Epiphany 2013 (Matthew 2:1-12)

“They saw the child with Mary his mother.”

God reveals himself in the unexpected events of life.

God’s self-revelation is both normative and personal.

The events recorded in the Bible are particular. They happened at a specific time and place to specific people within a specific context. Moses entered into a personal relationship with God as God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush in the desert.

God designed the particularity of the burning bush to manifest His divine presence to Moses. It was unique and personal. What was universal about the manifestation was the Person and the Principle and the Process.

Moses was not looking for God. God Himself initiated the process. Moses responded to God’s initiative first with curiosity, then with fear, then reluctance and bargaining and finally with surrender in Faith.

The particularity of God’s revelation to  Moses was unique. God chose the burning bush to get Moses’ attention. The principle is universal. God reveals himself. His revelation is consistent in its plan and purpose. His revelation is unique and personal in its execution.

Certainly the Three Kings experienced this truth. God did not meet the wise men in a burning bush in the desert. As with Moses, the wise men, Chaldeans, were not looking for God. Unlike Moses, the wise men lived in a city, most likely Babylon. They were mathematicians and astronomers. They were pursuing knowledge not God. God met them uniquely and individually where they lived and worked, in what they valued and pursued.

God called to these astronomers through a star. It was unlike any star they had ever encountered. It shone more brightly and appeared to move. Not only did it appear to move- it seemed to call to the astronomers to move with it. The wise men perceived a call in this unusual celestial object.

As with Moses, the three kings made a choice to take a risk and explore what this unusual event might mean.

We know the story, the journey, the people and places. We know the religious scholars in Jerusalem offer the three kings the missing piece of the puzzle. We know the politicians feared these events and plotted deceit and death.

The universal principle in the story comes in the words: “They saw the child with Mary his mother.”

The burning bush and the bright star were particular and unique events God used to issue a call. It is the call to worship. It is the universal call to the universal Lord. It is the personal call to be found by and immersed in the infinite and eternal love of God made personal and tangible in Jesus Christ.

God will use any and all means to attract your attention. He will use the unique particularities of your life, your interests, your aspirations, to issue the call. The events of your life are unique. The process and the principle are universal.

God, the infinite and eternal “I Am” reveals himself to all people everywhere in the context of the holy family in Bethlehem. The Three Kings followed a star. The shepherds heeded the voice of an angel. The religious scholars found the meaning in Scripture. The wealthy and powerful politicians reacted with fear and murder. All heard the  same message in a very unique and personal way. All responded or reacted from the depths of their soul in a very unique and personal way.

Do we respond or react?

The call is uniquely personal for each of us. The One who calls is the same yesterday, today and forever. The call is universal. The call requires a choice. The Chaldean astronomers made a choice. They acted. They believed. “They saw the child with Mary his mother.”

And, they worshipped him.