The Light in the Darkness

January 3, 2021 2 Christmas, Year B The Rev. Mark Pendleton Christ Church, Exeter The Light in the Darkness In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: `And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, 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. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. Matthew 2:1-12 By the second Sunday of Christmas, there a couple of options for the gospel reading. This year, maybe because the season was more subdued and quiet and many of us stayed close to home, I wasn't quite ready to leave the story in Bethlehem and move onto Jerusalem or the flight to Egypt of the Holy Family. This Christmas seemed like the right year to linger bit more around the nativity scene - sort of like being the last person at the party before the host starts cleaning up and hinting that it's about time to leave... This Christmas Eve I felt real joy and relief as we welcomed over 90 people to walk through the church. For many, it was the first time inside our sacred space in ten months. Bruce played carols on the organ. The aisle candles were lighted. Some people sat for a few moments to listen and pray. We were keeping the lights of Christmas on, in a way, at 43 Pine Street. Waiting. Some of us had some fun dressing our large children's papier-mâché crèche characters with proper face coverings for this Covid Christmas. The staff may have taken it a little too far in placing in their hands gifts of hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes and toilet paper - though we reasoned those items were as rare and precious this past year as gold, frankincense, and myrrh must have been in ancient times. The arrival of the Magi from the East signals the end of the first act of the nativity story. With many of our Christmas traditions in this country coming from northern Europe, we largely miss out on the importance of the feast of the Magi at Epiphany from the Christian East: Greek and Russian Orthodox traditions, as well as in Spain that exported El dia de Reyes, or King's Day to Latin America. The wise men from the East signified a dramatic expansion of the plan for Christ to be the Savior of the whole world, not merely the long-awaited messiah to the descendants of Abraham, Moses and David. This would become the foundation for the ministry of St. Paul to the Greek and pagan world. Paul wrote in Ephesians: "In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become follow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." This is the one of many reasons the once small Jewish sect became within a few hundred years the largest religion in the world - as it is today. The way of Jesus would have global reach and universal appeal. And the darkness of this time of year cannot be overlooked -- how the shadows come early in the afternoon and how far south the sun sets. These winter months can be hard on us physically, psychologically and spiritually because we all need light to live and see and grow. (Sally spoke in her Chapel talk about how Jesus is the light of our lives.) We highlighted in this week's Enews a new banner outside the church that be seen from Pine Street. Erin Mack, a member of the church, has been spending many of her spare hours in our church basement painting and creating. In brilliant bright colors, the banner reads: "You Lord, keep my lamp burning. My God turns darkness into Light!" I asked Erin to write about what inspired her. In her words: "My ray of light came on a day in early October when the intensity of the darkness and chaos that lie ahead offered a clear choice to either be a light or get absorbed by the shadows. Something about "be the light", "stick with God", and "help each other out". And then Erin painted and painted to "give hope to those out there in the darkness who may be lost and haven't yet had the chance to experience the goodness of the spirit. A message that God is here with us, keeping our lamps burning, turning our darkness to light." To that we can all say: Amen. Where do we turn to make our way through days of darkness? A star above got that attention of the Wise Men, who after a long journey, were asking around in Jerusalem: "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." Believers and modern astrologers have long been fascinated with trying to date the birth of Christ by plotting the stars in the ancient sky. I know of number of you were hoping for clear night skies on December to see "the Christmas Star." when Jupiter and Saturn engaged in their "great conjunction." They are, I read, the two slowest moving planets in the sky - Jupiter taking 12 years to orbit the sun and Saturn 29 1/2 years. The last time these two planets appeared so close was in the year 1623 -- 397 years ago. When the Magi saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy - the joy that comes with finding what they were searching for. There is something about a moon-less night far away from the glow of cities and towns. The light of stars and planets - part of the unspeakable mystery of God's creation - can invite us to see out place in the universe in new ways. It can make us feel both small and connected. In darkness, we can see light more clearly. This light can guide us through unchartered waters. Through times of intense grief and loss -- through feelings of being overlooked and unloved. Light can pull us forward when it can feel as if we are stuck in place and have nowhere else to go. The German pastor and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer knew darkness, as he was imprisoned, tried and hanged by the Nazis in 1945. In his Letters and Papers from Prison, Bonhoeffer wrote from a place few of us, thank God, will never be. And his faith still inspires. He wrote: "In me there is darkness, But with You there is light; I am lonely, but You do not leave me; I am feeble in heart, but with You there is help; I am restless, but with You there is peace. In me there is bitterness, but with You there is patience; I do not understand Your ways, But You know the way for me." I hope and pray that we will all for our way into the New Year and a renewed sense of hope.