The Epiphany of Our Lord - 2025.

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The Feast of the Epiphany, 2025

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 10 AM Central Standard Time

The Hymn #126      Arise and Shine in Splendor                        

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual         
The Gospel                               
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #128   Brightest and Best

The Star of Bethlehem

 
The Hymn #127        As With Gladness Men of Old

The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #646         Silent Night

EPIPHANY

Lord God, heavenly Father, who hast given us the light of Thy holy word, the guiding star, which leadeth us to the Christ-child: Send, we beseech Thee, Thy Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may receive this light and make use of it unto our salvation, and that we, like the wise men, when they were seeking the star, may not be afraid because of any hardship or peril, but put all our trust in Thine only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, as our only Savior; devote our earthly possessions to the advancement of Thy kingdom, and in all things serve Him, Thine only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.                    

Isaiah 60 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. 6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.

Matthew 2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

The Appearance of Our Lord

Matthew 2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

The word epiphany is used fairly often today, such as having a special thought. Example -  "After 20 years of work on a project, he had an epiphany." The term is used eloquently in church language - The Epiphany of Our Lord. This moment in time is signaled because of many events:

• King David was first a shepherd and came from Bethlehem. David became king, and he ruled 1000 years before the birth of Christ. Jesus was born in Bethlehem because of His lineage back to King David.
• Jesus was before Abraham, John 8, declaring His divinity.
• Jesus was hailed as the Son of David when He entered Jerusalem before His death.

The appearance of the Wise Men before King Herod reminds us how significant they were, the king accepting an audience with foreign leaders. That was not casual but quite formal. The term magi can be seen as dignitaries, emissaries, who either have very important information or need to have information revealed to them. As I have said before, even now a celestial appearance can get a large body of population to look at it, wonder, and discuss it. Such things are almost unique and are always special, even with all our space movies, books, and songs.

Here is where the so-called New Testament scholars miss everything. "We have come to worship Him." In other words, He is God. That is a threat to King Herod and the sharp beginning of turmoil caused by the Savior, even when only a newborn. The brainiacs of these age enjoy the trappings but they are blind to the whole message. God and man - the Incarnation - born of the Virgin Mary - predicted 800 years earlier, but erased by the National Council of Churches, the RSV, and "mainline" Protestant preachers. 

The Wise men saw the star and had to flee because Herod wanted to remove all traces of this baby who threatened the monarchy and therefore Israel and the Roman Empire. And yet such a little baby. We have a number of babies and young children in our congregation. No one is afraid of them. But the newborn Jesus was a threat, one so powerful that His birth was declared in the stars, pronounced by  angels, and seen by magi. Herod the King had to lie in order to find this threat, but that was established by the divine calendar.

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

This is a good reminder about the angelic armies proclaiming the Gospel to the shepherds, and the additional threat of the three strangers. We can easily imagine the exotic nature of the Magi, the instant spreading of rumors, and the effect of the Star of Bethlehem. No one had to tell anyone else - they had seen the Star and heard about the Magi. Herod demanded to know where this newborn was.

5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

We are the younglings in a young civilization. The people in Matthew  - They had accumulated the Promises of the Hebrew Scriptures. King David was a thousand years before. If we look back 1000 years, 2025 is 1025, decades before Harold the Usuper in 1066.

All this testimony meant a lot, whether the in Jerusalem or ultimately in Rome. And we are just tiny creatures in the midst of the universe created by the Word Incarnate.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

This is the great contradiction - the king wants to know exactly where the Child is, but only for evil. In all his regal glory, the king cannot find Jesus - and the Magi escape. Even way back in Lenski's time (died 1936) people scrambled to deny the Star and its miraculous appearance. In fact, they were denying the divinity while trying to prove their wisdom and science.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him [auto- long o - only Him]: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

This should remind us of our national and denominational stink-eye. Yes, the stink-eye is America's generic sacrament. So many are judged by not fitting the precise measurements of their cult, or click, or special group. Luther portrayed this very well. The emphasis should be on faith in Jesus Christ. Instead, someone who is not exactly right is shunned, ignored, removed from the special class. Living under the Law or a variation, they insist on that Law.

The Wise Men found the abode where Jesus was with Joseph and Mary, undoubtedly a modest place. These men risked their lives to worship Him (one person in Greek), not Joseph nor Mary. Access to God's grace comes only from faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1-2). 

Announcements and Prayers

• Ongoing medical care - Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris Shrader, Kermit Way, Sarah Buck, Doc Lito's family.
• Tom Fisher's farm is in the midst of the snowstorm across Illinois.