What does God Require?

I Corinthians 1:18-25; Psalm 15; Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 5:3-12.

Introduction

When you cross the border into the United States or back into Canada again, that is serious business. I always take my sunglasses off and try to be as honest and transparent as possible, hoping they won’t find some reason to ask me to pull over for inspection. That is a place to do things right.

In a month or two we will be filling out tax forms again. Whenever I do my taxes, I try very hard to make sure I do it right. In fact, I have a fear of not doing it right.

When we applied for our passports again a year or so ago, I looked over the application two or three times to make sure I had filled out every line properly and that I had every necessary supporting document. I wanted to make sure that I did it right.

Do we have the same seriousness and concern to do it right when it comes to our approach of God?

As you may recall, we are reading Scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary and preaching from some of those texts. The four texts which are assigned for today, which we have already read, all invite us to think about our approach to God.

I.                The Big Question

In each of the four texts the question which is asked is, “How do you come into God’s presence?”

Psalm 15:1 asks, “…who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?” At this time the temple had not yet been built in Jerusalem. The tent of meeting had been placed by David on Mount Zion and that was the place where the people went to meet God. The Psalm asks, “How do we come into God’s presence appropriately?”

Micah 6:6 asks a similar question, “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before God on high?” The mention of “God on high” reminds us that God is above and is the high and exalted one and you cannot go into his presence carelessly.

A similar question is raised in I Corinthians 1:21 when it declares, “the world did not know God through wisdom.” Although the question is not directly stated, the theme is stated as this verse says that the world has not found its way to God. The rest of the passage talks about the way to God.

The same question is implied in Matthew 5:3-12. Although once again we do not have the question stated, it is implied in the promises made which talk about who will see God, who will be called the children of God and who will inherit the kingdom of heaven.

The world has failed miserably in trying to answer this question. In fact, many people do not even ask it. They are so far from God that they do not even believe that there is a God who can be approached. But if there is a God who is the Supreme Being in the universe then this is a very important question. If this Supreme Being is creator, then we must ask how we relate to the One who made us. If this Supreme Being is Lord we must think about how to submit to His reign. If this Supreme Being is Judge we must ask how we can be safe before Him and if this Supreme Being is Holy we need to know how to be acceptable to Him.

II.             There Must Be a Sacrifice

A.               The Necessity of Sacrifices

Atheism takes many forms. Some are philosophically unbelieving, declaring that there is no God. On the other hand, some declare belief in God, but avoid all connection with God. All of us disobey God whether we believe in Him or not. Such rebellion against the one who has created us is serious business. In fact, it is death to reject God. When we sever ourselves from the one who created us whether by disobedience, carelessness or outright rejection a death takes place. The only way to change that is for another death to take place in order to redeem us. Only death can pay for the death caused by the rejection of God. That is why in the Old Testament, God gave His people a sacrificial system by which they could offer an animal to redeem them from their sin. Hebrews 9:22 says, "…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."

In the Old Testament, God provided a system of sacrifices which the people were to give which were necessary to show the seriousness of sin and to pay for sin. God promised that if they made these offerings of bulls, goats and lambs, He would forgive their sins. When we read Hebrews, however, we find that although these sacrifices were accurate and required, they were not totally effective. Hebrews 10:1 says, "Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who approach." In other words, although these sacrifices were necessary in order to approach God, they needed to be repeated over and over again.

B.               The Sacrifice of Jesus

The good news of the gospel is that God has provided another sacrifice which is effective to deal with sin once for all. That is how I Corinthians 1:18-25 answers the question of how we can approach God. This passage has a particular context in which Paul is specifically addressing issues for the Corinthians. In the context of his argument, he points out that there are two particular idolatries by which people think they can approach God. One is the idolatry which the Jews requested and that was the idolatry of demonstrations of power. They would believe in God if He showed His power by signs. He had done so in the past when He delivered them from Egypt and they expected that this is how God operates. The other was the idolatry of wisdom. The Greeks would believe in God if everything made sense. But God did something completely different. He sent Jesus, who was God, to die on the cross. Instead of demonstrating power through a sign of defeating enemies, God demonstrated the weakness of offering to die on the cross. The Jews could not accept that. Neither could the Greeks for it made no sense to them for God to die. Yet in the death of Jesus, God accomplished something amazing that could happen in no other way. First Corinthians 1:23 speaks about salvation through the proclamation of “Christ crucified.” Through the death of Jesus on the cross, God provided a sacrifice for sin. Unlike the sacrifices in the Old Testament, His sacrifice was one that was made once for all. Hebrews 10:10 explains, "And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Since a sacrifice is absolutely necessary in order to approach God and since Jesus has made that sacrifice on the cross, all those who believe in Jesus are able to approach God. God provided the way and it is completely effective in making it possible for us to come near to God.

III.           There Must Be a Life of Faithfulness

If a sacrifice is necessary, why then do we read in Micah 6:6b-7 that sacrifices are not what God wants? It is because of the way in which they were offering the sacrifices.

In the early part of Micah, the prophet reminded the people of all that God had done for them and also reminded them of their failure to follow God and accept His gifts. They were offering sacrifices, but it was not for the purpose of drawing near to God as their disobedience demonstrated. They were willing to offer calves a year old which were the top quality sacrifices they could make. They were willing to offer thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of oil which were a huge quantity of sacrifices. They even considered giving their children as a sacrifice for sin which was totally wrong. Although the nations around them did it, the Bible warned against such a sacrifice. What did they hope to accomplish with these high quality, large quantity and very costly sacrifices? The evidence of their life was that they did not really want to know God or follow God. They were not coming to God with humble hearts seeking forgiveness for sins and with a desire to live obediently and faithfully in response to God’s grace. They simply wanted to buy God’s favor and such sacrifices are not what God wants.

