Ever Had an Epiphany?

Ever Had an Epiphany?

Isaiah 60

Have any of you ever had one of those moments in your life that can be called an “Ah Ha!” moment?  It’s one of those times when suddenly it was like someone turned on a switch in your brain and something that you did not understand before suddenly became clear to you.  Maybe it was when you were driving somewhere and thought you were following the directions and then it suddenly dawned on you, “Ah Ha! I’m lost.”  Or perhaps you were trying to figure out how two things fit together and it really seemed complicated.  After trying this and that over and over again things suddenly fall into place.  The light bulb went on and you said, “Ah Ha!  So that’s how it works.”  You basically had what is called an epiphany.

I am sure that you recall the story of Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus.  Saul was intent on doing one thing but suddenly, God interrupted his plans and Saul had an Epiphany.  Saul had an “Ah Ha! moment” there on the Damascus Road.  Saul encountered Jesus and became Paul the Apostle.  It was a life-changing event.

You can picture Abraham taking his young son up into the hills ready to sacrifice Isaac.  He binds Isaac and places him on top of the woodpile ready to slay him with the knife and then offer him as a sacrifice.  Abraham is obeying God when suddenly he sees a ram in the bushes.  “Ah Ha!” says Abraham to himself, “God does provide the sacrifice after all.”  It is a moment of epiphany.

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of our Lord.  What is an epiphany?  An epiphany is a sudden revelation, a new insight.  It is when the light switch is turned on giving light where there was once darkness, bringing illumination where we could not see before.  An epiphany is when you have one of those “Ah Ha!” moments in your life.

In redemptive history, an epiphany is when God interrupts and turns the world upside down.

I like how Lauren Winner, in an article in Sojourners Magazine (Jan 2003), referred to the epiphanies of God entering into people’s lives when she called them “sudden bursts of God-clarity.” 

To celebrate Epiphany Sunday is to celebrate the appearance of God among us in the person of his Son Jesus Christ.  To celebrate Epiphany Sunday is to celebrate the entrance of the divine into the human realm.  To celebrate Epiphany Sunday is to celebrate the darkness of the world being illuminated by the light of Christ.  To celebrate Epiphany Sunday is to celebrate the Law being replaced by the Gospel.  To celebrate Epiphany Sunday is to celebrate a nation being replaced by the Church.

St. John in his Gospel tells us that in Christ, the Word, God “tabernacled among us.”  In other words, God “pitched his tent” and dwelt in our midst.  God coming to us in the form of his Son, and then making his Son known to the world was an epiphany.

To celebrate Epiphany Sunday is to celebrate the day when you suddenly realized that you could not save yourself by your own works and the Holy Spirit removed the scales from your eyes. The light came on and you realized that your only way to salvation was through Christ and Christ alone.  You had an “Ah Ha!” moment and said, “I can’t do this myself.  I need the grace and mercy of God.”

Epiphany changes the world.  In the “Ah Ha!” moment of epiphany light and darkness collide; truth and falsehood clash in battle; birth and death butt heads together; war and peace exist on the same battlefield; and the Messiah comes to cast out the evil one and plant the banner of victory once and for all time.

The Prophet Isaiah saw the day of Epiphany.  In chapter 60 verse 1, the prophet looks towards the future regarding Israel and the Church.  He says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”  He goes on in verse 2 to say, “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.”

In other words, Isaiah saw a day coming in which, even though the world was blackened by the darkness of sin, and even though Israel had lost its glory as the covenant nation of God, an epiphany event would occur.  The glory of the Lord would shine and peoples from around the world would be drawn to the light of the Gospel of Christ.

Let me see if I can put Epiphany Sunday in perspective for you using some verses from the book of Hebrews.

Before the epiphany of Christ here is how it was:

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”  (Heb. 12:18-21)

But, God interrupts and sends his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into time-space history.  And now we have this:

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.  (Heb. 12:22-24)

Law has been conquered by Grace.  The kindergarten school of Moses has been torn down and the seminary of Jesus Christ has been built in its place.  What was once “do this and live” has been replaced by “believe and have.”  The Schoolmaster of the Law has been replaced by the Shepherd of Grace.

And so we celebrate Epiphany Sunday.  We celebrate that great “Ah Ha!” moment of redemptive history when the Majestic Creator of the universe manifested himself to his creatures in the person of Jesus Christ, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Now, this would all be well and good except that it is not the end of the story.  You see, an epiphany demands a response.  The Apostle Paul had to respond to his “Ah Ha!” moment.  The Magi in the Gospels who saw the star had an epiphany and they responded by seeking the king and bringing him gifts.  The prophet Isaiah saw the day when the glory of the Lord would arise over Israel and the people of the earth would flock to the Church bringing gifts to the Lord.

So the question that must be asked of you and I is this.  How have we responded to our epiphany moments?  How have we responded to the sudden bursts of “God-clarity” that have come over us at times?

Okay, Advent has come and gone.  We have celebrated the birth of Jesus.  Do we now just wait until the next holiday?  Do we now just start thinking about Lent?  In other words, do we just go through the motions of playing Church or do we commit ourselves to being the Church.  Do we allow Epiphany to change us or do we let another commercialized Christmas season go by without any change in our lives?

My prayer is that in the coming days as you ponder the concept of God interrupting human history to send his Son, Jesus, the Holy Spirit would throw the switch in your heart and mind and you would experience an “Ah Ha!” moment and see what changes you need to make in your life and on your journey towards the heavenly Jerusalem.

You see, it is not enough to believe in God.  It is not enough to do nice things for people.  It is not enough to warm a pew at church for an hour a week.  We must believe in, trust in, and cling to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

May the Holy Spirit provoke us today.  +Amen.