A Light for All Nations

OT Lesson: Isaiah 60:1-6 (ESV)

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and His glory will be seen upon you.
And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Lift up your eyes all round, and see;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from afar,
and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and exult,
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.

NT Lesson: Matthew 2:1-12 (NRSV)

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the Child who has been born King of the Jews? For we observed His star at its rising, and have come to pay Him homage.’ When king Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”’

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they knelt down and paid Him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Sermon

Introduction

Good morning, and a Happy New Year to all! Did you enjoy the snowfall yesterday? As many of you know, several Asian countries follow a zodiac system of twelve animals, each representing a year. This year, according to the lunar calendar, is designated as the year of the dragon. By the way, Asian dragons look different from the European dragon. It has no wings, but looks more like a giant snake with feet. I emphasise “lunar calendar” because these zodiac animals change on the lunar calendar’s New Year’s day. Speaking of calendars, broadly speaking, there are two types: lunar and solar. Historically, Asian countries utilised the lunar calendar, while European nations adopted the solar calendar. A quick trivia question: Do you know which of the four ancient civilizations invented these calendars? The Ancient Egyptians are credited with the solar calendar, while the Mesopotamian civilization, specifically the Sumerians, developed the lunar calendar. The lunar calendar thus made its way east to Asian countries, with China being a notable adopter. On the other hand, the solar calendar journeyed north to Europe.

Abraham, hailing from Mesopotamia, was familiar with the lunar calendar. However, when he moved to Canaan, heavily influenced by Egyptian culture, he encountered the solar calendar. His descendants eventually settled in Egypt for four hundred years. This amalgamation of influences is why the Hebrew calendar incorporates both lunar and solar elements. Consequently, Jewish and Christian festivals derived from Jewish tradition vary in dates each year. For instance, Easter was on April 9th last year but falls on March 31st this year. So, if you’ve ever wondered about the fluctuating dates of these religious festivals, you might say it’s a legacy of Abraham’s journey. Now you know who to blame.

Here’s another interesting point: We all know Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. But have you ever wondered about the date of Christmas in Orthodox churches? It is today, January 7th. This difference stems from the history of the solar calendar. The Egyptian calendar has 365 days in a year, which is the same as ours today. It is amazing how accurate the Egyptians were when it comes to the astronomy. However, it did not account for the fact that the Earth’s orbit around the sun takes slightly more than 365 days, precisely 365.2425 days. This slight discrepancy accumulated over time. By Julius Caesar’s era, the calendar was significantly misaligned with the seasons. To correct this, Caesar introduced the leap year concept, adding an extra day every four years. Though remarkably accurate, this Julian calendar still drifted by one day every 128 years. By Pope Gregory XIII’s time, it was off by 10 days. To rectify this, Pope Gregory XIII refined the leap year rule, leading to the creation of the Gregorian calendar, which practically the whole world uses now. Catholics swiftly adopted it, but Protestants were initially reluctant, fearing it symbolised submission to Papal authority. For example, the Britain and its colonies adopted this calendar in 1752, which is 170 years later than the Catholics. Eventually, they too embraced it. When the calendar finally changed here in America as part of the British empire, Benjamin Franklin said, “It is pleasant for an old man to be able to go to bed on September 2nd, and not have to get up until September 14th.” However, to this day, Orthodox churches adhere to the Julian calendar for liturgical events, celebrating Christmas on January 7th in the Gregorian calendar, which aligns with December 25th in the Julian calendar. This answers a mystery, which none of you asked. Just for your information, even the Gregorian calendar is not flawless; it will drift by a day every 3,323 years.

Epiphany

Moving on, according to the Gregorian calendar, today marks the first Sunday following Epiphany, which we celebrated yesterday. This Sunday is commonly known as Epiphany Sunday. Epiphany commemorates the visit of the Magi to worship Jesus. While there are many myths surrounding Epiphany, the corrections I wish to make pertain to minor facts rather than core theological elements.

A common misconception is that the Magi were kings. This idea is even echoed in popular Epiphany hymns. In my previous church, during our Christmas Eve pageant, we couldn’t find the crowns for magi, so we just used Burger King crowns. So I changed the words of the hymn: “We three kings of Burger Kings are, bearing Whoppers traverse afar.” The first point of correction is that they were not kings or political figures. Instead, they were scholars, experts in religion and celestial movements.

The second correction involves the Nativity scene, often depicted in movies, books, paintings, and various artworks, where the Magi are shown alongside the shepherds, kneeling by the manger. In reality, this gathering never occurred. The shepherds visited Jesus on the day of His birth, as mentioned in Luke 2:16, which says that they found a child lying in the manger where the Greek term “βρέφος” is used for the child whose actual meaning is an infant in English. However, the Magi arrived in Bethlehem much later, possibly a year after Jesus’ birth. Matthew 2:11 says that they also found a child, but the Greek Bible uses the different Greek word “παιδίον” to describe Jesus at the time of the Magi’s visit, indicating a child old enough to walk or run, more akin to a toddler in English.

To add a lighter touch, here’s a toddler joke: What is the fastest land mammal? It is a toddler who has just been asked, “What’s in your mouth?” So perhaps, when the Magi visited, they might have witnessed a scene of Mary asking toddler Jesus that very question, with a playful toddler Jesus darting away from His mother.

