Epiphany Sermon

Fear and Seeing Stars

An Epiphany Sermon – January 10/2016

Shortly after 10:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday 100 people were gathered outside of the Muslim Association of Canada Centre, in Vancouver, when an unknown man on a bicycle rode up and pepper sprayed a group of men, women and children, which included newly arrived refugees from Syria.   A single man, made the decision that he had the right to hurt people he did not know in a random act of violence. People do stupid and sometimes horrible things when they are afraid.

On Monday of this week, a grand jury in Ohio declared that the police officers who shot and killed 12-year old Tamir Rice while he played with a pellet gun in a Cleveland park and then left him unattended on the ground for four minutes before administering comfort or assistance would not be indicted on any charges related to his death. The officers said the boy looked like he was 20. They said they told him to stand down. He was a large black boy in a park and they were afraid. People do stupid and sometimes horrible things when they are afraid.

This past week news emerged of North Korea testing of a hydrogen bomb.  It is still unverified but the president of North Korea is touring his country military bases proclaiming the successful test.  Kim Jong-un's first public comments about this had him proclaiming  the explosion was  "a self-defensive step" meant to protect the region "from the danger of nuclear war caused by the U.S.-led imperialists," .   This little Asian country has created a bomb that will poison the earth, kill many people, and destroy life at atomic levels, because they feel threatened and afraid.  People do stupid and sometimes horrible things when they are afraid.

A U.S. Muslim woman who was ejected from a Donald Trump rally in South Carolina while engaging in a silent protest said on Saturday she wanted to make the Republican presidential candidate's backers recognize they are supporting "hateful rhetoric."  Although all she did was stand up and not say anything her quiet standing presence unsettled the security people of the rally enough to remove her from the room.  People do stupid and sometimes horrible things when they are afraid.

A six year old boy and his father were taking a plane last week from Toronto to Boston to see  a hockey game.  When the got to security section of the airport the 6 year old boy was held up because he has been flagged as a travel risk.  Seems he shares his name with someone else who really is a risk.  Screening however, is based on name and age, physical stature, and the fact of not being at all threatening does not rule out being held up in the airport for an inordinate amount of time to be screened.  One child whose name resembles someone on the no-fly list is 6 months old and when he attempted to board a plane in his mother’s arms he had his diaper scanned,  People do stupid and sometimes horrible things when they are afraid.

And in a palace half way across the world, a group of weary travels stop by for the night seeking the king.  Asking ‘where is the king born to be king of the Jews, we observed his star at its rising and we have come to meet him.  This is news to the King in the Palace, and he does not know but asks the travellers to return after they have found the one and tell the king all about it.  When they do not return, to protect his position, or to make sure that his throne is not threatened, he has all male children in his region 2 years and under killed.   People do stupid and sometimes horrible things when they are afraid.

Fear, is insidious and becoming more and more prevalent in the culture that we live in.  The media and culture is telling us that we should be afraid of a lot of things lately: immigrants, Muslims, crazy men with guns, black men (with or without guns), ISIS, and the unemployment rate, and the shrinking dollar. We’re told that there are forces afoot in this world, embodied in these and many other things, which threaten our way of life. We’re told that if we do not eliminate these threats, bad things will happen. Some here this message as cry to arms, to hold nothing back, however immoral or inhumane, to keep ourselves and our way of life safe: with border controls and security screening, internment camps, religious tests, militarized policing, carding, and suppression of organizations.

When fear is used maintain order. Collateral damage is to be expected. When those in power fear that they are losing hold on that power, ramping up the fear of the general populace is a sure fire way to secure and maintain power.   What better way to maintain order?  What better way to hold off change, and keep things the same?  Fear and power.

Rick Morley writes:  “Fear and the thirst for power is a mix that is volatile. How many innocent lives and beautiful dreams have been lost in that concoction?  It’s all there in our story this morning.
Right there, while Jesus is still in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. No crying he makes, and yet a already a bounty is on his head. Holy infant, tender and mild, be careful before you sleep in heavenly peace and because you are a threat to the great Herod.”  And Herod does not like to be threatened.  And fear gets in and all those innocent babies loose their lives –

That woe is me, poor child, for thee

And ever mourn and may

For thy parting neither say nor sing,

"Bye bye, lully, lullay."

Collateral damage.
And yet – and yet – before the fear overtake us – before the darkness surrounds us - before we begin to go into ourselves to protect us from things to awful to think about let us pause in the midst of this horrible consequences of this story of where unsuspecting magi precipitate in dead babies ordered by a fearful and threatened Herod- before we get overwhelmed in the darkness – remember the light and look for God, not in the crazy and not in the death – but in the light – the light of the star, the light of magi seeking the promised messiah – the light of the one they found in Bethlehem, in the light of the prophet reminding us to lift up our eyes and see the light and be radiant and have our hearts thrilled…all in the midst of the darkness – God gets in and the light comes – star shine and sparkle – God gets in  - stars raising in the east bringing gifts of great value.

