reveal

God’s Choice

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God’s Choice

July 14, 2024*

By Pastor John Partridge

2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19                     Mark 6:14-29                         Ephesians 1:3-14

What choices have you made so far today? It seems obvious to say that everyone here chose to wake up, get out of bed, get dressed, and come to church. Most of us also chose to take a shower, brush our teeth, and otherwise make ourselves presentable. But those are the easy choices.  We like to eat and have the money to pay for things, so we choose to go to work. But occasionally, at work, at home, and elsewhere, we must make harder choices. Do we go along with the crowd, do we follow our friends, even when what they are doing is not honoring to God? Do we stand up against our own political party, or our own church denomination, or our alumni association, or the club to which we’ve belonged for many years, when those groups choose a path that runs against the instructions of scripture? Or do we sometimes elevate our need to belong, or our allegiance to some organization, above our obedience to God and, in doing so, make it into an idol?

Our scriptures for today are dramatically different from one another and have little in common except that, in each one, the people in the story had to make choices, and the choices that they made defined them and revealed who they were at heart. We begin by returning once again to the story of David contained in 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 in which, with Israel now unified and at peace, David and his army retrieve the Ark of the Covenant and bring it to Jerusalem.

6:1 David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. 2 He and all his men went to Baalahin Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4 with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5 David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums [an Egyptian shaker/rattle instrument] and cymbals.

So, David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, 15 while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.

17 They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.

David had been anointed as king and had unified all twelve tribes of Israel. Together they had conquered the Jebusites and declared Jerusalem as the capitol of their unified nation. David had choices. He could do anything that he wanted to do, but among the first things that he does is to take his entire army, travel to Baalah in Judah, take possession of the Ark of the Covenant, and bring it, with much celebration, to their new home. But watching from a window was David’s wife, Michal, who was the daughter of King Saul. As she watched David singing, and dancing before God in celebration, she did not approve. To her, it was undignified for the king to sing and dance and act with joyful abandon in public. But David had made a choice. David could have built a palace, or set out to conquer his neighbors, or undertake projects that would make Israel, and him, richer. But David wanted to honor God first and chose obedience and faithfulness instead of wealth, power, prestige, or even dignity. David chose joy and thankfulness over appearances, respectability, and decorum. And it was those choices, among many others, that defined who David was, and revealed his heart to God and to the world.

In an entirely different story, of an entirely different sort of king, we read the story of king Herod Antipas and the death of John the Baptist in Mark 6:14-29. And in this story, like David, Herod makes some choices that defined him, and revealed his heart.

14 King Herod [Antipas who ruled over Galilee and Perea, the areas east of the Jordan River] heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

15 Others said, “He is Elijah.”

And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”

16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”

17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” [Herod Philip who ruled over Ceasarea Phillip and the area north and west of Galilee] 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.

21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 When the daughter ofHerodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”

“The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.

25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Although Herod was distressed by the choice that he was forced to make because of the unwise oath that he had taken in front of his guests, rather than choosing what was right, he chose violence. Rather than choosing repentance and righteousness, Herod chose his reputation. For Herod, it was more important to look good than to be good.

And now we come to Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus and the words of Ephesians 1:3-14, where Paul reminds us of what God chose. God’s choices were, and are, limitless. God is the creator of at least one universe and all that we know. God could do anything, but Paul reminds us that the choice God makes is utterly astounding and, as it did in the case of David and Herod, God’s choice reveals his heart. Paul says:

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 hepredestined us for adoption to sonshipthrough Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 hemade known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

As I said a moment ago, God’s choices were, and are, limitless, and Paul’s point is that with infinite power at his fingertips, God chose… us. Paul says that before the creation of the world, God intended for us to be holy and blameless and planned to adopt us into sonship. And it is worth a moment of explanation that the phrase that Paul uses, “adoption to sonship” isn’t just flowery or emotional language, it is a Greek legal term that describes a legal and binding adoption. God, through Jesus Christ, legally adopts us as his children, with all the rights of inheritance that implies, forgives our sins, and pours out his grace on us. Paul says that we were chosen to be a part of God’s plan to bring about the will of God. And, when we chose to believe, we were marked with the Holy Spirit as a deposit and downpayment of our future inheritance as God’s children.

When David became king, his choices revealed his heart and his character and, instead of choosing to pursue wealth, power, notoriety, or ego stroking building projects, David chose to make his first act an act of faithfulness, obedience, and joy.

In contrast, when asked for the head of John the Baptist, Herod Antipas chose violence and reputation over repentance and righteousness.

But God, the king of the universe, with infinite power to do whatever comes to his mind…

… chooses us. And not only does God choose us, but he also plans, in advance, even before creation, to make us holy and blameless through the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ, and to legally adopt us as his heirs, as sons and daughters of the king. And just to be sure that that we know that he loves us, and see his intentions for us, God marks us with a seal, and leaves us with a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance, by sending the Holy Spirit to live with us, and in us.

David chose obedience.

Herod chose his reputation.

