronomy \u2013 to become men of wealth and power \u2013\nkings. Then the modern concern for representation kicked in. These\nmen became representatives of youth, middle age and old age;\nrepresentatives of different ancient eastern countries; even of\ndifferent continents! And of course they were given names \u2013 names\nthat you will never find in the Bible but which everyone knows!\nCaspar, Melchior and Balthasar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nSo\nmuch is turned upside down… The inferior wine is served first, and\nthe best reserved for the end of the celebration; those from the East\nwho formerly conquered and colonized Jerusalem, now come seeking\nwisdom and to pay homage. And they find their goal not in the palaces\nassociated with powerful men, but in a young child, in an ordinary\nhouse, with humble working parents. The wise bend the knee to\nsimplicity and homage is offered to an astonished family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nSo\nwhat in your life do you need to find turned upside down today? As we\nbring our \u2018gold\u2019 to offer we are making a promise to stay\nfaithful to the God who came to meet us in Jesus, to follow the\nteachings of the one who could make something extraordinary from the\nmundane, turning water into wine; who could produce abundance from\ndiminished resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIf\nwe are in any kind of exile \u2013 feeling defeated, cowed down,\noppressed by circumstances or other people, we are called back to the\nEpiphany. If we are searching for wisdom, here we will find it. If we\nare lost, here we are found. Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ.\nAmen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Epiphany – evening Sunday 6th January 2019 Epiphany – evening Isa. 60. 1-9 John 2. 1-11 Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs But the clue to the selection of this passage lies \u2013 not in the main part of the story, but in the closing sentences… \u201cJesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of … <\/p>\n

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