On this festival of our Lord's Epiphany, I reflect on how Jesus is given as a light to the nations. In Matthew's gospel, distant easterners are drawn to his light and welcomed into the family of those who worship Jesus as Lord, yet their visit is met with anger and jealousy by Herod and the Jerusalem establishment. The quaint image of the wise men offering their gifts is quickly followed by Herod's killing rampage throughout Judea and the Holy Family's flight to Egypt.
It is so tempting to make our Christian faith a personal, individual affair, but the message of Epiphany reminds us that Jesus enters and brings peace and justice to the messiness of the world not just the messiness of our sinful little hearts. While some may argue that inner peace--internal conversion and relationship with God--is necessary before we can radiate that peace and love to the earth around us ("Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me," says the schmaltzy hymn), the message of Epiphany reminds us that the gospel can never stop there. Jesus upsets the world order, favors outcasts over insiders--yet does not neglect the insiders, either. In fact, we in the wealthy west might hear the Epiphany story as law: how have we become complacent in relying too much on our governments, our capitalistic societies, our elite systems of higher education, and structures of human rights to affect "change" in the world and bring peace to the warring nations.
Today I pray for the women and men who work in global missions, as well as those ordinary Christians who strive to bring their faith to bear beyond the boundaries of their own souls and families. In the spirit of Epiphany, may we all be primed to welcome the strangers in our midst to the peace of the Lord Jesus.
