A Revelation
A sermon based on Ephesians 3:1-12
by Rev. Randy Quinn
January 6 is
traditionally celebrated as Epiphany, or as it is known in some
cultures, the Day of the Kings. The word epiphany comes from
the Greek words epi and phainein, meaning “to
show.” It’s often translated as “manifestation” from the Latin
phrase “to be struck by the hand.”
(Slap my palm
against my forehead, “a-ha”!)
Another way the
Greek phrase is translated is to refer to it as a revelation, to
“reveal” what has been hidden or to uncover something.
I was surprised
when I heard the story about a diamond that was found in
Murphreesboro, Arkansas recently.
Apparently the Crater of Diamonds State Park is the only place
in the world where you can walk around, find diamonds, and take
them home with you. It was there that the “Star of Thelma” was
found. One of about 400 diamonds found there last year, it is
about the size of the end of your pinkie finger and it was found
lying on the ground.
A man by the name
of Gary Dunlap saw it, so he picked it up and named it in honor
of his wife, Thelma.
The truth is the
“Star of Thelma” had always been there, but it hadn’t been found
before because it had been covered by dirt. A recent rainfall
had washed the dirt away and “revealed” the stone. Until the
rain had washed the dirt away, it was hidden. And with the dirt
gone, it became obvious to Gary Dunlap.
You could call it
an epiphany. What was hidden was revealed. It was uncovered
and became obvious what had always been there.
Epiphany is when
it became obvious who Jesus is. It’s when we celebrate that God
has been revealed through Jesus. In Matthew’s telling of the
story, the first people to recognize it were the Magi (Mt.
2:1-12). They uncovered the truth and came to worship him.
That’s why we read their story today.
But the Magi
weren’t the only ones who recognized Jesus as God’s son. Nor
was the recognition limited to Jesus as a baby.
Ø
Peter recognized who he was during his life on
earth, acknowledging him as the Christ (Mt. 16:16).
Ø
The thief recognized him on the cross as they were
dying (Lk. 23:41).
Ø
Thomas recognized who he was after he rose from
the dead (Jn. 20:28).
Ø
And Paul recognized him on the road to Damascus
(Acts 9:5).
Each time it was
as if the mystery had been uncovered, revealed, unveiled. Each
could be thought of as an epiphany, when the nature of Jesus
became obvious.
In our text for
today Paul claims God gave him the role of proclaiming the
mystery of Christ to the Gentiles (Eph. 3:9). What had been
hidden was now revealed, and his task was to make Christ known.
And, he goes on to
suggest that it is up to us to reveal that truth as well.
Let me read a
portion of the scripture again, this time from Eugene Peterson’s
paraphrase, The Message:
As you read over what I have written to
you, you’ll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery of
Christ. None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our
time has it been made clear by God’s Spirit through his holy
apostles and prophets of this new order. The mystery is that
people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of
him all their lives (what I’ve been calling outsiders and
insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the
same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The
Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the
board. . . .
And so here I am, preaching and writing
about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches
and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open
and make plain what God, who created all this in the first
place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all
along. Through Christians like yourselves gathered in churches,
this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked
about even among the angels!
Eph 3:3-6, 8-10
“Through
Christians like yourselves gathered in churches, this
extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about
even among the angels.”
That was then.
Paul was speaking to a community of faith that was a small
minority in their city, a small minority in their country. They
were a small, but active congregation who were gathering each
week to proclaim the wonder of God’s glory. They shared the
good news with those around them much like the state of Arkansas
has decided to allow anyone to claim the diamonds in the rough
at the Crater of Diamonds State Park.
Now, there were
some people in Paul’s day who wanted to keep the secret to
themselves. They are referred to as Gnostics, from the Greek
work meaning to know. They developed a theological framework
around the idea that the mystery was revealed to a select few
people who have special insight, special knowledge.
Unlike them,
however, Paul understood that his task was to the reveal the
truth to others, not to keep the revelation a secret. It is
part of what he called the “inexhaustible riches and generosity
of Christ,” not some scarce resource that was to be hoarded
(Eph. 3:8).
One of the things
that fascinates me – and frustrates me at times – is how people
stop to gawk at things. I usually get frustrated when traffic
slows down and I’m in a hurry – but even then I find myself
joining the people who slow down and crane their necks at the
edge of the road to see something.
Often it’s
something tragic like a car accident. But there have also been
occasions when it was a wonder of nature.
Ø
I remember slowing down to see elk in a meadow on
a narrow road in Canada.
Ø
When we went through Yellowstone National Park a
couple of years ago, it was a bear cub.
Ø
Another time it was something as common as a colt
jumping through the grass.
I might not have
noticed any of them had the other cars not slowed down.
There have also
been times when I slowed down and didn’t see what everyone else
had slowed down to see – and in those times I sometimes I
realize that I’m causing the people behind me to slow down and
see something that may not even be there!
We are simply
gawking at what once was without knowing what it was.
When we are being
faithful to Christ, when we are responding to the gospel in our
lives, when we are celebrating God’s gift of salvation, people
around us begin to notice. And like the cars on the highway,
people slow down to see what is so exciting.
Unfortunately, I’m
afraid we are too often guilty of gawking at what once was
without knowing what it was. We barely stop to join the magi at
the manger as we rush into the New Year and set our sights on
Lent and Easter. The power has been drained from our lives and
the mystery that had been revealed is hidden once again. We
have become complacent about our faith, and we no longer draw
crowds.
Sadly, there are
also times when we act as if there is a secret here that we want
to keep to ourselves rather than excitedly sharing the good news
that is ours in Jesus Christ. And then we wonder why so few
people are clamoring at the door to see what’s going on inside!
This year, I hope
we can find ways to change that. I hope we can join with Paul
in proclaiming the mystery – the mystery that God has come to us
in Jesus Christ and that we have been included in God’s plan of
salvation, a plan that not only includes us but includes every
single one of our friends and neighbors.
Our closing hymn,
“Go, Tell it on the Mountain,” puts the concept into familiar
and poetic language.
It will be up to
us to put the concept into a language that others will see – a
language that invites others to gawk with us in amazement at
what God has done and is still doing.
The epiphany is
not just a date in history. It’s an attitude that invites
others to recognize what we have seen, to uncover what we have
found so that God’s grace will be revealed – and the glory of
God will shine in us and among us.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
