Reflections on Epiphany – the Yesu ‘Darśana’ by Manoj Kurian

The following epiphany reflection was written by Dr Manoj Kurian who is involved in the WCC's HIV/AIDS programme. Manoj comes from an oriental orthodox church and is from Malaysia although his family originally come from India.
The footnotes have not been included in this post but may be added later.

Bible Text: Matthew 2.1-18

Two aspects of the narrative that grip me are the ‘visit of the Magi’ and the massacre of the ‘holy-innocents‘ These are the bright and dark side of the narrative of Yesu ‘Darśana’.
Yesu ‘Darśana’
Darśana is a Sanskrit term meaning "sight" (in the sense of beholding; from the root" to see"). It is most commonly used for "visions of the divine," in the sense "to see with reverence and devotion”. The term can also translate to epiphany, and could refer either to a vision of the divine or to being in the presence of a highly revered person . Darśana could also be described as having ‘seen’ and ‘being seen’ by the Deity .
Yesu ‘Darśana’ is to see with reverence and devotion the God child. To see God and to be seen by God. To worship God and to be blessed by God. God in the form of a vulnerable and marginalized child. Seeking and finding God in the most unlikely of places.

Magi
In the Aramaic and Arabic translations St: Mathew’s Gospel the Magi are called "Mgoshi" The word also indicates that they were ‘worshippers of fire’ . The word is probably derived from maguš in old Persian / mâgî in Proto-Kurdish. The Magi were a tribe from ancient Media who, prior to the conquest of the Medes by the Achaemenid Empire in 550 BC, were responsible for religious and funerary practices. They accepted the Zoroastrian religion, but followed a variant of the faith known as Zurvanism, which would become the predominant form of Zoroastrianism during the Sassanid era (AD 226–650).
Zoroastrianism has an important place in the history of religion because of its possible formative links to both Western and Eastern religious traditions. It is also the oldest of the revealed creedal monotheistic religions. The Zoroastrian name of their religion is “Mazdayasna”, which combines Mazda from “Ahura Mazda”, - the one universal, transcendental , uncreated creator God - with the Avestan word yasna, meaning "worship and devotion".
From the 1st century AD onward the word in its Syriac form (Magusai) was applied to magicians and soothsayers, chiefly from Babylonia, with a reputation for the most varied forms of wisdom. As long as the Persian empire lasted there was always a distinction between the Persian magi, who were credited with profound and extraordinary religious knowledge, and the Babylonian magi, who were often considered to be outright impostors. It is in this context Magi, in the English language may refer to a shaman, sorcerer or wizard and is the origin of the words magic and magician .

Visit of the Magi
From wherever we come from, seeking Jesus in unlikely places a couple of thousand years later, with a much narrower vision and shallower wisdom , the narrative of the Magi is very reassuring. It is reassuring that the quest for God is universal and should consume the whole of creation. It is striking that apart from the pure and obedient parents of Jesus and the humble shepherds, the first ‘learned’ persons God chose to reveal the God- child to were the ‘heathen’ Magi, seekers of truth, who ultimately reached Jesus and did not destroy him. They depended on the wisdom of God –by being perceptive to the message from the Angel and obeying it; depended on God’s creation and signs – by keenly studying the night sky and interpreting what nature manifested to one and all.
They came a long way, from a very different cultural and religious setting. Taking a lot of trouble and risk and investing time and effort. They were analytical, methodical, systematic and thorough in their search. They were prepared for the journey and knew what they had to offer. The tributes the Magi brought for Jesus reveled their deep understanding of whom they were seeking. ‘Gold’- worthy of a ruler who has dominion over the earth and symbolizing the infant's royalty. ‘Frankincense’- incense worthy of a child of God to be worshiped and symbolizing the infant's divinity. ‘Myrrh’ as an expensive embalming resin- making reference to the infant’s future, sacrifice and death.

The Magi’s religious, cultural or racial identity, beliefs and practice did not hinder them from approaching God and Jesus Christ being revealed to them.