The same thing can happen even with the more excellent sacrifice that Jesus has offered. There are times when people who identify themselves as Christians point to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as their hope for eternal life, but then go on living as if they have no relationship with God. The sacrifice of Jesus is the necessary means by which we can come to God, but it must be received following repentance of sin and it must be followed with a desire to obey God. It is not adequate to accept the sacrifice of Jesus frivolously nor without a will to obey God and live a life of faithfulness and obedience. The passages we are reading today help us understand what a life of faithfulness to God looks like. If we have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus then the things mentioned in these passages must be expressed in our life in the ways mentioned in these passages. There are a lot of specific items in these verses, but I have grouped them around the three items given in Micah 6:8 because they summarize all the rest.

A.               Do Right

Each of the three passages speak about righteousness. Micah 6:8 says, “…do justice.” Psalm 15:2 speaks about those who “walk blamelessly and do what is right” and goes on to speak about speaking truth, not slandering, doing no evil, keeping the promises you make even if it costs you something and not lending money at interest. Matthew 5:6 proclaims a blessing on those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” These verses make it very clear that those who want to know and see God must do what is right. But what does that mean for us today?

It isn’t always easy to discern what justice is and the ambiguity sometimes allows us to permit things that would not necessarily be right. I must admit that I have more questions about justice issues than I have answers. Instead of making pronouncements about what justice is in any given situation, let me ask a few questions.

What is doing the right thing regarding rental rates for the church? Is it right for those who have attended here for a long time to gain an advantage from their charitable donations? The CRA says it is not. How do we do right in this situation?

What is doing justice when it comes to First Nations people? Is it right to declare them lazy when we don’t know the whole story? Is it right to begrudge them what has been offered to them in the treaties? How do we do justice in this situation?

What is doing right when it comes to making a purchase? Is it right to return something we have bought if we find a better deal? What does Psalm 15:4 say about that?

What is doing right when it comes to conflict? Matthew 5:9 reminds us that those who are peacemakers are blessed and will be called children of God. How do we justly make peace in family conflict, in church conflict or in regards to our relationship to other nations?

Although it is sometimes difficult to understand what is right in every situation, Matthew 5:6 teaches us what our attitude must be. It says, "“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Those who want to go into God’s presence and who desire to please Him, must have a concern for righteousness. In fact, they must “hunger and thirst” for righteousness. Do we hunger and thirst for righteousness? Is it our desire to do right all the time and is it our desire to speak for and promote what is right whenever we can? Such a heart is acceptable to God. Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness?

B.               Love Mercy

Both Micah 6:8 and Matthew 5 speak about another aspect of following God faithfully and that is love. Micah 6 says “love kindness” and Matthew 5:7 says, “Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy.”

Mercy takes us beyond justice. If God had only dealt justly with us, we would all be dead. But God went far beyond justice and extended mercy to us, redeeming us and giving us a chance to know Him and go to Him. Such mercy must also characterize all those who follow God. First John 4 tells us that we are most like our heavenly Father when we show love. In fact, according to I Corinthians 13, love is the greatest.

Mercy must become active when someone wrongs us. Forgiveness is not an act of justice, it is an act of mercy. Yet as we remember that God has been merciful to us when we have wronged Him, how can we help but be merciful when someone wrongs us?

Mercy is what we extend when our broken children come home after they have ruined their lives and we embrace them and welcome again. Then we are like the prodigal father who broke the rules of what the law called right and welcomed his son home and called him son again even though the son had devastatingly shamed his father.

Is the loving heart of our Father becoming our heart so that we desire to know more and more about what it means to show mercy?

C.               Walk Humbly With Your God

The final item mentioned in Micah 6:8 is to “walk humbly with your God.” If we place ourselves above God desiring to determine our destiny on our terms, we are not walking humbly with our God.

Matthew 5:3-12 gives us a lot of help in understanding what it means to walk humbly with God.

It means being “poor in spirit.” Being poor in spirit requires an attitude of recognizing our need. If we think that we are good and if we are proud of our accomplishments, thinking that our goodness and faithfulness will make us acceptable to God, we have not understood what it means to be poor in spirit. To be poor in spirit means that we understand our inadequacy and our need of God. It is those who come to God without hope of acceptance who will find acceptance, for they are humble before God.

It means to mourn. It means to mourn for our sinfulness, to mourn for the brokenness of the world. It means to recognize that we are in desperate trouble without God.

It means to be pure in heart. A pure heart may refer to a heart that desires what is holy and that is a good characteristic to have. But the idea of being pure in heart may also refer to having an undivided heart. The word pure can refer to gold that has no impurities in it. It can refer to something that is unmixed. In a similar way, when our heart is purely desiring God and His way, we have an undivided heart and we will find that we are walking humbly with our God.

To walk humbly with God requires that we understand who God is and that we have no hope apart from His mercy and grace. It requires that we trust Him absolutely and give ourselves to Him completely. It is not a stance of aggressive pursuit. It is a stance of needy surrender and it leaves us satisfied.

Conclusion

To desire God is not common in our world. Is it common among Christians? If we desire to approach God, we will be completely satisfied. Psalm 15:5b promises, “Those who do these things will never be moved.” Matthew 5:3-12 assures us that those who live in these ways will inherit the earth, will see God, will be called the children of God and will receive the kingdom of heaven.

We began with an important question. How can we approach God and be acceptable to Him. We cannot apart from the sacrifice that God has provided in Jesus. In that sacrifice, we are made acceptable to God. If we have been made acceptable to God, we must also walk in a way that fits with that acceptance. We must do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God. To live in this way is not as simple as making a check list of the things we do and don’t do. It involves a daily relationship with God in which we rely on His Spirit and His word to discern in each situation and on each day what God’s way is.

The way is clear. Do you want it?

Overcoming the Fear/Faith Cycle

Psalm 27

Introduction

I was worried. We had gone on a summer mission trip after we had been married for one year. Both of us would be continuing school in fall, but because we had been gone all summer, we did not have enough money for the semester. But God provided in a number of ways, including that we received a money order from someone, I don’t know who, but likely someone from this congregation, and it was enough to cover our tuition.

Then I was worried again. After four years, we left the church in The Pas and for four months I did not have a job as a pastor. I worked in a factory, but that wasn’t enough money for a family of three and it was not what I wanted to do. But, God provided. We managed financially and God placed us in a church which was a good place of service and we were there for 6 years, followed immediately by our time in Manitou for 12 years.