Isaiah understood this seeking light in darkness, looking for God in the midst of fear, Arise and shine for you light has come – the light of God.  Here too is a people who understand darkness and fear.  The people of Isaiah’s time  can not even pretend any longer that is all is right in their world.  Chaos and crazy abound, They have been conquered, many have been forced from their homes to become slaves in the Babylonian world.  The ones left behind struggle to find life in the midst of destruction.  The once beautiful temple and city lie in ruin around their feet – and has done for years and years and years.  There is much to be afraid of – and yet – and yet

God is here, the light is here it shines forth proclaims Isaiah.  Look up, look down, look all around –somewhere, somewhere the light is shining – somewhere, somehow God is getting in

Have you seen the response of the police chief of Vancouver, and Prime Minister Trudeau.  They are not going to let one random act of violence stand in the way of welcoming refugees to Canada.  The fear and darkness of this one individuals bizarre act of unwelcoming behaviour is an isolated incident, and the light gets in as people rally to support the victims and make statements against the darkness.

Arise and shine for your light has come.

And the President of the United State, has said time out people – enough is enough – the gun lobby may be strong but I have executive power and I can do something about these guns on the street… and more and more people realize that racism and gun violence is an epidemic in America and minds are changing and the light is getting in, even if it feels like it is just a glimmer, it is still getting in and the darkness is lifting.

Arise and shine for your light has come.

And where can we find light in North Korea – the oppressive regime has been in power almost half a century – well one thing is that the bomb that was set off did not have the power that was proclaimed because as such an explosion would have been hundreds of times more powerful than the evidence suggests.  Also however we need to remember that history teaches us that eventually all oppressive regimes fall, time has a way of shifting things, and the light gets in…
And so when one woman takes a stand and literally stands up in silence – her voice is so loud she can not be ignored
And when crazy policies screen innocent children, and customs officers are preforming ridiculous things such as scanning babies diapers – the light get into the absurdity of the situation – and the darkness is overcome.  It is amazing how God gets into the world when was are able to laugh at our ridiculousness and to find humour in our silliness.

Julie a minister in Scotland shared this:  “Then we have these wise visitors; the strangers who came from a foreign land bringing impractical and inappropriate gifts; stirring up an already paranoid and jealous king who lives in a tenuous state constantly uncertain of what will happen next.

That was not so wise!

Yet, they trusted the light.

They followed it, through the darkness of their journeying until they finally reached their goal.

Not the king in his palace, but a poor family, in borrowed accommodation, disturbed and confused themselves by all the attention.

The travellers had trekked far and long to reach their destination.

Knowing against all common logic that something wondrous had happened.

A new king, not of their tribe’ or race, or faith, or culture.

But a new king nevertheless.

Born into poverty.

Born into danger.

Born in unusual, mysterious circumstances.

The star led them; guided them; inspired them.”

I don’t know what your light is what your star is that guides you but I promise you that it is there – that there is light in darkness, there is star guidance in our life. 

I would like to give you all a gift this morning – a simple gift of a star – it is yours for the year and it has a message for you to take with you into this year.  It is a simple message; it is a unique message to you.  It may help you find light in dark times; it may help guide you when the way is unclear

You are invited to ponder what significance this word might have in your lives, and how God might be speaking to you through that simple message. Just like you are unique, each star has its own message and significance. I invite you to take the word home and place it in a place where you will encounter it regularly, it may be on your fridge or your bathroom mirror or maybe by your front door so as you leave to go out into the world you remember your star word and you see where God is speaking into that day.

So as the stars are passed around, please take one without looking, because this star, this star is a gift you are asked to receive. It reminds us that this is always the order of things in God’s realm—God always gives first, and then we are invited to respond with our gifts and ourselves.

This gift may be a bit like the gift of the magi, a little impractical, offering you a thought or a moment to ponder where God, and where the light comes. 

It may be a word you are unsure of.

It maybe one you are delighted to receive.

It may sit, uncomfortably, challenging you in ways you did not expect.

It may already be stirring you; making you think; moving you to action.

Whatever it does; whatever it says, I pray it will bring you, new hope this year, and new light in the darkness.  I pray that it offers you many opportunities to witness God getting into the world, in unexpected ways.

Like those wise men, all those years ago, may your star lead you; guide you; and inspire you to

Arise and shine for your light has come.         Amen.