The Light

In our narrative, the Magi reached Bethlehem approximately a year after Jesus’ birth. Throughout much of their journey, they were guided by starlight. Today’s Old Testament lesson also centres around the theme of light. At its conclusion, the Prophet Isaiah prophesies the Magi’s coming, stating that people will bring gold and frankincense, two of the three gifts presented by the Magi. The foretelling of the Epiphany in prophecy is both astounding and marvellous, especially considering its fulfilment.

Isaiah 60 begins with a command: “Arise, shine; for your light has come.” Indeed, the light has come with the birth of Jesus. Christ has come to Earth, and those dwelling in darkness have seen a great light. Through Isaiah, God beckons us to arise. Yet, one might ponder, how can we shine if we are not the light itself? Isaiah’s prophecy continues, suggesting that although darkness may cover the Earth, nations will come to our light when the Lord arrives. We, too, become light when the true light comes to us.

At the outset, light was the first creation of God, brought into existence by His command: “Let there be light.” This light represents the initial manner in which God revealed Himself. The Gospel of John also affirms that Jesus is the light of the world. Thus, the true light came to us in the form of a vulnerable infant. The guiding star which led the magi was not a dazzling, explosive beacon. Had the star’s light been overwhelmingly bright, everyone would have noticed it. However, upon the Magi’s arrival in Jerusalem, it was evident that no one was aware of the star or its light. Therefore, the star’s glow was more subdued and delicate. It is much like that God’s voice to Elijah was not as loud as thunder storms but a sound of sheer silence.

Complicating matters, the star vanished during a portion of the Magi’s journey. Think about you are driving in a strange place where you have never been, using Google Maps navigation, and suddenly your cell phone screen became total blank. Practically the same thing happened to the magi. The star disappeared. Bethlehem and Jerusalem are neighbouring towns, and from a distance, their direction appears nearly identical. Assuming that a future king would be born in the capital’s palace, the Magi went to congratulate the king for the newest addition to the royal family. Only after consulting with the scribes and priests did the star reappear, guiding them to the house of the toddler Jesus.

This narrative teaches us that God is our light, and this light guides us. However, there are times in our lives when we feel adrift, as if our guiding star has vanished. But rest assured, our guiding star—symbolising Jesus Christ, our Saviour—is, was, and always will be with us because He is Emmanuel, God with us. At the appropriate moment, this star will reappear to guide us once more towards Christ.

Light for All Nations

Returning to Isaiah, we are commanded by God to let our light shine so that nations will come to us. When we welcome Jesus Christ into our hearts, the true light of the world, we too become light. However, this does not mean we transform into saviours ourselves. We are called to be like Jesus, but we are not Jesus. In Korea alone, there are over fifty individuals claiming to be Jesus, with several more outside Korea. This is not surprising, as Jesus Himself forewarned in the Gospels that many would come in His name, claiming to be Him. Such claims do not make them Jesus; they are merely false prophets. It is vital to recognise that I am not Jesus, and neither are you.

So, what then are we? How can we be light if we are not the light, that is, Jesus? Firstly, we can be like the Advent candles. The central, larger candle is called Christ the King candle. However, the surrounding four thinner candles are not the Christ the King candle, but they prepare for the arrival of the true light, offering hope, peace, joy, and love to those who do not yet perceive Jesus’ light.

Additionally, we are akin to moonlight. As you know, the moon does not emit its own light but merely reflects the sunlight. The second verse of the well-known carol, ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing,’ proclaims, “Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness!” Indeed, Jesus is the Sun of Righteousness, but we are not. We are like the moon, reflecting the sunlight to others when they do not see it. At night, the sun does not cease to exist; it is simply out of our view because the Earth has turned away from it. Similarly, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, is always present, shining His light upon the entire world. It is just that many do not see Jesus because they have turned their backs on Him, because they refused to face Jesus. In such moments, our role becomes crucial. As the moon of the world, we must reflect the light of Jesus, our Saviour, so that others may catch a glimpse of His glory and brightness, even when they turn away from Him. Even if they refused to see Jesus for any reason, they cannot refused to see our reflecting light.

Guiding Light of This Year

During today’s communion service, guiding stars, along with the communion elements, will be distributed to each attendee. On the back of each star is a unique word—no two stars have the same word. You are invited to select a star for yourself, and also one for any family member who is not present today. Let the word on your star serve as your guiding star for this year.

The words on these guiding stars function in two distinct yet interconnected ways. They reflect the dual nature of our relationship with light, as exemplified by Jesus. Just as Jesus is our light, illuminating our lives, we are called to be the light for the nations, shining upon others. 

To illustrate, if you happen to pick a star with the word ‘Love’ on it, it serves a dual purpose. First, it is a reminder that you are loved by God. At the same time, it is a call to action: you are encouraged to radiate the light of love towards those around you throughout the year. This principle applies to whatever word you find on your star, guiding you in both receiving and sharing its essence with others.

Conclusion

Friends, today we not only celebrate the new year but also commemorate the arrival of the Magi, a profound symbol of God’s inclusive love. In Jesus Christ, our Saviour, there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; we are all cherished as God’s children and the heirs according to the promise. Just as the light of the star led the Magi to the Saviour, I pray that your guiding star for this year will draw you one step closer to our Saviour.

And as we bask in the light that Jesus shines upon us, let us also radiate our light before others as Jesus says in Matthew 5: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Amen.