God… (pause) …chose us.

Like David, and like Herod, God’s choice reveals his heart and his character and leaves us with a choice.

Will we choose God, and follow him?

________________________________________________

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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Unexpected People in Heaven

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Mystery Explained!

(or Unexpected People in Heaven)

January 07, 2024*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 60:1-6              Matthew 2:1-12                     Ephesians 3:1-12

Whether it’s reading Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie, or watching NCIS and FBI dramas on television, many of us enjoy a good mystery. Since Patti spends much more time in her car than I do, she regularly listens to audio books, and whenever I go with her, she is always listening to a mystery of some kind. Good authors keep us guessing. What will happen next? What plot twist lies in store for us? Among the many characters that we’ve met, who is the perpetrator of the crime in question?

It’s just our human nature to be curious, and for our curiosity to be inspired by a good mystery story. But whatever it is, we look forward to the end of the book, movie, or television drama where all is revealed, and the mystery is solved. And that’s the part of the biblical story that we will dig into today, it is the moment that Paul proclaims the mystery “has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets,” and of course, to us. But before we get to the big reveal, let’s dig into the back story and understand some of the history of the mystery. Let’s begin with the prophecy and promise contained in Isaiah 60:1-6 where we hear this message:

60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
    All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
    and your daughters are carried on the hip.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
    your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
    to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land,
    young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
    bearing gold and incense
    and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.

Through Isaiah, God tells of a coming day when the Lord’s rising will overcome the darkness of the human soul in the same way that the sun overcomes the darkness of night. And on that day the people of Israel will return from the four corners of the earth to which they had migrated, Israel will be filled with wealth, symbolized here by camels, and all who come will bring gold, incense, and other gifts that would be fit for a king.

And then, as we anticipate the celebration Epiphany, we hear of the coming of the Wise Men and we hear how their coming echoes the prophecies of Isaiah. They come to Israel from afar bearing gifts of gold and incense and, as we hear that echo, we understand how much else of Isaiah’s prophecy is being fulfilled. A light has come into the darkness of the world and into the darkness of the souls of humanity.

Reading from Matthew 2:1-12, we hear these words:

2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magifrom the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

We’ve lost count of the times, and the Christmases, that we have read, and heard this story. We know the story of the magi. But where is the mystery in that? The mystery is found in the “why.” These men were not Jews and so, why did they come? They were not Jewish, they did not share the faith of Mary and Joseph or the nation of Israel, and yet they worshipped the baby in a manger.  Moreover, they were not the first to present this puzzle. In 2 Kings 5, Naaman, the great military commander of the nation of Aram came to Israel to be healed of his leprosy and, after God healed him, he asked the prophet Elisha,, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.”

Before that, the prophet Elijah fed the widow of Zarephath with a miraculously never-ending supply of oil and flour during a famine. And of course, there was the prostitute who hid the spies in Jericho, and Ruth who followed her mother-in-law Naomi, married Boaz, and became the great-grandmother of King David. And long before that, we know that not everyone who fled slavery in Egypt were from Abraham’s family, but all of them, of every race and nationality, became known as the children of Israel. All of these were Gentiles. They were not the children of Abraham; they were not born into the covenant of Abraham, they were not a part of God’s contract with Abraham, and they did not inherit the promise that God had made to Abraham’s descendants. And so how is it that they could have faith in Israel’s God? How is it that God would accept them?

And, like the end of our modern-day detective stories, that is exactly the mystery that Paul reveals as he writes to the church in Ephesus in Ephesians 3:1-12, saying:

3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

The mystery, as Paul explains it, and as we have already discussed, is how God could love Gentiles and invite them into his family. Even in the Old Testament there were occasional examples that, despite having made an eternal covenant with Abraham and his descendants, and those who later became the people of Israel, there were hints that God loved Gentiles and would accept them into his family. But now, through the story of the gospel, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Gentiles are invited into God’s family, adopted by the creator and king of all that exists, and are now heirs, together with Israel, members of one body, and together with the people of Israel and Abraham’s family, share in the promises of Jesus Christ.

That’s the big reveal. That God has always loved the Gentiles, that the Gentiles were always welcome to join his people, and that God always had a plan to invite the entire world into his family. But now that the mystery has been revealed, God’s plan to rescue the world includes us, the church. Paul says that God’s intent, God’s plan, is for the church to spread his word, to act as God’s agents in the world and to tell the rulers, the authorities, our neighbors, our friends, and the entire world the story of the gospel, the message and the Good News of Jesus Christ, and to invite them all to join God’s family. Because, as Paul said, “in him, and through faith in him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

God commands us to share the story, and to spread the Good News. But it is a story that’s worth sharing because it’s our story.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ Photo by user carlohh on Freeimages dot com.

Bone Grafts in Far, Far Away

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Video of this worship service can be found here: https://youtu.be/YOV2uT1u5u4

Bone Grafts in Far, Far Away

January 02, 2022*             

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12

Merry Christmas.

