Epiphany: Arise, Shine; for Your Light Has Come!

The Feast of Epiphany flows naturally from the birth of Jesus on Christmas. In the dark of night, the Child was born and revealed only to a few shepherds, who came and saw, and then made widely known what the Angel of the Lord had told them (cf. Luke 2:8–20).
Epiphany steps out of the darkness of that midnight hour. The appearance of God in the flesh is now manifested and made known at home and abroad, as the Epiphany epistle declares: “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you… The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising… They shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord” (Isaiah 60:1, 3, 6b).
No wonder the Gospel for Epiphany is the story of the Wise Men following the miraculous star. The ancient prophesy of the Light of Christ guided them on their way, and when the star stood over where the young Child was they fell down and worshiped Him. Their gifts fulfilled what was foretold, and they also told forth what was to come. Gold proclaimed Him King of kings and Lord of lords. Frankincense confessed Him as God of God, Light of light, very God of very God, even as David prayed, “Let my prayer be set before You as incense” (Psalm 141:2). And myrrh revealed the content of Isaiah’s “and they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.” For myrrh touches the great mystery of the incarnation: “God was manifested in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16), who “also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18). With myrrh, Nicodemus would prepare the lifeless body of Jesus for burial. It points to the holy cross as the center of the faith “preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world” (1 Timothy 3:18), as St. Paul proclaimed, “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). These are “the praises of the Lord they shall proclaim.”
In the prophetic scene of the Wise Men before the Christ Child, something sacramental is in the air. It pictures you kneeling before your tender Savior in your Bethlehem. In your church, you gaze upon Him as they did, not in fear of His divine majesty, but under the humble, friendly forms of bread and wine called to be His body and blood. Like the Child, they do not frighten, but embolden you to draw near, as we sing:
Draw nigh and take the body of the Lord
And drink the holy blood for you outpoured.
By that pure body and that holy blood
Saved and refreshed, we render thanks to God.
(ELH 314:1–2)
With this, how can you not arise and shine? “The true Light which gives light to every man” (John 1:9) has come into the world for you and your salvation. But what about those all around you who still do not know Him because of “the darkness covering the earth and deep darkness the people” (Isaiah 60:2). What can you do to shine the true Light on them?
First, love your church and congregation, “among whom the Gospel is preached in its purity and the holy sacraments are administered according to the Gospel” (Augsburg Confession VII). Don’t change anything here, for “through these, as through means, He gives the Holy Spirit, who works faith, when and where He pleases, in those who hear the Gospel” (AC V). Only be sure that you are part of this regular gathering of believers. Nothing shines brighter to those outside the Church than Christians who love to go to church.
Second, be willing to share “the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). This is a little harder, so let me share a recent event of our church as an example. Small towns in New England have a custom of holding Christmas Strolls on the weekends before Christmas. This year, our town asked us if we would host some event for the Stroll. We said, yes, but what to do? It was decided to hold an art exhibition of the religious paintings hanging in our sanctuary and nave. A brochure explaining each painting was prepared. In addition, another member displayed her collection of nativity crèches from around the world. After that, we hosted a holiday jazz concert in the social hall, featuring jazz musicians, all pros from our little town, who were willing to do a free concert for the celebration. Following the concert, our women’s group prepared a lovely reception.
We had no idea if anyone would show up, but our members worked hard to spiff up the church and decorate it like I had never seen it. To our delight, the place was mobbed with visitors, and we all simply got to know one another. In our rather Lutheran-less area, it was an opportunity for people to see that we are fun-loving enough to put on a jazz concert, yet deeply in love with our church, where the Gospel is so clearly portrayed, yet done in meekness and fear.
From a pastor’s view, I saw Christian people in love with their church, arising and shining with the warmth of the Light, who came in meekness, who still comes in His Word, and who will come again in glory. “Arise, shine; for your light has come!”
James Krikava is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Brewster, Massachusetts.