HOMILY – EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
ST. ANTHONY CHURCH, FURMAN UNIVERSITY
JANUARY 7, 2007 – 8AM, 11AM & 8:30PM
May the Lord, seen by the wise, give us His peace.
What this baby does to us, the others, the work.
What this baby does to us. It is as simple and difficult as this; the light of God has come in Jesus Christ, and that light is shining on you and me. It is as if you watch people gather around the manger and light up. Then those same people walk away lit. They walk out into the darkness lit up, warmed, treated to goodness and peace.
What this baby does to us as we approach Him is light us up. He doesn’t light us up because we deserve it, or because He is on stage. Jesus warms us with His peace and light because of His nature. He is enduring love. Sent from the Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit. We hear in the creed light from light, true God from true God. Today that light shines on us. See the Magi ride away on camels like glowsticks. We have approached Him in Word and Eucharist just like that and are like glowsticks too. He comes for me, for you. What this baby does lights us up.
He makes us now light from light.
The Others. Jesus came in one place, as one man with one language and life time. How will others come to know about Him? Stewardship. We are stewards of the real presence of Jesus among us. Others don’t know Him yet. The Letter to the Ephesians call them “Gentiles,” and says they are co-heirs, co-inheritors of the gifts of God. Call a meeting! Gather the people! Let them know a will is being read and their name is included as a beneficiary. Don’t forget the others.
One of the responsibilities of our community is to ensure our Sacramental way of life. It is very, very important to find men within our community to call to the priesthood. Who among us can serve? This Church needs a well-lit future. The others will come to know Him and need to be served. We are stewards of this Tradition that has served for thousands of years. Recruiting is part of our life for the sake of the others who will come.
The Work. All lit up, stewards of the greatest gift ever given, our work is cut out for us. You and I must continue the life and ministry of Christ here in Greenville. What could that work be? Many of our black community left this church in the 90’s to go to entertainment churches. Many of you have come back to the table of the Lord. I hear that one who left even became the minister. Our work could be to get them to see what they left, even the minister. The Eucharist is not an “option” in the Christian life, and certainly not a trade for a praise and dance band.
What could that work be? Our neighborhood will no longer be a place for the poor to be close to services like Project Host Soup Kitchen, bus lines, Urban Ministries, Labor Finders. It will no longer be a place of small one or two bedroom homes that don’t have a tax assessment of $75,000.00 like the new habitat homes do, where a cashier or a car-wash attendant can live if we don’t find a way to protect it from other visions of western Greenville. The poor have a place in a community. They ought not always be associated with violence and drugs. That is just not true. Our work could be to provide that protection so we are looking to preserve the houses in our neighborhood.
What could that work be? White folks don’t know black folks as well as black folks know white folks, so we could do some sensitivity training – that could be fun, and get to know each other better in the process. Parish leadership can come from those who have taken the time to do that.
The work, the work. Think rather, “The gifts, the gifts!”
Like wise people who come to Him, we continue to bring Him gifts that show Him we know who you are. You are the messiah, the Lord of my life. What you did, we will continue to do until you come again.