Epiphany marks the end
of the Christmas season for the church calendar. By the sixth day in January,
the wider society has long moved past the celebrations of Christmas. Radio
stations are back to their usual music, employees have returned to work,
children have returned to school, and stores are beginning to set out
Valentine’s merchandise. The church, on the other hand, persists a full 12 days
after Christmas Day to remember the visit of the wise men to the young Jesus as
recorded in Matthew’s gospel (2:1–12). The celebration of the Feast of Epiphany
focuses on the revelation of God to humanity – the incarnation of God in Christ,
where God becomes human, where divinity and humanity become united. And where,
as it turns out, this unity belongs to everyone, not just the Israelites. It is
the revelation of this last mystery that Paul proclaims in today’s reading from
Ephesians.
The word mystery appears
several times in this text – verses 3, 4, 5, and 9. Why is this word so
important to Paul? In contemporary language, a mystery is something to be
solved. Like a puzzle. Or a whodunnit story. It’s something that has an answer
at the end and the joy is solving the mystery. However, for Paul and the Ephesians,
a mystery is a treasure to be revealed. So, what is the mystery that Paul is
trying to reveal to the Ephesian community?
Part of the mystery is
actually revealed in the chapter 2 when Paul states,
“but God, who is rich in mercy, out of
the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our
trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…so
that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in
kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (v.4-8)
“By grace you have been
saved.” What an amazing gift that God has given to…well…all of us! And therein
lies the mystery that Paul alludes to in chapter 3. The revelation that has
been made to the Ephesians is that this gift from God of grace, and of
salvation, has been given not only to the Israelites, but also to the Gentiles.
How do we know this?
We know this because of
the 3 Magi. I know the song goes “We Three Kings”, but these men weren’t kings.
They were wise men, scientists, following the stars to see this baby that had
been born. These 3 men from the East who were three of the first witnesses of God
made human in this baby boy. And because men who were not from Israel were witness
to this unity of divine and human meant that the revelation of this mystery was
not for Israelite eyes only.
God’s grace and
salvation are universal, and this mystery is revealed through Jesus Christ. And
for Paul, it is to this mystery that he has become a servant. For Paul, Epiphany
isn’t just a single day on the calendar, it’s a lifelong calling, one that he
was imprisoned for. In this letter, Paul is telling the Ephesians that the gospel,
the good news, is that
“the gentiles have become fellow
heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus” (v.
6)
and that he, Paul, the lowly servant of
God, has been tasked in sharing this gospel with the Ephesians and with anyone
else who will listen.
But God doesn’t call only on Paul to
share this good news. God calls on Paul, on Jews, on Gentiles…God calls on all
of us! We are all to share in this mystery of Christ, in this secret that has
been revealed through the combined humanity and divinity of the baby born to be
God’s representative on earth. The birth of Jesus is a magnificent celebration
of the extraordinary plan of God – the loving intention that all peoples should
be invited and included in God’s kindness and love.
The mystery of Christ is that God
became human, the two natures of humanity and divinity being neither confused nor
divided, and the arrival of Jesus on earth prepares the way for the unity of
Jew and Gentile. It is God’s plan to overcome the divide: Gentiles are to
become full heirs of the kingdom, not just second-class members, those who have
ben estranged will be drawn together, and this will all be done through
creation, reconciliation, and peace.
Now if this is God’s plan, if we are
united in Christ through the actions of God sending the divine to be human,
then how do we explain the world we live in that is full of war and strife, hate
and discrimination, exclusiveness and pettiness…? It is our job as reconcilers
in Christ to be deliverers of God’s message of grace, salvation, and unity
through Christ Jesus. Radical inclusiveness of all people is not a new thing.
It is embedded in God’s eternal purpose for God’s creation and is being
revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Radical inclusiveness is created by the
gospel of Jesus Christ, and it is up to us to spread that good news with
everyone we meet.
The work of sharing this news won’t be
easy, Paul can attest to that, as he writes to the Ephesians from a jail cell.
It will be scary; it may even be dangerous. Revealing the mystery found in
Jesus means we will need to stand out in a crowd because we won’t always be
voicing the popular opinion. But we must be the voices that declare God’s love,
kindness, grace, mercy, and salvation is for everyone, not the select few. To
seek unity in a fallen world, striving to overcome distinctions of all
inequalities that hinder God’s love, that is the work we are called to do.
As we exhibit unity – of different
races, classes, and genders – we display the mystery of God who brings all God’s
creation together in the unity of the divine and human baby witnessed by the men
from the East.
Amen.