This cycle of fear and faith has been common in my life. I fear something but then watch God provide. Yet the next time there is something to fear, I fear again but again I see God’s grace providing.

            This is a cycle which is reflected in Psalm 27. I will read through the Psalm and while I do, let’s take note of the cycle of fear and faith.

            Why do we go through these cycles of fear and faith? It seems that there is always something new to fear and yet each time we find that God does not abandon us. In the final verse, and in many ways throughout the Psalm, the writer helps us find a way to overcome this cycle of fear and faith. Instead of going through the Psalm verse by verse, I would like to pick up on the three themes which are present throughout the Psalm. The Psalm acknowledges some of the things which cause us to fear and we will identify them. The Psalm demonstrates how God is near at all times and we will be encouraged by that. Then we also read in this Psalm how we can smooth out this cycle of fear and faith by drawing near to God. I trust that these thoughts will encourage you in your life as you wrestle with the cycle of fear and faith.

I.                There Are Fears

The passage mentions things that raise fear.

In verses 2, 3 evildoers, adversaries and an enemy army are mentioned. As we read that we need to remember that this was written by David. He was a king and as such had responsibility for the nation. He needed to protect the nation from enemies within and without and I am sure there were many.

The Sochi Olympic Winter Games begin in two weeks and threats have already been made by radicals who plan to do damage. Yet fear of such enemies are always with us. Whenever we travel or whenever large numbers of people gather such threats are constantly assessed and measures are put in place because we fear human enemies. Which enemies cause you to fear?

Verse 5 speaks about the day of trouble. This phrase is very broad and very general. My heart went out to a family this week. On Friday, a week ago, her brother-in-law passed away very suddenly and then on Saturday, she broke her leg. That was a time of trouble for that family. We all have our day of trouble. As I meet with people, I discover that there is hardly a family where there are not some difficulties that cause fear, questioning and worry.

Do you ever feel like what verse 9 says? “Do not hide your face from me.” When Jesus hung on the cross, He prayed, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” In that moment God did hide his face from Him. Sometimes we feel as if God has turned His face away from us. When we feel guilt for some transgression of ours, we feel that God will turn his face away from us. When we go through a time of trial and don’t know where help will come from we feel as if God is not near. When we pray and there doesn’t seem to be an answer, we feel as if God has turned away. Have you ever felt that God had abandoned you?

In verse 10, the Psalmist raises the fear that parents may abandon. Although parents sometimes abandon their children, it is much more common that parents would be the last people on earth who would ever abandon their children. Yet when they pass away, they do leave us. Such a fear is also very real.

Verse 11 once again mentions enemies. We have already spoken of the human enemies who may at times cause fear. As I read the Psalms, I often wonder how to read all the passages on enemies, because I have not had many enemies in my life and certainly national enemies. So when I read this, I read it thinking of the enemy we all have, Satan. 1 Peter 5:8 speaks of this enemy when it says, "…Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour." Other passages also speak of this enemy and the presence of one who would seek to destroy our souls is certainly cause for fear.

All of these different fears are a part of life and we know them and experience them.

II.             But God is Near

But the other message that comes through so clearly and powerfully is that God is near.

A.               What God Is For Us

The nearness of God is declared in the very first verse when the Psalmist states with confidence that God is light, salvation and a stronghold. These are not merely characteristics of God, but they speak of who God is for us.

When it says, “God is my light” it reminds us of the implications of light. Light reveals. Light implies truth. Light guides us in the darkness. Each of these meanings are encouraging when we realize that God is that for us. He shows us the way. He reveals what is true and what is not. He guides us even when the path is unclear to us.

God is also our salvation. Salvation in the broadest sense speaks of deliverance from trouble and danger. God is known as one who redeems. He redeemed Israel out of Egypt. He delivered Gideon from the Midianites and He has redeemed us from sin and death. Therefore when enemies come near or when we encounter the day of trouble, God is the one who delivers us and brings salvation.

God is also a stronghold. Masada was a fortress built high above the surrounding land. The Jews who stayed there felt secure from attacks by the Romans because they had everything they needed – water, food and a place that was inaccessible. It took more than three months for the Romans to build a ramp and finally conquer Masada. In ancient times, a stronghold conveyed the idea of a place that is safe. All strongholds on earth can be breached, but God is a stronghold who never fails. He is the one to whom we can run for shelter and protection.

If this is who God is for us, what do we have to fear? He will guide us through tough times. He will save us from ultimate defeat and He will protect us in His arms in times of difficulty. When we acknowledge what God is for us, we have no reason to fear.

B.               What God Does For Us

Another wonderful set of images are mentioned in verse 5. There we read that God will “hide me in His shelter” “conceal me under the cover of His tent” and “set me high on a rock.” What wonderful images of protection.

Jose was in Calgary a few weeks ago and posted an image of himself standing on the top of the Calgary tower. He told me a story he had heard that someone had brought horses to the top of the tower, but the horses would not step out onto the glass. I know a few other people who would have the same fears. Although standing on this glass must feel very vulnerability, in fact it is completely safe. When the day of trouble comes, we may feel similarly vulnerable. We don’t always know where we will go, how we will answer or what else will happen. But God hides us from the greatest dangers and protects and guides us through the most difficult times. This is not a guarantee that we won’t see difficult times, nor that we won’t have any trials, but it is an assurance that in them, God is near and helping.

The images we have here are interesting in their difference. The first two are images of protection and of hiding from danger, like a child who finds comfort under the blanket to protect him from the monsters under the bed. The other image is quite different. It is not an image of hiding, but an image of standing high above the danger. A high rock is a place that is inaccessible to those who would attack. God keeps us there, above the danger, above the difficulty, protected in His care.

When I read these images, I am reminded of Romans 8:31-39. In Verse 31 we read, “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?" In verse 35 we read, "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"

Although there are many things which could cause us to fear, we nevertheless have this promise of God’s nearness, protection and shelter.

