January 2, 2022 – Epiphany Text: Matthew 2:1-12
Dear Friends in Christ,
Are you a skeptic? Are you a person that questions everything and you have to see things to believe them? I suppose for many of us our skepticism has to do what we are being asked to believe.
One of the three definitions of a skeptic in the dictionary is this one: “one who doubts or disbelieves in religious tenets.” That number is growing. Atheists believe we have outgrown God. Adherence to Christianity is declining and more people are answering “none” when its come to their religion.
But we are an odd people. We never had more Christmas movies than this past year. Shopping revenue was up to its highest total in years. Radio stations and TV stations devoted a whole month to Christian hymns and songs. Commercially speaking, Christmas’s star is rising. How is spiritual adherence to Christianity waning when the popularity of its holiday is waxing?
Perhaps because we desperately need hope and positivity in an increasingly cynical and negative world. Frosty the Snowman and Buddy the Elf offer both these attributes without asking us to make spiritual commitments. In our divided world we need things that bring us together.
Today we celebrate Epiphany. We are still in the Christmas season. Let’s see where being a skeptic or being a believer takes a person.
“ARE YOU AN EPIPHANY SKEPTIC?”
Perhaps Christmas can be on the rise, yet Christianity on the decline, because for too long sincere questions have gone unanswered. Is it reasonable to believe that someone could be born of a virgin? Did God guide really guide astrologers – wise men – from the East with a star to visit a child who would be king of the universe?
Well, in fact, God did. The skeptic in our story is Herod. Oh, he does a nice job of disguising his skepticism. He goes so far as to say that he wants to worship the child. But this was not true. Herod was scared of the power that Jesus was bringing. He saw His kingdom crumbling because there was a new King in town. Herod was one of the greatest skeptics the world has ever known. He was skeptical of everyone. He had many of his own family murdered or imprisoned. He had no trust, no solid rock to believe in. He was an island and he always felt he was being invaded.
Are you an Epiphany skeptic? Come on, a star to guide these fellas? A dream to switch travel plans? We can be a little skeptical about it all. Commercial Christmas wears off. The salve does not heal. We are left with nothing to face the doldrums of January and February. For many, life has more Januarys and Februarys than it does Decembers. Shorter and colder days and the festive mood wears off.
The believers this day – the non-skeptics – are the Wise Men. They don’t question, they follow. They don’t hold back, they give gifts freely. They don’t downplay the birth; they worship with joy at the sight of the Christ Child. Matthew says when seeing the star “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”
They could do that because they knew that this birth was tied to a Savior. Christmas is more profound when we tie it with another Christian holiday – Easter. The heart of the Christian message is that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter to prove that His death on the cross paid for our sins. Through His resurrection, He shows Himself to be the Savior. The Bible insists that if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, the Christian faith is not worth believing. (1 Cor. 15:14)
Abdu Murray wrote this, “I was once a staunch critic who demanded evidence for Christianity. After nine years of researching, I found the evidence so compelling that I became a Christian. I didn’t outgrow my faith in God. I outgrew my cynicism about Christianity. The evidence worked strangely in reverse. The evidence that Jesus rose from the dead implied that His being born of a virgin was mere child’s play. Christmas makes Easter possible, while Easter makes Christmas meaningful.”
The miraculous star that led these men to Jesus is an incredible miracle. But these miracles are all around us. The miracle of a baby being born. Each day your heart and lungs do their work is a miracle. Each day your Baptism is like a fresh shower washing away your sins, leading you to eternal life in Jesus. On this special church day we are celebrating Epiphany you are offered a miracle in bread and wine. The Lord Jesus Christ mysteriously gives you His body and blood in this Sacrament to wipe away your skepticism and strengthen your faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. Thank God for His Word that allows us to see, follow, and worship Him. We bring our gifts to Christ and His Church so that the star of Jesus is seen by all.
Like the Wise Men may the Holy Spirit keep us free of skepticism and firmly believing in Christ who came to save the world.
Amen.