My original homily for tonight was going to be light. In part because this day brings out the heady in me. It has a rich history that I am a geek to share as often as possible.
But given the events at the capital today, I think we need something a little different.
Because this moment is an Epiphany.
In the Epiphany, we celebrate the seeing of what is—precisely, what it is that God is doing in the world. And the most Epiphany thing ever was the birth of Jesus. God showed the point of this thing in the humble birth. In that, God showed the missio dei is humble, loving, and far from the halls of power.
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In our gospel, we read of three foreign travelers who follow a rumor and a star believing the new king, a child, is born.
But instead of following the star to where it goes, they instead head to Jerusalem. To the city where the current king is ruling. They ignore the star that brought them there, looking in the halls of power for a new sign.
And the king on the throne commands an audience with these astrologers, who tells them that they are heading to see the king.
So they depart to visit him, bringing him kingly gifts.
But when they plan to leave, they are warned in a dream, most likely by an angel, not to go by way of Jerusalem. Not to Herod. Who clearly wants to know where this kind was born so he can kill him. So they escape, heading home a different way.
But the King isn’t deterred in his ignorance. When they don’t return, he calls for the genocide of all the children born around Bethlehem in the previous two years.
Nadia Bolz Weber put it best this morning:
“On today, the Feast of the Epiphany, I am reminded that an insecure ruler named Herod was so threatened by the birth of Jesus that he tried to overthrow the result by putting a hit on a toddler.”
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This is how the Holy Family flee to Egypt as refugees. How the Hebrew people have so turned the tables that they become the oppressor, the enemy in their own story. And tyrannical leaders lead the people from the kin-dom of God’s promise.
That’s what is going on at the birth of Jesus. And what God reveals to the world through humility and love is that that is the way to God’s heart. Not anger, violence, fear, or terrorism.
We are not God’s chosen people. This is not the Promised Land. These are promises that God fulfilled a long time ago. And then set about making more. And the people set about dealing with it.
So our capital may not be Jerusalem, but it sure can act like it. And our president is no king, but again, he can sure act like it. But that promise that God made to that couple—that this boy will transform the world—that promise was getting kept. And it was pride and arrogance that tried to stand in its way.
And I think we all know a bit about pride and arrogance right now, don’t we?
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This, tonight, is the Epiphany. We are seeing what the Kin-dom could be and what it isn’t.
We are seeing the ways of Herod—of jealousy, power, rage—flailing at the night, screaming for power, launching at the institutions to demand their way.
And…
We’re reminded to look for the light of Christ under the star, not the halls of power.
To the place of humility. Where the new king would be just like everyone else. A child refugee displaced to the hill country where God never shows up, where blessing is never found. That’s where Jesus is. Where Herod slaughters the innocent. That’s where God’s grace comes to life.
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We celebrate the Epiphany on the thirteenth day. It was formerly the thirteenth day from the solstice. It was the day that people could wake up in the morning and perceive that the light was shining earlier. They could spend the day and find the night coming later.
This is the day that we can know, by the coming of the sun, that the light is winning.
Tonight, we know the light is here.
We no longer need to wait.
And the darkness will not overcome us.