C.               The Hope We Live By

Sometimes when we are overwhelmed with fears we think that nothing will ever change and it will always be bad. There are times when we see so much trouble and we don’t have much hope that it will ever be better. We know a man whose wife has been diagnosed with a devastating form of dementia within the last 2 years. They are in their early 60’s. In fall, his son-in-law was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The son had surgery, but the surgery has left him with problems that will impact his life and his work. A week ago, flu hit that family and went from one person to another. We know them well and have watched and wondered how one family could have so much difficulty.

To such situations, the hope we live by is stated in Psalm 27:13, "I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." And we have certainly seen that in their life. We have seen God give strength to face things, grace in the midst of difficulty, the blessing of people who help them and encouragement from all kinds of sources. Although they are going through a very hard time, they have seen “the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

This is the hope we can live by. That is why when hardship comes, we need never succumb to it. The hardship we experience at any time is never the end of the story because God always brings blessing in the midst of hardship and He brings us through it to better times again. The promise in this verse is not that God will bring us to eternity and that then things will get better. That is also true, but it is not what is stated in this Psalm. What the Psalm declares is that even now, even on earth, we will see God’s blessing in spite of the trials we now face. Two commentators encourage us with the same thought. Spurgeon wrote, “If the Lord had meant to leave us, why did he begin with us?” Kidner says, “God will not ask for our love and then withhold his own.”

In all these ways, God is near and so we do not need to fear.

III.           Drawing Near to God

In life we have challenges and fears. At the same time, we have every reason to know that God is near to help, protect, provide for and give hope. Often in our life we cycle between these two places. At one time we are filled with fear. Another time we are filled with faith. How do we avoid going back and forth between fear and faith? How do we move more quickly to faith when fears arise? This passage gives us some good words to help us grow in faith so that we don’t become overwhelmed by fear.

A.               Seek To Be Near God

In verse 5 we talked about how God is a shelter, how He conceals and how He sets us high on a rock. Notice the first word in that verse is “for” which tells us that it has a connection to what has preceded. Verse 4 tells us how to get to verse 5. The path to faith involves a desire to be near God.

At that time, God’s presence was in the temple. The temple was not a meeting house as our churches are today. Rather, it was the place where God was. To go to the temple was to go to meet God. It was a place of awe, a holy place. The desire of the Psalmist was to be near God and to see how awesome God is and to be able to ask God questions.

The way to overcome the pull of fear is to be near God. It is when we are near God that we will see how amazing God is and as we see how amazing He is, we will know that we don’t need to be overcome by our fears. It is as we are near God that we will be able to talk to God and ask Him all the questions we have about our fears and troubles.

The temple no longer exists, but the New Testament equivalent today is that where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus, God is present with them. So being together with God’s people in worship, learning and service is the way to draw near to God. The other day in our small group meeting someone expressed the joy of being together and I believe that is a recognition of the presence of God with us as we gather in His name. The equivalent today is also in the heart of everyone who, having believed in Jesus, is filled with the Spirit of God. If we have a longing to be near to God, the promise is that as we draw near to God, we will find the hope, strength and encouragement to face our fears with peace.

B.               Praise Him

A second way of overcoming the swing between fear and faith is to spend time praising the Lord. Verse 6 says, “I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.”

Worship focusses our attention on God and who He is. We may not always feel like shouting for joy nor like singing, but we can always worship God. Even in the midst of the deepest trials, God is still who He is. As we state the truth about who God is that is worship. As we do that, it will help us take our eyes off ourselves, off the immediate struggles we fear and on to someone much bigger than we are, someone much bigger than our troubles.

C.               Seek His Face

When trouble comes, where is the first place we turn? Do we turn to an expert – a repair person, a doctor or a lawyer? The Psalmist indicates that his first step is to turns to the Lord. I love the expression of these verses and want to learn to do this more often. He expresses his desire and says, “Come, my heart, seek His face.” Then he makes a commitment, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

If we want to lessen the stress of fears, we need to learn to take these steps - to desire to seek the Lord and to commit to seeking the Lord. If we look at God and look at things from God’s perspective and if we ask God to help us, we will have the courage, strength and ability to overcome our fears.

D.              Learn From Him

Proverbs 16:25 says, "Sometimes there is a way that seems to be right, but in the end it is the way to death." There are a lot of things that seem to be right according to popular wisdom, even the wisdom of those who study things and write books. There are columns in the paper that tell those who write in, what the writer considers the good way. Politicians are always seeking the way that is good. But if we want to avoid the fears of the world, we need to learn the ways that are truly good and the only way to learn them is from the author and creator of life. So we read in verse 11, “Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path.”

God knows the best way because He knows the beginning from the end. He knows all things. He knows how things are created and how human relationships work. There is nothing that is hidden from God and so to learn from Him is to learn ways that are right, always have been right and always will be right. They truly are the paths to life and if we learn these ways, the fears of this world will not overwhelm us.

E.               Wait for Him

The final verse gives us another path to take in order to move towards faith and avoid fears. There are numerous imperatives, or commands in this passage. Most of them are spoken as requests of God. For example, in verse 9 it says, “Do not hide your face from me.” This is an imperative, but it is written as a prayer to God.

The only imperatives in the whole Psalm that are written to us and are to be followed by us are those found in verse 14. We are commanded to “Wait for the Lord,” “be strong;” “let your heart take courage” and once again, “Wait for the Lord.” These are the things we must do if we want to overcome fear. We will not always see God’s answer right away and so we must “wait for the Lord.” Sometimes, like when God teaches us things through suffering, we may want to give up but we are called to “Be strong.” When things get too difficult and we can hardly stand it, our heart may become faint but we are encouraged to “Let your heart take courage.” In life there is often only a partial answer because the final answer won’t come until Jesus returns and so we are told to “Wait for the Lord.” If we learn to do this, we will overcome the swings between fear and faith and we will be able to walk more faithfully.

Conclusion

A pendulum is designed to swing back and forth, from one side to the other. God does not want us to swing back and forth between fear and faith. This Psalm acknowledges that we do. Why is life like that?

