Sermon Tone Analysis

Epiphany

Today is Epiphany (with a capital E)-the Term “Epiphany” comes from a Greek word which means “appearance” or “manifestation.”

it is the day we celebrate the arrival of the wise men bringing gifts to the baby (or more accurately toddler) Jesus - but what is epiphany about.

EPIPHANY Term “epiphany” comes from a Greek word which means “appearance” or “manifestation.”

In Western Christianity the festival of Epiphany, observed on the sixth of January, celebrates the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles, the coming of the Magi to see the child Jesus (Matt.

2:1–12)

We heard the story of the Magi in the run up to Christmas.

We hear how they travelled from the east, how they travelled for years, how they arrived bringing gifts

We listen to how Herod wanted them to tell him where Jesus was so he could put an end to this but we often overlook the significance of the Magi in the story.

The Magi were foreign, they were not Jewish, they were not even from the Jewish part of the world yet here the were worshipping the Christ Child, having had the true nature of that toddler revealed to them.

A hint that this messiah was not just for Bethlehem, or Judea or just for the Jews.

If anyone had noticed this would have been extraordinary.

It would have been unthinkable.

God is bigger than the limitations we place on him.

But God has a habit of reaching beyond the bounds of social convention, of political correctness to meet with folks that us christians don’t expect him to and possibly don’t or can’t speak to about him.

Over 10 years ago a study of 600 new Christians showed that 150 of them had a direct dream or vision of Christ that lead directly to them becoming Christian, their common factor, they were previously Muslim.

This theme has continued since.

God love his people.

He is far bigger then the limitations that we place on him.

That is my first point for Epiphany - whatever we think God is capable of, whatever the group we think God is interested in, whatever our view of how God operates.

He is much bigger, much greater, much more interested than we can imagine.

Jesus spent his ministry engaging with the sorts of people most of us spend our time trying to avoid.

when we read in Galatians.

We can add in the things of today, there are no rich or poor, there are non with degrees or working in the land, their are no British or immigrant, able or disabled; they are all one in Christ Jesus.

Revealed to all

The Jews of 2000 years ago were only concerned with their people, with their little part of the world.

They had fixated on those that had kept ‘true to God’ though if you have read the any of the bible from the third chapter of Genesis through to the end of the Old Testament, you would know this applied to almost no one.

Yet the Jewish people, God’s Chosen People believed that God cared only for them.

The other meaning of epiphany is to have something revealed to you.

Often in a personally dramatic way.

It is often something that when it is revealed that it is so blindingly obvious you can’t believe that you did not know it before.

Angular Velocity

Through out His ministry Jesus declared that the salvation he was bringing was for more than the Jewish nation like the time he met the Samaritan woman.

john 4:5-

Now the Jewish nation despised the Samaritans and the Samaritans despised the Jews.

The Samaritans were from the norther tribes of Israel and the Jews thought they had got everything wrong, they had sinned against God and were outside of Gods plan, they were not worth bothering with.

The Samaritans on the other hand hated the Jews, they thought them arrogant, they could not believe they had created this monstrosity of a temple and preferred to worship God on a mountain just has Abraham had.

to a either a jew or a Samaritan it was incomprehensible that

man would speak to a woman he did not know,

a rabbi would speak to some one unclean (a Samaritan)

that God would speak would include the other lot in his salvation yet...

Jesus continued

Jesus constantly told the people around him that Gods Salvation is for all, he went out of his way to show that it is not restricted to geographic location, to ethnic group, to those that have lived to a particular standard, to those who worship in a particular way or place.

Salvation is not limited to those in stone building with the book of common prayer or those in 1960s libraries with songs by Bethel or Matt Redman.

God’s grace is for all but back in the time of Jesus the man, this was an epiphany that they could not grasp.

I fear It is no different today , God tells us what is going on or what is going to go on but we often fail to see.

We miss the epiphany.

we need to grasp hold of the things God is saying are to happen.

God tells us what is going on or what is going to go on but we often fail to see.

God tells us what is going on but we often fail to see.

We miss the epiphany.

we need to grasp hold of the things God is saying are to happen.

This may be something that God is saying to us personally.

- Lisa holding out for the right job

Lisa holding out for the right job

This may be something that God is doing in the Church, the nation or the world.

We need to examine some of the prophesies and promises that are given.

Not just for encouragement but for direction, so we understand what to get behind.

Smith Wigglesworths 1947 prophesy :

When the new church phase is on the wane, there will be evidence in the churches of something that has not been seen before: a coming together of those with an emphasis on the word and those with an emphasis on the Spirit.

[those that worship in the temple and those that worship on the mountain]

When the word and the Spirit come together, there will be the biggest move of the Holy Spirit that the nations, and indeed, the world have ever seen.

It will mark the beginning of a revival that will eclipse anything that has been witnessed within these shores, even the Wesleyan and Welsh revivals of former years.

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Now I want to be part of that I don’t want to miss it because I have missed the epiphany - we need to focus on what God is saying to us.

And this is the second point for the dayGod tells us what is going on or what is going to go on .

- to understand what God has in store we need to listen, look, read his word and what others are writing from his word, act , position ourselves with others that know the heart of God.

Why Epiphany?

Epiphany is one of the oldest Christian feasts.

It was celebrated since the end of the second century, before the Christmas holiday was established.

Two colleagues at work are of Ukrainian descent and their family celebrates Epiphany more than they celebrate Christmas day.

This will see them sit down to a twelve course traditional feast.

Epiphany is massively important to some christian cultures, there is the view that on Christmas day we have a baby but Epiphany is where we know we have a Messiah (a Christ) Epiphany is is also called Theophany (“manifestation of God”), especially by Eastern Christians.

This is my third point of the day.

Do we see Jesus as a nice cultural reference, a life style choice or do we see him as God, the only reason we have to exist?

To put it another way are we All in or Luke warm.

Are we here for the tea and cake or because we serve a mighty God?

I know there are days when I feel on fire for God and others when I look back on the day and wonder if I considered God at all.

I tend to find I can live with God at arms reach but am only alive when I am embracing Him and Him, me.

Epiphany meets epiphany

Just like the January sales, Epiphany is a great deal as it is a BOGOF festival, it does not only celebrate the visit of the Magi but also the baptism of Jesus by John

mark1

This was a massive epiphany to those around that Jesus was the son of God backing up the declaration of the Angels to the Shepherds, the conviction of the wise men we know have God declaring the true nature of Jesus.

This is the first step to the cross for Jesus and to salvation for us.

This is where I get to my fourth point.

This happened at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, he had not done anything yet but God announces You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” to say he had done nothing is a bit of a lie, you see Jesus knew the Father.

if you know the Father, then God is well pleased with you.

if you don’t know the Father, then there is an open invite.

God loves you, God values you - get to know Him.

Not for what you do, but for who you are, for the relationship you have with Him.

Chosen - John

Cornelius

Peters dream

“When we stray from His presence, He longs for you to come back.

He weeps that you are missing out on His love, protection and provision.

He throws His arms open, runs toward you, gathers you up, and welcomes you home.” - Charles Stanley

Acts 10:9-22

Read more: https://www.christianquotes.info/top-quotes/18-powerful-quotes-about-forgiveness/#ixzz5boLZMepr

Chosen - John

What that means for us.

So what does Epiphany mean for us?