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26 King William Rd Wayville
Phone 8271 0329
Minister:
Rev. Sean Gilbert
Phone 8357 8265

Christ Church incorporates the Effective Living Centre.

 

 

 
 
SERMONS
Christ Church – Epiphany 2007
Isaiah 60:1-6 & Ephesians 3:1-12

Twelve months to the day, I stood somewhat nervously aloft in the pulpit of the majestic Second Church of Newton, Massachusetts, resplendent (or so I thought), in a borrowed Geneva gown and my favourite stole.  Then, as it is now, the theme of Epiphany was foremost in my mind; a subject, I would respectfully suggest, not all that familiar to many of us.  For one, the feast day rarely coincides with a Sunday, secondly, it has a distinctively Eastern Orthodox emphasis and thirdly, many Australians are simply not in church in early January.  This community, being of course, a rare exception!

At its heart, the recognition and affirmation of God being uniquely in the child of Bethlehem, makes little or no logical sense.  Scientifically, even historically, how do we even begin to speak of the Creator of time and space being bound by time and space?  How can one realistically believe that the God of all things is particularised in one human form, in one geographical location?

Well, obviously, to me at least, the language of the incarnation is neither scientific nor historical.  It is unashamedly poetic and confessional; a beholding of rare beauty, indeed a celebration of great mystery.  That is not to say that the Christ event is one big fabrication, rather it is to say that such a powerful experience of grace cannot be reduced to neat formulations or mathematical equations.  It is, by way of great contrast, an affirmation of spirit, a fulfilment of deep human longing.  In this case, the tangible presence of God in an otherwise hostile and fearful universe.  Or in other words, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, through his remarkable words and actions, the fullness of God was seen and heard; the longed for gifts of compassion and a shared human dignity were convincingly displayed.

Friends, what we see then in the incarnational mystery and indeed what we taste in these sacred symbols of bread and wine, is the promise and hope of participation; of being both affirmed and liberated in our humanity, so as to recognize and celebrate our divinity, and the divine origin of all things around us.  To live out of such a self respect, that all peoples are to be equally respected in the faith experience that is God with us, God in us.  So rather than Epiphany being a difficult word to try and understand – even pronounce at times – far better to embody it, to be that generous unveiling of Christ to the world; each one of us contributing in our own small but highly significant way. 

For in the end, I believe, only a truly spirited humanity can even begin to face and practically address the destructive and unjust realities that our world lives and breathes on a daily basis.  A radically re-creative and compassionate spirit that is familiar with what it means to relinquish power and control, therefore with what it means to be shaped and formed in the empathic spirit that was surely Christ’s.

I’m under no illusion that this is an easy path.  Yielding to love is both demanding and costly.  That is just the nature of it and no amount of religious hyperbole can change that fact.  But giving in to the all embracing love of Christ is also our way homeward; a coming alive to our own creative being and sense of vocation, so as to live a life not of abstraction and good intent, but a life of substance, a life of meaning – a life of incarnation - wherein the mystery and goodness of God is unveiled through us and in us, not necessarily in earth shattering ways, but in truly significant ways nonetheless.

To echo Nelson Mandela yet again, playing small can serve no one, and this hope of being in Christ is no small thing.  For it broadens horizons, undermines prejudice, and repositions traditional enemies into potential friends and teachers of life.  In short, we are not just talking about a personal piety or religious preference here.  We are talking about a revolution within the human spirit, so needed in this age of self protection and self sufficiency; a revolution of the heart, which for the sake of love, tenaciously chooses to remain open and generously chooses to give of all that it is and can become. 

Thanks be to God.  Amen