The answer is not to deny that there are things to fear. Life raises many fearful things. The problem is that we allow them to be bigger than they are and we forget that God is even bigger. The answer to overcoming fear and moving to faith is found in the assurance that God is always near.

We cannot move quickly from fear to faith by an arrogant self-confidence nor can we respond to fears by being careless about dangers. To move from fear to faith we must learn to live in confident hope in God. As we draw near to God, worship Him, seek Him, learn from Him and wait upon Him we will be able to walk in faith and not in fear. May we all take the steps necessary to walk by faith and not to be overcome by fear!

Looking To Jesus

Matthew 3:13-17

Introduction

When a couple gets married, they are told that “the two shall become one flesh.” Within a few days of marriage, however, they find out that the wedding ceremony did not make them one flesh. They are still two individuals who have to learn what it means to be one flesh. What does that kind of unity look like at its best?

The church is called to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Yet it doesn’t take very many days of attending any church to find that there are some wrinkles in the unity of the church. Not everything is always peace. What does that kind of unity look like at its best?

I have been thinking about the Trinity lately. It is a significant mystery to understand how there can be only one God and yet to see how that one God has revealed Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Although I am familiar with all the various ways in which theologians have tried to help us understand this mystery, none of them truly satisfies. Perhaps we have missed the true point of God being one by focusing on oneness as a number concept instead of a relational concept. I believe that as we understand the unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we begin to understand what true unity looks like. Thinking about such things helps us understand God, but it also helps us understand how we can be one flesh and how we can maintain unity in the church.

This morning, we will look at the relationship between God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ as revealed when Jesus was baptized. The baptism of Jesus was a significant juncture in all of history. In it God revealed the one whom He had sent to earth to accomplish His project and in it Jesus began His earthly ministry. In it we also have the veil of heaven pulled back to reveal something of the relationship between the Father and the Son. As we see this relationship, we will learn something about unity.

Let’s read the story as we find it in Matthew 3:13-17 and then think about what it means.

I.                Jesus Submitted to God’s Plan

This text speaks of Jesus’ baptism, but we need to understand it in the context of John’s baptism in the rest of the chapter which tells us that John “appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ‘Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” When we read this, we often make the mistake of reading it from the perspective of our Christian understanding of baptism. Our understanding is that baptism is a sign of cleansing from sin and acceptance of Jesus. Of course, John and the people of that time would not have had such an understanding. Yet water in relationship to a religious exercise was not unfamiliar to them. Surrounding the temple in Jerusalem there were various ritual baths, which people used in order to cleanse themselves ceremonially in order to be able to go into the temple to offer sacrifices. Each time they went into the temple, they needed to participate in this ritual. So the idea of water as a symbol of cleansing from sin was not unfamiliar to the people of the time. But what John did was different. He was not anywhere near the temple, rather, he was in the wilderness near the Jordan. So his baptism was not the ritual cleansing associated with the temple.

If a Gentile wanted to become a Jew it was possible to do so, but they needed to go through certain rituals. Of course, the most important one was circumcision, but at this time in history, they also were required to be baptized as an initiation rite. This also was not the same as John’s baptism because it was Jews who were coming to be baptized by him.

What this shows us is that there were models for the idea of cleansing from sin through entering into water. But John’s baptism had some unique elements to it. As John baptized people, he called them to prepare for the coming of the Kingdom of heaven, which he proclaimed was near. He understood that he was the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3 which speaks about the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” John announced that God was coming to judge those who remained in their sins but also to provide a way of forgiveness.  John invited people to prepare for this coming kingdom by confessing their sins and symbolizing their confession by baptism. He announced that they were preparing for the coming of one who would baptize with fire and with the Holy Spirit. So there are several important messages contained in John’s preaching and baptizing. It was a call to repentance. It was a call to cleansing from sin. It was a call to live in obedience to God, as he invited them to “Bear fruit worthy of repentance.” And it was also a proclamation of the nearness of the coming of God’s anointed one.

As we understand this meaning of John’s baptism, we notice a problem. All who came to John to be baptized were baptized because they were repenting of their sin. When Jesus appeared before John, John knew that it was entirely inappropriate for Jesus to be baptized. Whether he knew this intuitively or because he was related to Jesus or because God had revealed it to him we don’t know. But John knew, as we certainly know, that Jesus did not need to be baptized as a sign of repentance for sin. Yet Jesus came to be baptized by John. Because this is surprising, unexpected and hard to explain, we need to take the time to understand it.

When Jesus said, “Let it be so now” we get the sense that he was agreeing with John’s assessment that he did not need to be baptized for the same reason that all the others were being baptized. He had not sinned. He had lived bearing the fruit of righteousness all his life. This is what makes it so difficult for us to understand why Jesus still chose to be baptized.

However, Jesus Himself answered this question when he said, “…it is proper…to fulfill all righteousness.” But what does that mean?

We begin to understand when we set it in the context of what was happening at this time in regards to God’s project. God’s project is the redemption of lost and sinful humanity. Abraham was important in that project as the father of the Jewish nation through whom God would bless all nations. David was important in that project as the king whose descendant would become king over all. The prophets were important in that project as they pointed at many of the details of the coming of God’s anointed king. In this text we meet John who was also important in God’s project as the one who did two important things. It was John who said, “Now is the time. Messiah is coming very soon.” The other thing John did was to prepare the hearts of the people for the preaching and ministry of Jesus. In Acts 8, there were a group of people who naturally followed Jesus, but had not yet heard about baptism in the name of Jesus, having only experienced the baptism of John. That story reveals the effectiveness of John’s ministry and how it prepared people for the coming of Jesus and His message.

When Jesus was baptized by John, it was not because he needed to confess sins nor because he needed cleansing from sins. The time of John’s ministry was a significant point in God’s project. Jesus was baptized as a way of showing that He submitted to that project. He was affirming the ministry of John and indicating that the time for Him to preach of the kingdom had now come. When Jesus said, “Let it be so now…it is proper…to fulfill all righteousness” He was submitting to God’s project as He would now take over God’s project from John.

