Arise and Shine
Isaiah 60: 1-6, Matthew 2:1-12
January 6, 2008
Epiphany of the Lord
Leslie A. Klingensmith
Like many of you, I have been very saddened by the turmoil in the countries of Pakistan and Kenya lately. I was in college when Benazir Bhutto became Prime Minister of Pakistan, and remember how hopeful the country and the world were that she could bring some stability and prosperity to a country that had been through a lot. No doubt she made her share of mistakes, but I believe that her desire to help her people was genuine. It is sobering to see the bearer of that hope downed by an assassin's bullet, and frightening to see the potential for further violence and instability in Pakistan.
Kenya has also endured its share of ethnic clashes in the past, but has been relatively calm compared to some of its neighboring countries. Some of you may remember that I visited Kenya in 1999 with a group from our presbytery. It was one of the best experiences of my life. When I hear the news of killings and fires and displacements, I wonder if any of the people I met eight years ago are among those who are suffering. Even if they are not, they undoubtedly know people who have been affected. Both of these situations painfully show us the staggering amount of tension that is simmering just below the surface (and sometimes already on top of the surface) in so many parts of our world. The potential for utter chaos seems to lurk everywhere, and it is not only disturbing but also disheartening.
Driving to work one day earlier this week, however, I was heartened by one short clip that I heard on National Public Radio. NPR (and no doubt many other news sources) reported that Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu had traveled to Kenya's capital city of Nairobi to offer assistance in investigating the election and to do what he could to quell the violence. No doubt most of you remember Tutu's role in dismantling apartheid in his native South Africa, and his role in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that followed. The work of the Commission helped South Africa to move forward after apartheid without an eruption of understandable vengeance from people who had suffered for so long under the racist apartheid policies. Ever since that time, Archbishop Tutu has been a leader on the world stage and a tireless spokesman for peace, restorative justice, and reconciliation. The story that I heard a few days ago included a voice clip of Archbishop Tutu expressing why he had decided to go to Kenya. I do not remember his exact words, but they boiled down to "This is where the church should be. We have a responsibility to promote truth and peace wherever they are lacking." I was stunned by the simplicity and sincerity of his words, and by how clearly he had backed up his words with action. He is right. Where there is strife, where people are angry because they have lost hope, where people have forgotten how to trust one another and where people have forgotten how to live life as trustworthy individuals, it is true that that is where the voice of God is calling the church. Archbishop Desmond Tutu may be a prophetic voice and presence for our time. He is carrying the light of the gospel to the places that most need it. (PAUSE)
I was intrigued by the Old Testament passage for today. As you can see in our bulletin, it is Epiphany Sunday, sometimes called "Three Kings Day," when we liturgically celebrate the journey of the magi to bring gifts to the child Jesus. Matthew's gospel tells us that the wise men followed a star in the east so that they could find Jesus. "Epiphany" literally translates to "bright star" or "bright light." We have come to use the word as well to describe sudden flashes of insight, usually ones that show us a direction in which to move. This understanding of epiphany drew me to the words of Isaiah. I love the Matthew story, but it is so familiar that it is too easy to leave it in the past. We can easily lump it all together with Christmas, lining the magi up alongside our nativity scenes and packing it all away after the holiday festivities end. If we consider the story of the magi alongside the prophecies of Isaiah, though, we see the image of light woven through the history of the Hebrew exile and the eventual restoration of a small percentage of them to their homeland.
Just a brief word about where we are historically at the time of this prophecy: Isaiah is widely believed by biblical scholars to be not one person but three. It is one book, and no clear distinction is made between the three voices, but the early prophecies (commonly called First Isaiah) likely pre-date the exile. The middle part of the book (known as deutero-Isaiah or second Isaiah) is probably a collection of teachings and sermons from the exilic period. Second Isaiah is full of promises for the future - the Israelites will return home, they will rebuild their temple, and they will thrive as a people - both spiritually and economically. When we get to where we are today (third Isaiah or trito-Isaiah), Cyrus of Persia has conquered Babylon and set the Israelites free. They can go home. The problem, though, is that not everyone chose to go. What had been described by second Isaiah as a massive wave of humanity returning to the Canaan Valley turned out to more closely resemble a trickle from a drippy faucet. Those who returned had made a half-hearted attempt to rebuild the temple, the center of their worship life, but had not had the economic means to complete the task. Then prosperity that they had been taught to expect had not materialized. The people were discouraged.
