Have you ever looked out the window and marveled on one of those winter nights when a full moon lights up the entire sky? But no matter how brightly that moon may shine, it has no light of its own. If there were no sun, the moon would be dark, as dark as dark can be. Even when the moon lights up the entire sky, the moon is just a beacon reflecting the light of the sun.
Epiphany reminds us that God has designed us to be a lot like the moon. Like the moon, God also intends for us to shine. And like the moon, we have no light of our own, but we can still light up the world, for the light of our Lord reflects off us. Christ shines on us and we, in turn, shine on others. That’s living the Christian life.
That’s what Isaiah means when He writes, “Arise, shine, for your light has come.” But shining that brightly can make us uncomfortable. After all, the brightest lights are the ones that everybody can see. And most of us don’t like being noticed–not if it’s for something that people might ridicule us for, such as our Christian faith.
We feel a lot more comfortable if we just flicker a little instead of shining brightly, living the same way most of our friends live. In other words, if we keep silent about their need for salvation, most people are okay with that. And when we do speak about Jesus, if we make Him into a generic Jesus that everyone likes, people are okay with that, as well. Then they won’t watch our every action, see our every mistake, and whisper that we’re hypocrites who don’t practice what we preach.
What they don’t realize is that we know that we don’t practice what we preach, not like we should, not as we would like. That’s why we come to church. That’s why we confess our sins. We need Jesus and His forgiveness. And we know it.
When Isaiah says, “Arise, shine,” we may think that he doesn’t understand the realities of living in a post-Christian United States. But He does, for there’s nothing new under the sun. Isaiah knows about life in a world where it’s fine to believe in Jesus–as long as you don’t stand out from the crowd because you believe in Him. After all, it’s out of step in our society to be a believer where you could actually call a sin a sin. But it was even more that way in 700 BC.
Isaiah understood how hard it is to shine in this world. That’s why He wrote, “Darkness covers the earth and thick darkness the peoples.” Isaiah was talking about the darkness of unbelief that was as rampant in His time as it is in ours. It’s the darkness of unbelief. And when people live in that darkness, when they don’t have the light of faith, they can’t see that there’s a loving Lord or a forgiving Christ.
Oh, unbelievers can see the darkness, the bad in the world. But here’s where they differ: They often assume that if there is a God, He must either be unloving and caused the evil they see, or is too weak to do anything about it. They blame God for what we have caused in our fallen sinfulness.
That’s why some of them react so negatively when our light shines. And when that happens, instead of being angry, we should feel compassion for them, for they desperately need Christ’s light. But what happens? We, instead, feel sorry for ourselves and worry about the criticism we receive. So, we don’t let them see Christ’s light in our works. We don’t let them hear Christ’s light from our lips. We’re afraid to let our lights shine, out of fear, so we aren’t yanked away from our comfort zones.
“Fear not,” the prophet says. Into this sin-darkened world, “your Light has come.” Jesus is that Light. But Jesus didn’t arrive like shards of lightning blazing the sky. He arrived more like the first rays of dawn, which rise so slowly over the horizon that hardly anyone notices. The Light of the World appeared, but not in the glitter of Los Angeles or the glamour of New York. He appeared in the obscurity of Bethlehem. The Light shone, not in a royal palace or a fancy mansion, but in a humble manger. The Light of Christ doesn’t seem that awe-inspiring.
But if you’re stuck in the darkness, you need light, even if it’s a ray of light you might not appreciate. And Jesus shone that light for you and me. So, “Arise, shine, for your light has come!” Your light is wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. It’s an epiphany!
Into your life darkened by fear, the light of Jesus has come. So, don’t be afraid to speak about your Savior or to act differently than the rest of the world, for you aren’t like the rest of the world. You belong to Christ. As the prophet says, “Your light has come.” That’s an epiphany!
To an ancient pagan, an epiphany was when one of their gods made himself visible to humans–like Zeus showing up on Mount Olympus. But the Magi saw a real epiphany. Jesus was God in the flesh! The Creator made Himself visible to us creatures. It was the greatest of all epiphanies.
That’s why the Magi traveled all those miles to see a child that looked like an ordinary baby. By the light of a star, God led the Magi to the Light of the World. He came as an infant, not just to save Israel, but to be a light to the Gentiles, too–to Gentiles like me and you. Epiphany is God showing us that Christ’s light shines even for us Gentiles.
But the light of Christ didn’t just shine 2,000 years ago. It also shines on us today. Just when life seems the darkest, when your sins of not shining seem to be more than God could ever tolerate, Christ’s light shines forgiveness into your life. It is the forgiveness, not of one who tolerates sin, but of one who paid for that sin at the cross.
God epiphanied himself by being born as a baby and dying His death of life at Calvary. On Good Friday, darkness covered the earth for three long hours. The one suspended in agony from that wooden beam died. But Jesus intended to die. The One who is God of God and Light of Light was suffering in darkness, all so you and I can live in His marvelous light. Arise, shine, for your light has come!
The darkness that blanketed you when you lived in unbelief still enshrouds most people in this world. Most don’t see with faith, so they don’t see the light of a God who loves them so dearly that He gave His Son for them. That’s why some of them are hostile to Christians. But that should not cause you to fear them. It should cause you to care about them. They need the light of Jesus. And we have that light they need.
Isaiah says, “Nations will come to your light.” In other words, pagans will become Christians, unbelievers will become believers, and those who are Christians in name only will become Christians in faith. The people walking in darkness will see a great light. It’s the light of Christ that reflects from us to others in this world.
When you’re kind to people who aren’t kind to you, the light of Christ shines. When you show love to people who aren’t that lovable, the light of Christ shines. When you go out of your way to help others, when you care about people, the light of Christ shines. The light of Christ reflects off you to others in your life.
And the light of Christ doesn’t just shine in your works; it shines in your words, as well. Even if you don’t feel you can give an eloquent explanation of God’s plan of salvation, you can tell people something about how Jesus died and rose for us sinners. And you can invite people you know to worship and Bible study where the light of what Jesus does for us shines brightly, where the Holy Spirit can ignite in them the flame of faith.
It’s not always easy to live and speak as Christ’s light. But the light that you and I shine into the lives of others makes a difference. You may not see the results now. But you never know how, years from now, God might use a deed you did or words you spoke.
When Jesus returns on the Last Day, you’ll find out how many eternities the Holy Spirit brightened through you. The scene at Christ’s return will be a family reunion. It’ll be Christians coming from everywhere: sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers in the faith, all converging in Christ’s light. Describing that scene, Isaiah says, “You shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult.” The prophet’s words picture us swelling with heart-bursting happiness as we see how the Holy Spirit used us in ways we never imagined, to shine Christ into this world.
But that Day has not yet come. So, to keep you strong in the Faith, God still epiphanies Himself to you and me. He comes in bread and wine, which, when His Word is added, becomes nothing less than the body and blood that forgave, and forgives, your sin. Communion is an epiphany–the almighty God making Himself visible to humans right here in our little church.
As you hear His Word and eat His Supper, Jesus is lighting your life with faith. Now, you can see what the darkness of unbelief could never recognize: the forgiveness for all your sins. You can see a heaven whose gates have been swung wide open for you, by a God who was willing to be born so He could be nailed to a cross for you.
So, arise, shine, for your light has come. As the moon reflects the s-u-n, you and I reflect the S-o-n. Jesus’ love and forgiveness light up your life. You now go through life shining for people because you go through life shined on by Christ. Amen.
