The following homily was shared at our Sunday Evening Eucharist Service 1/4/26.

Old Testament Reading

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

(Isaiah 60:1-6)

Gospel Reading

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.

(Matthew 2:1-12)

When I read this passage from Isaiah, I think of the Lord’s glorious light being like the sun reflected on Jerusalem. It must be bright for nations to walk by its shining radiance. Parts of this scripture seem to be fulfilled in the reading from the Gospel of Matthew when the magi bring gifts of gold and frankincense to Jesus, guided by the light of a star. However, if this passage from Isaiah is to prophesy the Epiphany of the Lord, the adoration of the magi, it strikes me that the light which guides them comes from a star. Even though in art this star is sometimes depicted as being the brightest in the sky, it does not seem like it would have outshone the sun. If it had, all the world would have at least been disrupted and very confused. Instead, it is just these magi who recognize the star, though King Herod and all of Jerusalem are troubled by the news they bring.

The prophecy is fulfilled in the adoration of the magi and the Epiphany of the Lord while also pointing to the coming glory of the New Jerusalem, the new heaven and new earth. The magi were overjoyed at seeing the star, just as we will be radiant at what we see. We walk by the light revealed to us through Jesus and the Holy Spirit until the light will be undeniable to all people. All of God’s people will be brought back together, proclaiming the praises of the Lord. Those who are estranged from us through circumstances of this world will be gathered back together. This reconciliation and the greatness of God will cause our hearts to throb and overflow. To honor God we will bring the first and best of all that we have. We will be filled with love.

You can only hope for something that has not yet come, or for something good that you have to continue to be with you. Spiritually, I have a tendency to be both dissatisfied with what I have and unbelieving of what I could have in the future. I don’t understand why the world is the way that it is right now, and most of the time I have a hard time seeing that the Kingdom of God has arrived among us. Why is the way that God reveals Himself often hidden from us, even Christians—and why doesn’t faith alone feel like enough to satisfy in this life?

Even hidden, God is with us. Daily, we seek Him. We treasure the moments when we know He is near. By the grace of God, faith, hope, and love will remain with us. And we wait for the fullness of light and truth of the coming of the Lord.

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬).

Then We Shall Know Fully: Jamie Palmer

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