God's Marvelous Plan Revealed!
Epiphany of the Lord, January 6
Reflection: You may or may not know it but today is the day of Epiphany. The word "epiphany" means to uncover or reveal. We hear it said, "I had an epiphany today!" Usually this means that one has discovered or experienced something they never have before. It is a new revelation to them. The readings for today all include this sense of Epiphany. The prophet Isaiah prophecies about a day when the light and glory of The Lord would shine in the darkness and rise upon all people. All kings from the seas to the desert will come and bow down and worship the Lord. King Solomon, the richest King Israel had ever known, says essentially the same thing. His glory was but a glimpse of what the coming King's would be. Then, we have the story of the wise men. Traveling from afar in the east, they are led by a star exactly to the place where the baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The star revealed where the Son was born, so they could worship the newborn king. They were probably astrologers from Persia, so we see Jesus being revealed to all people.
What makes this revelation or Epiphany so new is that God is revealing himself to all people through His unique Son, not just the nation of Israel. Jesus will say a little later, "I am the light of the world, in me there is no darkness at all." Finally, we have the apostle Paul who is trying to explain the unique revelation given to him by Jesus on the road to Damascus. And specifically, he says in Ephesians, "the mystery of God's marvelous plan of grace had been revealed to him". He considered himself unworthy to have been revealed so great a mystery, but knows he must now share that mystery with others, especially the Gentiles.
So on the day of Epiphany 2015, what can this mean to and for us? Is God still revealing himself to those who earnestly seek him? And what about those of us who have seen the light and experienced God's grace through Jesus Christ? Do we (the church) like Paul have both the duty and privilege of sharing God's marvelous plan of grace with those we meet? I am pretty sure the answer to both of those questions is yes! And Paul confirms this when he concludes, "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." Another question is what is God revealing to you now? Where do you need his encouragement? Do you need to hear how much He loves you just as you are? He may have changes for you but He will fuel them as you trust in Him and His all sufficient grace in His Son. Most of all God revealed himself to you through Christ, so you can know him and call him Heavenly Father because he loves you like a Son or Daughter. Take a moment to thank God that he has not kept the mystery hidden from us but revealed to all would who would seek Him!
Isaiah 60:1-6 (Nations come to the light); Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 (All shall bow down); Ephesians 3:1-12 (The gospel’s promise for all); Matthew 2:1-12 (Christ revealed to the nations) (New International Version)
Isaiah 60:1-6
The Glory of Zion
60 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters are carried on the hip.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land,
young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
bearing gold and incense
and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.
Psalm 72:1-7
Psalm 72
Of Solomon.
1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
5 May he endure[a] as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
6 May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7 In his days may the righteous flourish
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
Psalm 72:10-14
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
present him gifts.
11 May all kings bow down to him
and all nations serve him.
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.
Ephesians 3:1-12
God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles
3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Matthew 2:1-12
The Magi Visit the Messiah
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Reflection: You may or may not know it but today is the day of Epiphany. The word "epiphany" means to uncover or reveal. We hear it said, "I had an epiphany today!" Usually this means that one has discovered or experienced something they never have before. It is a new revelation to them. The readings for today all include this sense of Epiphany. The prophet Isaiah prophecies about a day when the light and glory of The Lord would shine in the darkness and rise upon all people. All kings from the seas to the desert will come and bow down and worship the Lord. King Solomon, the richest King Israel had ever known, says essentially the same thing. His glory was but a glimpse of what the coming King's would be. Then, we have the story of the wise men. Traveling from afar in the east, they are led by a star exactly to the place where the baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The star revealed where the Son was born, so they could worship the newborn king. They were probably astrologers from Persia, so we see Jesus being revealed to all people.
What makes this revelation or Epiphany so new is that God is revealing himself to all people through His unique Son, not just the nation of Israel. Jesus will say a little later, "I am the light of the world, in me there is no darkness at all." Finally, we have the apostle Paul who is trying to explain the unique revelation given to him by Jesus on the road to Damascus. And specifically, he says in Ephesians, "the mystery of God's marvelous plan of grace had been revealed to him". He considered himself unworthy to have been revealed so great a mystery, but knows he must now share that mystery with others, especially the Gentiles.
So on the day of Epiphany 2015, what can this mean to and for us? Is God still revealing himself to those who earnestly seek him? And what about those of us who have seen the light and experienced God's grace through Jesus Christ? Do we (the church) like Paul have both the duty and privilege of sharing God's marvelous plan of grace with those we meet? I am pretty sure the answer to both of those questions is yes! And Paul confirms this when he concludes, "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." Another question is what is God revealing to you now? Where do you need his encouragement? Do you need to hear how much He loves you just as you are? He may have changes for you but He will fuel them as you trust in Him and His all sufficient grace in His Son. Most of all God revealed himself to you through Christ, so you can know him and call him Heavenly Father because he loves you like a Son or Daughter. Take a moment to thank God that he has not kept the mystery hidden from us but revealed to all would who would seek Him!
Isaiah 60:1-6 (Nations come to the light); Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 (All shall bow down); Ephesians 3:1-12 (The gospel’s promise for all); Matthew 2:1-12 (Christ revealed to the nations) (New International Version)
Isaiah 60:1-6
The Glory of Zion
60 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters are carried on the hip.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land,
young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
bearing gold and incense
and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.
Psalm 72:1-7
Psalm 72
Of Solomon.
1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
5 May he endure[a] as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
6 May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7 In his days may the righteous flourish
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
Psalm 72:10-14
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
present him gifts.
11 May all kings bow down to him
and all nations serve him.
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.
Ephesians 3:1-12
God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles
3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Matthew 2:1-12
The Magi Visit the Messiah
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
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