This was not the only time that Jesus submitted to God’s project. He did so when he left heaven and came to earth. He would do so when He would lay down His life on the cross. His willingness to be baptized was a similar declaration of submission to God’s project

As we observe the willingness of Jesus to submit to God’s project, we see something important about the relationship which Jesus had to His Father. God asked Jesus to leave heaven and give His life in order to redeem the lost people of the earth. Jesus loved His Father and understood the project of God so well that he was willing to submit to it at every point, including being willing to be baptized by John. As Jesus submitted, He did not do so grudgingly or as a concession. He did so fully understanding the will of the Father and being completely in tune with His will. If you have ever been on a committee trying to plan for an event, you know that as soon as you have two people, you have two opinions about how it should be done. That the Father and the Son should be in such unity about something as complicated as the redemption of the world is nothing short of amazing. As Jesus submitted first to becoming human, then to being baptized and then to dying on the cross, we see in that submission a complete unity between Father and Son.

II.             God Loved and Supported Jesus

In response to Jesus’ submission, we see the immediate response of God to Jesus and that tells us more about the relationship between the Father and the Son. We notice three important things that happened at the moment Jesus came out of the water.

A.               The Heavens Were Opened

How often we wish that God would show Himself more clearly. We have an intense longing for the presence of God and the help of God. In the midst of their suffering, Israel cried out to God and we read in Isaiah 64:1, "O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence—" We agree with that prayer!

After Jesus came out of the water at His baptism, we read that “the heavens were opened to Him.” What we have longed for, was fulfilled after Jesus submitted himself to baptism. When the heavens opened, we see something of the relationship of Father to Son. Because of his willingness to submit to the Father and come to earth, the heavens opened to Jesus indicating that He had complete access to the Father. God did not send Jesus down and leave him on His own. The heavens were opened to Jesus throughout His ministry. We see this in the times he went to be alone to pray, in the times he asked and the Father answered with powerful miracles and in the intimacy revealed in the prayer of Jesus in John 17.

As the heavens opened to Jesus, it demonstrated the constant access that Jesus had to the Father throughout His ministry.

B.               The Spirit of God Descended

The second thing that happened was that “he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.”

Although we associate the Holy Spirit mostly with events that took place after the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God has always been present. The Holy Spirit was present on the day of creation as we read in Genesis 1:2 (NASB), “…the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” Yet God’s Spirit was present in the Old Testament primarily with those who were called by God to accomplish certain tasks. We encounter the power of the Spirit of God at work when the tent of meeting was built in the wilderness. At that time the Spirit of God empowered certain people with unusual creativity and building skills. We also encounter the Spirit of God empowering various people for the leadership roles they had been given. Gideon received power to overcome a vast enemy with only 300 men. Samson was given power to cause the collapse of a temple and destroy the enemies within. The Spirit of God empowered Elijah in many unusual ways and then empowered Elisha with a double portion of the Spirit who had been on Elijah.

It was in this Old Testament sense that God’s Spirit empowered Jesus for leadership and ministry. By the Spirit coming on Jesus, we recognize a fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 42:1, "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations." In a similar way, God’s servant speaks in Isaiah 61:1 saying, "The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners…" This tells us again about the unique and wonderful relationship which Jesus had with His Father. God fully supported and empowered Him as His servant in His project to redeem the earth.

C.               A Voice from Heaven Spoke

The third thing that happened was that the voice from heaven, God’s voice, said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

In Psalm 2:7 God says, “You are my son” speaking of His anointed one. After Jesus was baptized, God affirmed that Jesus was the fulfillment of that prophecy when God declared “This is my Son.” Then He further affirmed His love for him by declaring Him to be “the beloved.” Finally God also declared, “…with whom I am well pleased.” This also is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. We read in Isaiah 42:1, "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights…"

            As God spoke these three words to Jesus, they also affirmed God’s support. God had sent Jesus on a difficult task. He asked Him to make a great sacrifice. But He also promised to be with Him through it all. Not only did He promise to be with Him, but in these statements God revealed His pride in His Son and His love for His Son. There is no greater statement that any parent can make to their children, but to affirm them and declare their love to them. That is what the Father did for the Son.

Conclusion

Earlier I mentioned that sometimes we miss the meaning of unity in the trinity. In the baptism of Jesus and all it initiates and anticipates, we see the oneness of the Godhead as a relational concept. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one in a much deeper sense than simply being the number 1. The Son was fully one with the Father in His complete awareness of the project of God and in His willingness to submit to that project. As the Father sent the Son into the world, He loved the Son so much that He spilled over in hyperbole to declare to Jesus, “You are my Son, you are loved and I am very pleased with you.” What a wonderful declaration of the unity of Father and Son as we see this powerful support and love of the Father for the Son.

They say that one of the most important ways parents can give peace and confidence to their children is by being in unity with one another. If that is the effect of the relationship between parents on their children, then certainly the effect of the relationship between Father and Son would be the same on us, the children of God. If the Son honors the Father so much that He is willing to submit to His project and if the Father loves the Son so much that He supports Him fully in carrying out that project, then we can rest assured that we are in good hands.

As we look to Jesus in this way, the example of Father and Son also teaches us what it means to have unity in our human relationships - as husband and wife or in the church or anywhere else. We learn from God and Jesus about submission and about love and support and these are the things which will bring unity.

As we look to Jesus, may His relationship with God cause us to live in peace and joy and may their example teach us how to live in unity!

Epiphany

Matthew 2:1-12

Introduction

There was a game we used to play in a group in which you had a pair of scissors in your hand. You passed them to the next person and said either the word crossed or uncrossed. Those who didn’t know how the game was played were totally because they didn’t realize that you were not talking about the scissors being crossed or uncrossed, but your legs. The fun of the game was watching people suddenly understand. You could see by the look on their face that they suddenly got it and then they would have a look of confidence on their face as they played the game with understanding. You could call this moment of understanding an “ah ha” moment or an epiphany. The definition of an epiphany is “an experience of sudden and striking realization.”

