St. Paul's On-the-Hill Episcopal Church

The Rev. Stephen C. Holton, Rector

Epiphany; January 6, 2008

Isaiah 60:1-6,9

Ephesians 3:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12

EPIPHANY OF DREAMS FULFILLED

What was it that drove those old scientists across half a world, from many different directions, to discover the One God?

Why did they leave their comfortable homes and scholarly positions in the courts and colleges of their own day?

Why did they undertake such hazardous journeys, probably traveling separately until meeting together, perhaps by chance when they got closer to Bethlehem on the appointed day of God's revelation and epiphany to the Gentiles in Jesus Christ?

What made them undertake long, hard nights on the road, short rations, the danger of thieves and bandits and murder, when they could have been safely and comfortably at home, still studying the stars and writing scholarly tomes, but not, perhaps, fulfilling and feeling their dreams?

Maybe it was their dreams that drove them – as our dreams drive us to undertake personal privations and dangers. Maybe it is also our dreams that drive us – to undertake professional risks to fulfill personal dreams. Maybe our dreams drive us, to undertake great changes in our lives, and short rations and personal danger, when our present lives are not fulfilling even if they are comfortable.

Maybe our dreams drive us to change lives that anyone else would find comfortable and not risk changing.

Maybe our dreams drive us to end lifestyles that are in fact full of pain – even if in some devil's deal they seem to provide comfort and pride and even public admiration as well.

Maybe our dreams drive us, as we think there is somewhere over the horizon, after a journey full of danger and loss and privation and poverty, there is nevertheless also fulfillment of all the dreams we ever dreamt, or at least answers to all the questions we ever asked! And having answered those questions and fulfilled those dreams we will be able to return to our lives, at least rested in our souls, if not in our bodies.

Maybe that's why we undertake our dreams – because we dare to dream, we dare to hope, or God himself has put the hope there – that somewhere else there lies fulfillment and fullness for the emptiness that hitherto stalks our souls.

So the wise men leave their homes and professions.

And we leave our priorities and pursuits.

Maybe in this stable, that church, at the end of that academic journey, after that professional fulfillment, we'll find our dreams.

Let's try. They try. The 3 wise men – and the 100's of 1,000's of millions who come after them – they all try. We all try.

They get there. The wise men get to Bethlehem where the star they studied has led them. Actually they get to Jerusalem first, to the place where local scholars should be able to point them on their way. Only the local scholars and local king and local authorities say – 'uuuh, what? We don't know what you're looking for, or what we're looking for. Uum, lets see what we can do to help you' – and eventually after much confusion they do find out what to do, and they do point the way to Bethlehem.

Except at first they plot to take advantage of the wise men's quest, in order to murder Jesus.

How many times, in the middle of your quest for your fulfillment, have you come upon authorities who should be able to help you; only they cannot, for they cannot help themselves. They have no knowledge of your dream. They have no dream of their own and they cannot point the way at first.

They are even threatened by your dream.

But after awhile they do help you out; or perhaps they take advantage of you first.

And the wise men march on. And we march on.

And they get to Bethlehem, and they saw the child, with Mary his mother, and they give their gifts, their savings and treasures that represent their years of work and exploration, and they go on home.

They do nothing else. They do not seem to teach anything. They themselves are not taught anything by Joseph or Mary.

They just go on home.

Their dreams seem to be fulfilled, their needs met.

They are great scientists but they seem to have no specifically scientific experience there. They are great astronomers but there is no astronomical experience in that little room.

They do not see someone who looks like the great King of the Jews they seemed to expect. That would have been Herod and he was not the fulfillment of their dreams.

It was Jesus, meek and lowly, the little baby.

And they had the wit to recognize him for what he was when they saw him. The little baby was the great, accepting and loving God.

Their hearts spoke: 'This is the One,' even if their eyes had expected otherwise.

When does your heart say one thing when your eyes and your brain expected something else? Rely on your heart, not on your eyes and your brain. That's what needs to be fulfilled. That's what needs to be rested.

The hearts of the wise men rest in the presence of Jesus and so they must think – 'this must be the end and the answer and the fulfillment of all our dreams!'

'Let's go home now, and just be scientists.'

So they go home and they are scientists and students of their mysteries and teachers of many followers as before. But they are no longer gripped by this dream and this longing that sent them across many dark nights and through many difficult and unknown circumstances to get to their journey's end.

Neither are we. With Christ in our hearts – having discovered this poor, vulnerable baby, this loving God who loves us with all his mighty, universal heart – we no longer need the fulfillment that comes from a great career. It is just a career, and a good one. We no longer need the sense of pleasure that comes from a good gift. It is still a nice gift, a wonderful gift, but it does not need to fill our souls. God does that.

We just need to give our gifts.

Curiously, to fill our hearts, we need to give of ourselves, so Christ can take the place of that which used to be just our gift. Having given our gifts and treasures of long experience and long lives, Christ can replace that gift with himself.

And we return to our lives, with the wise men, now truly wise, saying nothing, teaching nothing, needing to hear nothing more from other teachers and churches and leaders; simply full of hope, full of love, full of Christ.

Amen