Third Isaiah has the job of boosting the returnees' flagging spirits, reminding them to be patient, that others of their extended family will eventually be following them home and in time (with hard work) they will prosper. They were never promised that everything would be easy once they were free from the rule of the Babylonians. What they were promised was that God was in covenant relationship with them and had no intention of forsaking them. Furthermore, God's plan is to bring the Israelites back together and to restore Jerusalem. "Your sons shall come from far away . . .your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms." The nations and regions that are referred to throughout the rest of this prophecy are places where Israelites had scattered. God intends to bring their family and friends back from all these places and unite them in Jerusalem. What follows then is a lengthy explication of the economic harvests that they are going to enjoy (and this listing goes on for several verses after where I stopped reading today) - abundance, camels, rams, gold, frankincense - it is all going to be theirs. Frankly, it makes me uncomfortable to have Isaiah tie the notion of God's presence and favor so closely with material goods and money. Isn't that the idea that we in our post-modern world are trying so hard to get away from? We have to remember, though, that these were people whose ancestors had lived as slaves and who themselves had been exiles. They were people who had enjoyed few material or physical pleasures and even less self-determination. Whether we like it or not, having the means to acquire things that give us pleasure or promote personal wealth is a part of being free people. Taken in context it seems understandable that the prophecies would put forth such a vivid vision of economic prosperity, especially when we visualize the Israelites themselves coming from such disparate places and bringing with them the goods that would strengthen the community as a whole.
What I like about Isaiah's speech is that right from the beginning it calls the Israelites to participate in God's healing and restoration of their nation. Isaiah does not tell them to sit back and receive the light. Isaiah says "Arise, shine; for your light has come." The light of hope and freedom has come, but it is up to the Israelites to shine with that light. No one is going to do it for them. It is their responsibility and privilege to reflect God's glory in their lives. They are going to have to get up off their duffs and SHINE ON! The light of God pierces even the darkest times and circumstances, and it guides us to a better way of life than we can figure out on our own, but those who have experienced the light are responsible for bringing it to others. "Arise, shine, for your light has come."
Again, this theme of light is woven throughout all of Isaiah's prophecies. Isaiah 9:2, a popular Advent scripture, reads "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." In chapter 42:16, probably from the exilic period, God through Isaiah says "I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground." In today's passage, Isaiah reminds the Israelites of their call to bear the light to a world shrouded in darkness.
This admonition to the Israelites makes me think of the magi. We have to remember that they were not Hebrews. We know that they were learned men from somewhere in ancient Persia. They had not lived and breathed the culture of the Israelites throughout their lives. But someone must have said something to them, because somehow they knew. Educated and wise though they may have been, they somehow knew that this child had something to offer that they could not get in books or in a store, and they were willing to follow the light to find him and experience him firsthand. They did not linger, though. They offered the gifts that they had brought with them; and then they returned to their own country, presumably to tell others in their homeland what they had experienced in the presence of this unique child they had become acquainted with. It was their time to arise and shine.
When are we expected to arise and shine, knowing that the light has come to us? I want to return now to Archbishop Tutu. He felt compelled to leave his own home, the place where he is comfortable, and shine the gospel light of hope and reconciliation into an abyss of anger and distrust, corruption and violence. He is offering his gifts of calming presence, a reasonable demeanor, a gentle spirit, and delightful sense of humor, and a heart full of love to the ministries of peace and justice initiated by Christ so long ago. I pray that someone is shining in Pakistan as well, pointing a way to some alternative way of resolving their crisis of leadership other than violence and chaos. Not all of us can go to places so far away, obviously, but surely we can bear Christ's light of guiding and abiding love in our homes, our workplaces, and our schools. We can choose to act in ways that radiate Christ's presence and God's glory, rather than buying into the ugliness and corruption of the world around us. We can make intentional effort to be unified as human beings without expecting everyone to look and speak and think the same way. Our lives can be peaceful lives that remind others, when they see hatred and prejudice and violence, that it does not have to be this way. It is not God's intention for things to be this way.
"Arise, shine, for your light has come." Let's get on with it. Happy New Year. Arise and Shine!
AMEN.