The massacre of the ‘holy-innocents‘ (Matthew 2: 1-18)
The unfortunate massacre took place because the Magi initially searched for God in the wrong place. When they initially targeted their search to Palestine they decided that the final identification could be made with the assistance of the rich and the powerful. The king is in charge- he should know! So when they approached King Herod, his consultations with the chief priests and teachers of the law revealed that a great ruler was prophesized to be born in Bethlehem . Herod’s deep sense of insecurity prompted him to scheme nipping the new King in the bud! But when the Magi saw through this and slipped away without reporting their findings from Bethlehem, Herod resorted to massacring all male children of Bethlehem two years and younger. This was a horrific strategy in Herod’s quest to eliminate all potential threat to his own power base.
The Christian community has traditionally considered these children as martyrs and as Saints and commemorate this sad event as Childermas, Children's Mass or Holy Innocents' Day
In the gospel the massacre of the holy innocents comes after the story of the Magi. Yet the western church's marking of that date coming after Christmas on the 28th of December and before celebrating the Epiphany in January 6th seems almost to hide this story away – almost as if it would be rather bad taste to have such a sad unpleasant story spoiling the celebration of Christmas and Epiphany .
So by conveniently separating this sad event and the celebrations of Epiphany , we risk losing the holistic understanding of the consequences of Epiphany. By sanctifying and elevating to sainthood the massacred children we cannot sanitise the fact that the martyred children were victims of raw human greed for power and control and their massacre was the horrific consequence of wise people searching for God and salvation in the wrong place.

Let us seek God among the poor and the vulnerable. Let us recognise God around us. Let us discern God within us. But let us not delude ourselves into thinking that salvation is dependent on the power and resources that are linked exclusively with people and our own enterprises. Let the choices we make in life be dependent on how we can contribute to the extension of the reign of God on earth, with a liberating vision of a God centred world.

“Let Your reign prevail, and Your will be done”

By being humble;
By stepping outside our comfort zones;
By sharing in the pain and suffering of people and the environment;
By retaining a sense of justice in the face of adversity and by responding in useful ways;
By being sensitive to the needs of those around us and responding with compassion and competence;
By reflecting the love of God in our lives;
By pursuing holiness and purity in our personal and community life;
By striving for harmony and peace;
By withstanding evil, hatred and persecution;
By recognizing that all we achieve is through the Grace of God:
We see you God, here on earth, TODAY!
O Lord and our God, “Let Your reign prevail,
And Your will be done”

Dr Manoj Kurian, copyright (c) WCC

Epiphany Sermon

This sermon was preached for Epiphany in the Ecumenical Centre Chapel January 7th 2008.

Bible Texts:
Isaiah 60.1-6
Matthew 2.1-12

A light for all peoples

How did the writer of Matthew's gospel dare to write the extraordinary story of the Magi?

We of course are so used to the story - from countless Christmas cards and carols and pageants - and so we can no longer really tell how strange, daring and shocking this narrative of the wise bearers of the three gifts would have sounded to Jewish believers hearing it in first century Palestine.

What sort of king or messiah is this, visited and fêted by astrologers, fortune tellers, soothsayers, the epitome of Jewish non-believers, bringing highly inappropriate pagan-style presents for the child (well apart from the gold of course, that can always be useful but the gifts are hardly "spiritual").
You're telling us we're supposed to believe like those strange foreign characters who thought it was a good idea to follow a star?

Truly somewhere in the telling of this tale an epiphany occurred.
The foreign bearers of the three gifts become "wise" in Matthew's tale.
The story of their long, searching journey to bear homage to a newborn has borne meaning across the generations.

Yet, though these wise, erudite travellers could supposedly read the signs in the skies
They do seem to have lacked an ability to read the earthly socio-political context of the province of the Roman empire they were entering.
And if Matthew's narrative is to be believed they don't actually seem to follow the star that is guiding them;
Instead they head straight for the seat of dubious power
And spill the beans to the arch-collaborator turned dictator Herod.
I'm sure those wise travellers and mappers of the skies thought they were doing the right thing going to the palace…

Despite theologians and interpreters often saying that these bearers of wisdom represent “reason”
Perhaps no intellectual reasoning could foretell the wailing and lamentation in Ramah that would result from Herod being told the name of the town where the child was to be born
In the gospel the massacre of the children of the holy innocents comes after the story of the magi. Yet the western church's marking of that date coming as it does on December 28th seems almost to hide this story away – almost as if it would be rather bad taste to have such a sad unpleasant story spoiling the celebration of Christmas.
Yet the story of the glorious homage bore the marks of violence from the beginning
- the gifts included not only frankincense for praise and glory rising to the skies but also myrrh as preparation for death.
The only throne this king would reign from was a cross.