Today is Epiphany in the Christian calendar and the dictionary defines it as “A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi.” The question is, is Epiphany an epiphany for us? Do we get it?

We know the story of the wise men. We know that there were 3, even though it doesn’t say so and it is only tradition that has assumed so because of the three gifts. We know they came from the east, but we don’t know where in the east they came from. We know Herod was not happy about the message of a king and later killed all the boys two years old and younger who were born in Bethlehem because of this announcement, which, by the way, was something totally within his character to do. We know the wise men gave gifts and worshipped the child and we know that they went home by another way. We know the story and have heard it many times, but have we really understood how it is an epiphany?

Who were the Magi? Why did they come? What moved them to go? Why were they involved in what is essentially a Jewish story? Why did they worship the child? What does it tell us about the child and the implications of His birth? What was God doing through the Magi? What does it tell us about God and how He works?

I.     Who were the Magi?

There are various theories about where the Magi came from. Gardner says that they were “…a priestly caste among the Medes and Persians.” Apparently, “Marco Polo told of a Persian village from which, the villagers claimed, the wise men had begun their journey.”  Brent Landau writes about an eighth-century Syriac manuscript held in the Vatican Library called “The Revelation of the Magi.” It tells the story of a group, numbering as few as 12 and as many as several score, of monk-like mystics from a far-off, mythical land called Shir, possibly China. They are descendants of Seth and the guardians of an age-old prophecy that a star of indescribable brightness would someday appear “heralding the birth of God in human form.” It tells that “when the long-prophesied star finally appears, the star is not simply sighted at its rising, as described in Matthew, but rather descends to earth, ultimately transforming into a luminous “star-child” that instructs the magi to travel to Bethlehem to witness its birth in human form. The star then guides the magi along their journey, miraculously clearing their path of all obstacles and providing them with unlimited stamina and provisions. Finally, inside a cave on the outskirts of Bethlehem, the star reappears to the magi as a luminous human child - the Christ child.” This is an interesting story, but Landau is quite certain that it does not give us the true story of where they came from. What is very clear about this story, however, is that whoever they were, they were Gentiles and that fact is significant and causes us to ask, “Why did Gentiles come to worship the Christ?”

Many times when we read the Jewish story of God’s people we perceive that it is a very exclusive story. After the exile to Babylon and in the stories of Ezra and Nehemiah, we have a powerful presentation that God desired his people to be faithful to Him and to avoid all contact with those who were not Jews. When Jesus came, many did not view contact with Gentiles as acceptable Jewish behavior. Even Jesus spoke about the gospel being first for the Jews. Yet in spite of that strong message that God’s people were Jewish, there has always been a sense that God also was calling Gentiles to Himself. The very first promise of a coming Messiah was made to Adam and Eve soon after they sinned and was a promise, not to one nation, but to all people of the earth. When Abraham was called by God, in Genesis 12:3, we read that, “…in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Later in Isaiah 42 God speaks about His servant and in verses 6, 7 says, “I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison whose who sit in darkness.” After Jesus completed his ministry, He told his disciples in Matthew 28:19 to “…make disciples of all nations…” In Ephesians 2:13 Paul, speaking of the Gentiles, says, "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." He also says in Ephesians 3:8, 9 - "…this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things…"

This is the epiphany contained in the story of the Magi! God has invited the Gentiles to His kingdom. This is particularly important to us because we are Gentiles, we are “the nations.” How thankful I am that God has included us! I read something recently in which an author suggested that Jesus was white. Jesus was not white, He was Jewish. But the story of the Magi, early in the life of Jesus tells us that He did not come only for Jews or only for white people. He came for every nation on earth. God includes the whole world in His plan. The celebration of Epiphany is important because it tells us that the coming of the Gentile Magi to meet God’s Messiah assures us that God’s message of the gospel is for all nations. It is important for us to know this. Do we understand it and its implications?

II.  What moved them to go?

Another epiphany about this story comes from the presence of the star. We have sung about the star, but have we ever considered the meaning of the star? Many scholars have speculated about the star. Some have suggested that it was the conjunction of two planets. Of course if that is what it was, then astronomers are able to calculate which year there was such a conjunction of two planets, which made them appear as one bright star. Apparently something like that happened in about 4 BC, which is likely about when Jesus was born. Others have suggested it was a comet or some other special occurrence among the stars in the heavens. These theories explain a particularly unusual star in the heavens and allow us to pinpoint a date for such an occurrence, but they do not explain why the star was understood to contain a message.

What does the text actually say about the star? We notice first of all that the Magi tell Herod, in Matthew 2:2, "…we observed his star at its rising…” In Matthew 2:7 Herod asked them about, “…the exact time when the star had appeared.” Then in verse 9 we read, "…they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was." These things tell us some important things about this occurrence.

One thing we learn is that it was a specific star because it rose at a specific time. One thing I am not sure about is whether it was a normal star in an unusual place or if it was a star that moved. It seems to have moved because they were able to follow it to the stable.

Of these things I am not certain, but what is certain is that for some reason these people understood this star to have a very specific message. They understood that it was a star which communicated the birth of a king among the Jews. The question is, “How did they come to this conclusion?” Some suggest that the star was incidental and their knowledge of a king born had more to do with their knowledge of Old Testament Scripture. Yet even if that was the case, why was the star used to communicate this message? I believe that what happened was that they had knowledge of the meaning of stars, perhaps they were even astrologers. Messages in stars were a language that they understood. God wanted them to know about His Messiah and so spoke to them in their language. It is evident that the message was clear enough and powerful enough to move them to take a long journey to see this special king. The text seems to suggest that the star communicated to them that a Jewish king was born. How could the star do this apart from some belief that there was a message in the stars? Many people have believed that stars contain messages and still do today. In this one case, God used that language to speak to them in a way that they would understand.