Of course, you’re thinking that Christmas was more than a week ago, but that’s only because our tradition, that was handed down to us through the Protestant and Catholic churches, celebrates the birth of Jesus as the appropriate time for celebration.  But today, the first Sunday of the new year or, more specifically January 6th, is Epiphany, the celebration of the arrival of the Magi, or the Wise Men.  In the Orthodox tradition, Epiphany is the day that is celebrated as Christmas.  And, if we’re honest about our theology, there’s a good case to be made in favor of the Orthodox tradition as, perhaps, a better choice.  At the very least, Epiphany is a day that is worthy of both remembrance and celebration.  But before I dig too deeply into theology, let’s begin with the story.  It is a story, like many of our stories, that began in the Old Testament with the words of the prophet Isaiah where we hear these words in Isaiah 60:1-6:

60:1 Arise, shine; for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For darkness shall cover the earth,
    and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
    and his glory will appear over you.
3 Nations shall come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4 Lift up your eyes and look around;
    they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
    and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
    your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
    the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,
    the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
    all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
    and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

Isaiah tells of the Messiah that will one day come to rescue Israel, just as he does in other passages that we have read over the season of Advent.  But in today’s reading he speaks of how other nations will be drawn to the light of Israel’s messiah.  Not only will the coming messiah be a king for the nation of Israel, but Isaiah says that he would also be worshiped by other kings and other nations.  Gifts of gold and incense would be given to him from nations in southern Jordan, the Sinai Peninsula, Israel’s southern neighbors, and Saudi Arabia and they would bring so many camels, that thousands of them would cover the hillsides of Israel.

And those stories were remembered as an entourage of magi from far, far away entered Jerusalem along with what was most likely a significantly sized, well-armed, military security and logistics force that would have been sent along to protect, and care for, these important government officials.  The magi were, after all, at least ambassadorial level officials, if not what we would think of as presidential advisors or even cabinet level officials.  They would certainly not have traveled through wilderness and potentially hostile countries without adequate protection.  This is, in my opinion, why we hear Matthew say that King Herod, and all of Jerusalem, was frightened.  Reading from Matthew 2:1-12, we hear this:

2:1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?  For we observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.  5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who is to shepherd my people, Israel.’”

7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.  8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.  11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage.  Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

It’s a story that has become familiar to us after years of repetition, but we still have questions.  Did the magi come from the East, or did they see a star in the East, which would mean that they came from the West?  Were these emissaries from far, far away ambassadors from nearby Egypt to the West or were they, as is often supposed, the philosophical and scholastic descendants of Daniel from the Persian Empire and this from the area of modern-day Iran or Iraq to the East?  Honestly, I don’t know and, as far as I know, there isn’t a definitive answer anywhere in scripture.  But what we do know, is that these scholars came bearing gifts from a land far away and became the first Gentiles, the first non-Jews, to worship the newborn Jesus and that is the most important part of the story and begins to tell us why today’s celebration is a big deal.  In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul explains it this way (Ephesians 3:1-12):

3:1 This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, 3 and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, 4 a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. 5 In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6 that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

7 Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power.  8 Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10 so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him 13 I pray therefore that you may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory.

Paul says that by God’s grace, he was called to reveal a mystery of prophecy, scripture, and the workings of God among his people on earth.  Although it had been hinted at in moments of history, like the one that we saw with the coming of the magi, many, if not most, of God’s people missed what God was doing.  But with the coming of Jesus, and the calling of Paul who had once hunted and persecuted Jesus’ followers, the mystery was finally being revealed and explained to everyone, and that mystery is that the Gentiles, people who are not now, and have never been, Jewish, were not only being invited into God’s family, but were being adopted as family members, becoming not only sons and daughters of God, but heirs of his gifts and of his kingdom. 

Now, anyone in the world, whether they were Jewish or not, or came from a Jewish family or not, could hear the good news of Jesus Christ and become a part of his family, kingdom, mission, ministry, and join him in his eternal home.  The revelation that Paul received, and was called to proclaim, was that this was God’s plan all along.  This is the message that God was revealing to the world with the coming of the magi.  At that moment, God threw open the doors of heaven and invited the Gentiles, invited us, into his family.

And that’s why today, Epiphany, is a big deal worth celebrating.  Certainly, the birth of Jesus was big deal because the Messiah that had been promised to the Jews had finally come to rescue them.  At the moment of his birth, Jesus was a Jewish messiah for the Jewish people.  But with the coming of the magi, God reveals that Jesus was not just a Jewish messiah for a Jewish people but was instead the savior and rescuer of the entire world.  The coming of the magi is the moment when… we… were invited in.

Although Paul says that this was God’s plan all along, it was at that moment, at least symbolically, when we were adopted by God and grafted into the family of Abraham so that we, the people from far, far away, could become, in the words of Samuel, God’s own flesh and bone.

And that is definitely something worth celebrating.

So…

…Merry Christmas everyone.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  If you have questions, you can ask them in our discussion forum on Facebook (search for Pastor John Online).  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.wordpress.com/.  All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.