Perhaps I am being unfair, maybe the Magi were seeking to be diplomatic in visiting Herod first, perhaps their telescopes and maps had got damaged on the long journey, making it difficult to follow the star
(As we pray this week among other countries for Iraq in the ecumenical prayer cycle, I can hear the former prime-minister of my country Mr Blair saying “I believed I was doing the right thing” - in going to war – as if the beautifully honed sound of sincerity with which he utters such words is more important than the thousands of dead bodies telling another and more sincere truth.)

Matthew's daring, radical entrée to his gospel was certainly a great way of grabbing attention and it challenges us to think about how we communicate and receive the good news.

Do strangely clad travellers with dubious beliefs have anything to say to us?
Have we in this international setting, so used to trying to communicate unity in diversity, sometimes become rather blasé - oh we understand all there is to know about difference?
In the age of the global village – when everyone knows everything and when strangeness may just be a new marketing ploy - is there actually anything new or different left to know?

Epiphany cuts across all of our sense of reasonableness, of having seen it all before, of knowing all there is to know about new things, of wanting to show that we of course understand.

In TS Elliott's poem the journey of the Magi
one of the Magi reflects years later on that strange journey following a star and says this:
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we lead all that way for
Birth or Death?

Epiphany sets faith in Christ within an age old narrative
each one of us, though infinitely precious, is not the centre of the universe,
our certainties and way of perceiving things
can be upset by a simple visit from strangers we may never see again

The promise of epiphany is that incarnation and revelation are one
That the light of justice and hope and peace and reconciliation is for all
And not just for those who think of themselves as the holy or the believers.

The biblical tale of those bringing gifts to the promised child
was set in troubled earthly times of political upheaval and terrible violence.

As a result of their visit to the Christ child in Bethlehem the Magi do finally become wise
- travelling home they listen to the angel of their dreams, taking another route,
and this time they avoid telling all to the violent despot in Jerusalem who is so fearful of the future he seeks to kill the present.

We don't know which way they go on their travels.
We do know that one precious child of light will escape the terrible massacre and the spears and lances of the soldiers.
And the family will flee, not eastwards but to Egypt.
Perhaps the visit from exotic strangers convinces them that a welcome in a faraway land is possible.

As the new year assaults us with news of violence and repression
from Pakistan to Kenya
from Burma to Naples
From Afghanistan to Bolivia

As we remember an old year which for many of us has had its share of upheaval and tragedy,
the light of epiphany is promised to us,
even to those of us in international organisations who seem often to constantly be travelling to new places.

As we gaze in wonder on the Christ child
may we also like the Magi receive wisdom
The promise is of wisdom
Wisdom to see
Wisdom to be
Wisdom to learn
Wisdom to pray

And may we carry the joy and light and peace of the incarnation of Christ with us as preciously as gold on all our travelling in the coming year.
Amen



Copyright (c) World Council of Churches

Order of Worship for Epiphany

The following service of holy communion according to the Anglican rite has been prepared by the Venerable Colin Williams, general secretary of the Conference of European Churches. Colin will preside at the eucharist on Monday and Rev Michael Wallace, general secretary of the World Student Christian Federation will be deacon. Michael, who comes from New Zealand, was ordained deacon with the Old Catholic or Christian Catholic Church here in Switzerland. That has meant he's had to learn some interesting liturgical French. Nothing like having to lead prayers in a language to put you on an upwards learning curve! And sometime over the weekend I'll have to write a sermon.
Time constraint is always our main concern on a Monday morning but occasionally we allow ourselves an extra 15 minutes for communion or other special services.
Afterwards we'll have a pot luck breakfast and share some traditional galette des rois for epiphany - this kind of fellowship is important in an ecumenical community when we are very aware that we cannot all share together in the eucharist.

SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION – (WESTERN) EPIPHANY
7 January, 2008, Chapel of the Ecumenical Centre

GATHERING

Gathering Hymn Cantai ao Senhor Agape 12

Welcome and Introduction
God in Christ has revealed his glory.
Come let us worship.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
the Lord's name is greatly to be praised.
Give him praise, you servants of the Lord.
O praise the name of the Lord!

Greeting
The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Prayers of Penitence
When the Lord comes, he will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins.

We have not held out the word of life in a dark and twisted world. Lord have mercy,
Gospodi pomilui (Agape 28)

We have failed to share our bread with the hungry. Christ have mercy,
Lord have mercy (Agape 28)

We have closed our hearts to the love of God. Lord have mercy,
Gospodi pomilui (Agape 28)

The leader pronounces God’s forgiveness.