This is a significant thought and one that should encourage us. It tells us something about how God communicates and that He wants people to know His truth. If God would speak in the language of the stars to communicate the birth of His son to a group of Gentiles, then surely God is very interested in inviting people to come to Him. It tells us that, although we must proclaim God’s message, God also is able to communicate aspects of His message in other ways. This is by no means the only time that God has done such a thing. In Romans 1:19 we read, "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them." How has God done that? Well, He has certainly left evidence of Himself in all of creation. But He has also made Himself known in other ways. When Paul was preaching the gospel in Athens, as recorded in Acts 17, he twice quoted pagan poets with a message that allowed him to make a connection for them to hear the gospel. In that case, God left the pagans in Athens with a message about Himself in their literature that could lead them to know God. Even today, we hear about how God communicates to unbelieving people of Muslim background through dreams which opens the way for them to hear the gospel.

A while ago, I had a conversation with someone about the justice of God. The question was being asked, “Is it fair that people in remote regions who have never heard the gospel should be judged because they do not know?” One answer to that question is seen in the story of the Magi. This story tells us that God is able to communicate His message to those who have ears to hear, even if that communication does not come from a Christian evangelist or from a Bible. Of course, the message of the Bible must still be communicated. The story of the Magi tells us that although they had the message of the star that was not enough. They needed the message of the Bible to clarify things. They came to Jerusalem and there it was the prophecy of Micah that gave them more accuracy about the message they had discerned. Yet the fact that God spoke in the star gives us an example of how God works that encourages us to trust in Him and His righteousness, justice and His desire to see all people come to know the way to life.

We also need to know this as we do the work of evangelism. We need to be aware of how has God has already been speaking in the world into which we seek to proclaim the gospel? How does He speak in the literature, media, history and culture of any nation in the world? This epiphany about how God works does not allow us to be lazy about gospel proclamation, but it does encourage us that we are not alone, but that God is also at work. We need to be aware of how and where God is at work and work with Him to proclaim the message of Jesus with accuracy.

I would suggest to you that these observations are another epiphany about Epiphany.

III.          Why did they kneel before Jesus?

So we have seen that God spoke to Gentiles in their language, but what is most significant is understanding that the message of the star brought them to Jesus.

Their first knowledge was that the star spoke of one who was “king of the Jews.” They came to do homage to the king of the Jews. What did they understand about the king of the Jews? Why was this something important enough for them to make a long trip, bring expensive gifts, give them to him and pay homage to him? We probably will never know for certain. However, whether they worshipped knowingly or not, we do know the identity of the king of the Jews from Scripture and whether or not they understood all this, and they probably did not, it reveals the truth of why He is worthy of worship.

The concept of a king of the Jews begins with the first king chosen to be king over Israel. At that time, Samuel warned the people that God was their king and they should not desire another king. Yet they wanted a king whom they could see and who could lead them and so Saul was chosen. He was not a faithful king and he was rejected as king and David became king in his place. David was a man after God’s heart and a faithful king who ruled in God’s way. Because of that, God promised in 2 Samuel 7:16, "Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever." That promise was further declared in Isaiah 9:6, "For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." When Jesus was born, his ancestry back to David was declared in the birth stories. In His ministry, Jesus proclaimed the coming of the kingdome of God over which He was king. When Jesus was crucified, we once again hear the language of Jesus as king in the sign that was placed over his cross, “King of the Jews.” Jesus was to reign not only over Israel, but over the whole earth. Because of His resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father, we understand that Jesus has been declared king over all. The promise to David was fulfilled in Jesus and when the Magi worshipped Him as King of the Jews, their worship was accurate in all these ways.

When the Magi went to Jerusalem and inquiry was made about where they would find this king of the Jews, Herod asked the chief priests and scribes and they introduced another identity of the child. They spoke about Messiah. So we learn that this king of the Jews was also Messiah. Messiah was the Old Testament promise of the one who would be anointed by God and sent by God to bring about His salvation. Psalm 2 is loaded with this kind of language. It speaks about the kings of the earth rejecting “the Lord and his anointed.” It also declares God’s promise, “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill” and further identifies that king as the Son of God. These are words that speak of the importance of Messiah. He is God’s anointed who came to do God’s work of redemption on earth and through his death on the cross to reign as king forever.

As I suggest, the Magi probably had no idea of all of this significance, but when they paid Him homage, this was all true. Jesus is all of this and more. What do we make of the fact that a group of Gentiles came to worship Messiah King?

It points to the centrality of Christ. The gospel is about Jesus. Although God may speak the language of other cultures, and although He reveals Himself through literature, cultural practices and even dreams, all who come to God must come through Jesus. Salvation is found in Him alone. Acts 4:12 is very clear about this, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” Jews and Gentiles, churched people and pagans from the remotest places of the earth can come to God in only one way and that is through Jesus. Some people find that uncomfortable. Why is God so exclusive? Yet when we understand that God Himself came to earth in the person of Jesus and died for our sins on the cross it becomes very clear that there is only one way and that is through the one who died for us.

This epiphany about Epiphany is demonstrated by the fact that Magi came from far away to see and worship Jesus because Jesus is from God and the only one able to reconcile people to Himself.

It is important for us to know this as we proclaim the gospel. Our message is not about good morality nor about joining a church. Our message is about Jesus. He is Lord. He is Saviour. In Him alone we find life and hope and forgiveness and peace and eternity.

Conclusion

Epiphany is about how God revealed Jesus to Gentiles. What an important message! It isn’t about the star or the gifts. The power of this story is that God chose to reveal Jesus to those who were far away by speaking in their language and inviting them to come to see the child who would rule the universe. This is the epiphany that comes out of this story for us. How do we respond to this revelation?

For one thing, we can be particularly thankful because we are those who have been drawn to Jesus through the proclamation of this message. We are among those from the nations who have come to know Jesus.

The story also invites us to observe how God is at work among the pagans in our world. We need to see how God is speaking to them in their language, how He is at work among them and then we need to help them make connections to the Word of God and the Son of God.

A further response is to recognize the importance of Jesus, God’s one and only Saviour and King. In all our life, work, thought and worship, we need to keep Jesus at the center.

            May this epiphany guide us as we worship Jesus and as we make Him known in this New Year!