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A recent article from Time magazine
caught my attention. The author claims that the first
decade of the twenty-first century could be
characterized as “the Decade of Broken Dreams,” or “the
Lost Decade.” Much went wrong. There was neglect; we
failed to heed the warning signs from around the world
which led to terror attacks. Greed and self-interest
loomed large--from the stock market to the automakers.
And there was “deferral of responsibility” as much of
our infrastructure in our country is in desperate need
of repair and upgrade.
The author writes, “Bookended by
9/11 at the start and a financial wipeout at the end,
the first ten years of this century will very likely go
down as the most dispirited and disillusioning decade
Americans have lived through in the post-World War II
era.” (1)
As we look back we realize that
much has happened, little wonder that we tend to focus
on the negative, to use Isaiah’s metaphor, we dwell in
darkness. While we have much to be thankful for we are
consumed by a sense of dread and fear.
At
the start of a new year it will serve us well to put
aside all that we fear and place our trust in God. A
New Year’s resolution might be to live out our faith in
confidence and not dwell in fear. It is a statement of
faith to believe that our best days are ahead of us and
not dwell in the darkness of negativity.
Today we celebrate Epiphany
Sunday. Epiphany represents a turning point of sorts.
Epiphany is a divine revelation—the realization that
God’s plan of salvation includes all people, not just
some. Knowing that God’s love encompasses all people
changes the way we relate to others.
Wise Men from the East searched, identified, and
discovered the Christ Child. They were outsiders, from
a far away country. The Wise Men were alert and saw
what no one else did—that God had acted in a decisive
way in sending Jesus into our world—for all people.
Those in power failed to recognize the importance of
Jesus’ birth. They missed out, no doubt busy with other
things they felt were important. I hope that we will
not make the same mistake. The Wise Men were alert to
what God was doing. May we see what God’s hand at work
in our world in this New Year!
Our Epistle Lesson contains the Apostle Paul’s insight
that God’s plan of salvation included all people,
specifically the Gentiles. Paul boldly proclaimed that
“Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same
body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through
the gospel.” (Ephesians. 3:6) It was God’s divine
intent from the beginning to include all people in the
plan of salvation. Perhaps to accept that all people
were part of God’s plan of salvation required a divine
epiphany. All people matter to God and as an extension
matter to us as well.
The people that the prophet Isaiah spoke to were living
in a time of darkness. It was a terrible time. They
were hauled off against their will into exile, their
temple had been destroyed, families scattered. It is
hard to imagine what it must have felt like for the
people, being forcibly removed from their homes and
dragged off to a foreign land. Everything that was
valued was discarded. The people sunk deep into despair
and could not see any way out of their present dilemma.
It was the darkest of days.
It
was precisely in this context that the Prophet Isaiah
broke through all the gloom with a message of hope.
Earlier chapters of Isaiah were filled with doom and
gloom. Then suddenly there was a break through—God was
about to act. The day would come when the people would
return to their homes, find missing family members, and
live their lives with a new profound sense of hope.
Isaiah saw what no one else did. “Arise, shine; for
your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen
upon you.” These startling, life transforming words
were not an invitation, or wishful thinking, but rather
a command. “Arise, shine,” a new day is dawning.
Those are words we need to hear at the start of a new
year and a new decade. We need not dwell on negative
events of the past, the dark days, but rather live with
hope anticipating a brighter new tomorrow. God
continues to work in our world, changing one life at a
time. Our problem is that we often do not see or even
look for evidences of God’s hand in our world, and in
our lives. It’s is easier to dwell in darkness than come
to the new light of Christ. “Arise, shine,” in the New
Year!
We need to take Isaiah’s words to
heart, “Lift up your eyes and look around.” Move out of
the darkness into the brilliance of God’s new day.
Those on whom light shines can see what others cannot.
We are able to see a bright future even in the midst of
uncertainty. And seeing that gives us new hope. God
will restore and ultimately bring all people to God’s
own self. The glory of God will appear like the sunrise
of a new day. “Then you shall see and be radiant; your
heart shall thrill and rejoice.”
With this new understanding comes
responsibility. Too many people have for too long
viewed their faith as something private—when in fact for
our faith to be alive it must be shared with others.
“Arise, shine,” we have the light—may we tell others
what we have found to be true in Jesus Christ. With
God’s amazing grace comes a sense of accountability—to
share our faith with others—with the hope that they too
will find what we have. Our faith is not about
privilege but serving others in the name of Jesus. The
light has come so that others who presently live in the
darkness of despair will see the one true light.
As
bearers of the light of Christ, we can see the hand of
God at work even in the midst of all the bad things that
have happened. When many of the news reports of the
last week have focused on all the negative, there are
signs that God remains at work in our world.
In
spite of declining in Europe and North America
Christianity has experienced tremendous growth in other
places around the world. There are now 600 million
Christians in Africa. Astounding growth has also been
reported in Brazil, India and Ethiopia. If you are
looking for the religion that is going to impact the
largest number of lives in the 21st century
it is almost certainly Christianity.
Another hopeful development is found in the digital
revolution of the past ten years which has opened new
doors for evangelism. Churches are discovering new ways
to reach people through the internet. One Ohio church
has 50,000 people tune into its weekly pod cast. There
are thousands of faith based websites around the world.
The global economic crisis of the past year has not
stopped the church. While thousands of people lost jobs
and the government was bailing out automakers,
charitable giving to churches actually increased 5
percent in 2008. Faith thrives in a recession.
Another sign is the increase interest in spiritual
matters, a spiritual hunger swept through our country.
“The Passion of the Christ,” Mel Gibson’s 2004 film
about the crucifixion, became the highest-grossing
non-English film of all time. Christian books have such
as, The Prayer of Jabez, The Purpose-Driven
Life, and The Shack, have been on the best
seller list for weeks and months. (2)
Join me this year in living in
confidence and not fear. Join me in looking for
evidence of God’s hand in our world and in our lives.
Join me in living with a new profound sense of hope and
not despair or fear. When we live out our faith in that
way we will see what others miss. And take the light of
Christ out for everyone—for all the world to see. Shine
in 2010!
Amen.
1. “The
Decade From Hell” Andy Serwer, Time December 7, 2009,
pp. 31-38
2. “Where Is
God Going? Seven Spiritual Trends of the ’00 Decade” by
J. Lee Grady, Newsletter-Fire in My Bones, December 29,
2009.
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