Gloria Gloria a Dios Agape 26
(v1 Spanish v2 English v3 German)

Prayer of the Day
Creator of the heavens, who led the Magi by a star to worship the Christ-child:
guide and sustain us, that we may find our journey's end in Jesus Christ our Lord
Amen

WORD

Isaiah 60:1-6
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 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. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
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. 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. 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.

Matthew 2:1-12
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
Glory to You O Lord

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 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.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘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.’ ”

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 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.” 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. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

This is the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you O Christ

Homily The Revd. Jane Stranz

The Prayers of the People

Let us worship the Saviour with joy
and make our prayer to our heavenly Father.

The Magi came from the east to worship your Son:
Father, grant to Christians everywhere the spirit of adoration . Especially we pray for the Church in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Iran, Iraq

Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.

The infant Christ received gifts of gold, incense and myrrh:
Father, accept the offering of our hearts and minds at the beginning of this year
Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.

The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ:
Father, grant an abundance of peace to your world, especially in Kenya, in Pakistan, in the Middle East, in Serbia and Kosovo
Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.

The Holy Family lived in exile and in the shadow of death:
Father, look in mercy on all who are poor and powerless, and all who suffer
Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.

Your Son shared the life of his home and family at Nazareth:
Father, protect in your love our neighbours, our families and all who work in this Centre
Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.

Rejoicing in fellowship with the shepherds, the angels, the magi, the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph
and all the faithful departed,
we commend ourselves and all people to your unfailing love.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers
For the sake of Your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ

The Sharing of Peace
Christ came and proclaimed the gospel,
peace to those who are far off and peace to those who are near.
The peace of the Lord be always with you
And also with you.

Hymn Let us Break Bread Together Agape 52

MEAL
The Preparation of the Table
Look upon us in mercy not in judgement;
draw us from hatred to love;
make the frailty of our praise a dwelling place for your glory.
Amen.

The Eucharistic Prayer
The Lord is here.
His Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
It is right to praise you, Father, Lord of all creation; in your love you made us for yourself. When we turned away you did not reject us, but came to meet us in your Son.
You embraced us as your children and welcomed us to sit and eat with you.
In Christ you shared our life that we might live in him and he in us.
He opened his arms of love upon the cross and made for all the perfect sacrifice for sin.
On the night he was betrayed, at supper with his friends he took bread, and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to them, saying: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.
Father, we do this in remembrance of him: his body is the bread of life.
At the end of supper, taking the cup of wine, he gave you thanks, and said: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins; do this in remembrance of me.
Father, we do this in remembrance of him: his blood is shed for all.
As we proclaim his death and celebrate his rising in glory, send your Holy Spirit that this bread and this wine may be to us the body and blood of your dear Son.
As we eat and drink these holy gifts make us one in Christ, our risen Lord.
With your whole Church throughout the world we offer you this sacrifice of praise and lift our voice to join in singing the eternal song of heaven:
Santo, santo, santo, !Mi corazon te adora. Mi corazon te sabedecir !Santo eres Senor
Holy, holy, holy. With joy my heart adores you! My heart cries out to worship you! Holy are you Lord!
Dieu saint, Dieu saint, Dieu saint! Mon coeur, mon coeur t’adore! Mon coeur le sait, mon coeur le dit,: sacré est ton nom!

Lord’s Prayer
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us, each in our own language…

Breaking of the Bread
We break the bread of life, and that life is the light of the world.
God here among us, light in the midst of us, bring us to light and life.

Giving of Communion
God’s holy gifts for God’s holy people.
Jesus Christ is holy; Jesus Christ is Lord; To the glory of God the Father.

During the giving of Communion we sing Eat this Bread (Agape 20)

Prayer after Communion
Lord God, the bright splendour whom the nations seek:
May we, with the Wise Men, being drawn by your light,
recognise the glory of your presence in your Son,
the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ
our Lord.
Amen

SENDING

Blessing
May the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ shine in your hearts and fill our lives with his joy and his Peace. And the blessing…

All turn to face the door
L The Cross,
C We shall take it.

L The Bread,
C We shall break it.

L The Word,
C We shall bear it.

L The Joy,
C We shall share it.

L The Gospel,
C We shall live it.

L The Love,
C We shall give it.

L The Light,
C We shall cherish it.

L The Darkness,
C God shall perish it.

Dismissal
L Let us go in peace,
C Thanks be to God.

Sending Hymn Nun Danket Alle Gott Agape 62