Pastoral Letter 197
Dear Members of St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Friends and Adherents,
By God’s grace we commenced the New Year, the year 2024, and we look forward with great anticipation and hope. We pray to the Almighty to be with us as we navigate through uncharted territory. We are sure that we will face many challenges, obstacles, pains, sorrows and hardships, but we will continue to receive God’s blessings and heavenly gifts, which He has prepared for us. So, let us be grateful for what we had, what we have and what will be given and trust Him always in any situation.
As a hard-working small congregation, once again let’s put our hands together and as we have done for many years, let us rededicate ourselves to do our best and utmost for God’s glory as we move forward in the year ahead and rest assured that He is with us.
In the first week of the year some of us are still in the mood of celebration, as with all Armenians we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on 6 January, once again reminding ourselves that God with His loving grace has come to us as the Light of the World to help us get out of the darkness of this world.
This Sunday we celebrate Epiphany, the revelation (theophany) of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates principally the visit of the Magi, and thus Jesus Christ’s physical manifestation to the Gentiles. Eastern Christians, on the other hand, commemorate the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, seen as His manifestation to the world as the Son of God. In both cases it is the revelation of Jesus to the world, but the case of His baptism proclaims the start of His earthly ministry, which was over three years leading to His crucifixion, death and triumphant resurrection. This Sunday we will reflect on visit of the Magi.
If you are not able to join us tomorrow, please light a candle, have small roll of bread and a small cup of wine or juice for communion and join us following the attached Orders of Services.
Please let me know if you or anyone else has prayer points.
Here are some prayer points for this week:
- Pray for the New Year and ask God to be with us in the year as we move forward.
- Pray for the victims of Japan earthquake and all natural disasters.
- Pray for the Middle East, the conflict between Israel and Palestine and the suffering people.
- Pray for the people Artsakh who are refugees in different parts of Armenia facing many challenges.
- Pray for the poor, the sick, the struggling and the stressed.
- Pray for Virginia as she receives treatment and assuring her that we are with her on this painful way.
- Pray for our church and our future plans as we seek God’s guidance.
Best Regards for the New Year.
Krikor
MESSAGE
Epiphany
Matthew 2:1-12 Ephesians 3:1-13
The story of the Magi teach us good lessons as they follow a star to meet and worship the new King. These Magi or the Wise men began a long trip to Israel simply because a particular star was in the sky. They travelled several months to meet the Christ child in person.
Remember these Non-Christian, Non-Believers had their EPIPHANY and saw that this was not only a king of the Jews but of the Gentiles as well. This is what January 6th celebrates on Epiphany Sunday.
According to the Webster’s Dictionary, Epiphany is a church festival observed in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ. An appearance especially of a divine being and a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something; an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking; and an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure.
Hence Epiphany or Theophany meaning “vision of God” is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ.
Western Christians commemorate principally the visitation of the Magi to the Baby Jesus, and thus Jesus’ physical manifestation to the Gentiles. Eastern Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, seen as His manifestation to the world as the Son of God.
According to the Gospels when Jesus was baptised, He was clearly presented to be the Son of God. As the heaven opened, the Spirit descended on Him like a dove and a voice came from heaven saying: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased”.
The Magi were wise men who brought gifts to the Baby Jesus in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones. They were willing to sacrifice their safety, time, money and honour to worship The King.
The Magi were interested in religious findings: and they were searching for what they knew according to prophecy was not just the King to the Jews.
They were Gentiles and more than likely they didn’t fully understand what was happening, but where eagerly searching. They were searching for the One.
They were some of the most educated men of their time, but this does not mean they fully understood what they were looking for. They followed the signs to what they hoped would fulfil the prophecies they had read.
They followed their hearts and they allowed themselves to be guided and lead.
They were diligent in their search: They refused to stop and even did the unthinkable and they asked directions and gathered their things and then left.
When they found Him, they worshiped. Matthew 2:11 says they found the house where the child was and bowed down and worshipped Him.
The question we should ask today is:
Have we had our Epiphany moment?
Have we found Jesus? Have we sacrificed? Have we worshipped?
The next question is:
Are we ready to help others find their Epiphany moment?
Jesus was reviled to the world and to all people. Though He was born King of the Jews. He’s the King of us all.
We are all seeking. How hard we choose to seek and what we choose to do when we find Him, is up to us.
If we have found Him then part of the gift is to pass the gift on to others.
A very good example is Paul himself. Paul was in prison when he wrote the letter to the church in Ephesus. He regarded himself to be “the prisoner of Christ”. When he speaks in these terms it makes him think of the universal love of God and of his part in bringing that love to the Gentiles. The love and mercy and grace of God were meant not for the Jews alone but for all mankind.
When Paul met Christ on the Damascus road there came to him a sudden flash of revelation. It was to the Gentiles that God had sent him “to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18).
This was completely new discovery. The Jews despised the Gentiles as worthless in the sight of God. Therefore, it was incredible that the grace and the glory of God were for the Gentiles. No one had ever dreamed that God’s privileges were for all people.
Paul regarded himself as the recipient of a new revelation and he thought of God having revealed it to him. He saw his task as that of being a channel of God’s grace to men. It is one of the great facts of the Christian life that we have been given the precious things of Christianity in order to share them with others. It is one of the great warnings of the Christian life that if we keep them to ourselves, we lose them. Sharing this with others is a privilege which we should be glad to accept humbly. Paul was not proud with this privilege, but on the contrary, he saw himself less than the least of God’s people.
The tragic fact is that there are so many who are more concerned with their own prestige than with the prestige of Jesus Christ.
Their story teaches us four lessons:
1. God makes every effort to reach every person who is far from Him
God used the star to reach pagan Gentile astrologers in order to bring them to Christ. And they came. They took the long trip to come to Bethlehem where Jesus was born. God helped them by showing the way as they followed the star, which lead them to baby Jesus.
2. God wants us to diligently seek Him
The magi with only partial information about the Messiah set off on a journey of faith to find the Christ, the King of the Jews, as it was manifested some time ago, a journey which is estimated to be 1200 kilometres. It may have taken them three months perhaps even longer to get to Bethlehem. The journey cost them time, money, and it cost them their precious gifts.
3. God wants us to worship Christ
The wise men offered valuable gifts, gold, incenses and myrrh. And once they reached Jesus, they worshiped Him just like the shepherds who visited Jesus and worshiped by singing praises to God.
4. We need to continue to be open to God’s Spirit
The wise men obeyed God’s direction by not returning to Herod. The journey to the Christ and their reward of faith had taught them to remain open to God’s leading.
They knew the prophecies and saw the signs. They did not travel kilometres just to meet a new king and bring a gift in hope of favour with the new leader. They came in search of the King of the Jews in order to Worship Him. They did not bring the typical gifts a new baby would receive or even the typical gifts one king might bring to another. They brought to Jesus Gold the gift of kings, Frankincense the gift of the High Priest, and Myrrh the gift for those about to die to honour the sacrifice that the Magi saw.
Therefore, the lesson is clear:
God has manifested Himself to the Magi many years ago and now manifests Himself to the church today as a gift and it is a privilege to be taken seriously and, in our turn, pass it on to others.
The Light has come to us; God has revealed Himself to us. Now it is our turn to reveal Him to others.
Amen!