Uncover the Mystery of the Epiphany

My dear friends in Christ,

Can you think of any famous literary detectives? Sherlock Holmes, the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, or for our younger crowd, Blues Clues, are the first ones I think of. What made them such good detectives? When confronted with a mystery, they very carefully and methodically looked for clues. They logically connected all the clues and came to their conclusion. What is most impressive is that they always solved the mystery!

Do you ever feel like a detective when you study God's Word? Today is Epiphany Sunday, and in our text for today, Paul talks about a "mystery." As we study this section, let's get out our detective kits and dig around for clues that will help us uncover the mystery of the Epiphany. God has already revealed all the clues, and once we find them, we'll be able to share our discovery.

God left the first clue to our mystery in verses 4-5. Let's look at that again. "In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets." (Ephesians 3:4-5). Did you hear that? It "was not made known to men in other generations." God's Old Testament people couldn't figure out how he would save the world. So, they watched and waited. Over the centuries, God shared all kinds of clues. We call them prophecies. Each prophecy added to the picture of the promised Christ. The people still weren't able to solve the mystery. The apostle Peter talked about their detective work. "Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow" (1 Peter 1:10-11). God still hadn't given them all the answers!

Jesus' epiphany helped them solve the mystery. The word "epiphany" means "the appearance." When Jesus appeared, God put all the clues together so we could see how he would carry out his plan. As Mary and Joseph held their miracle baby, the clue the LORD had given to Isaiah echoed through the stable. "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). He sent a star to announce the birth of his Son, a clue Moses had recorded: "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel" (Numbers 24:17). Our gospel reading for today records the visit of the Magi from the east, fulfillment of a clue recorded in Isaiah 60:3, "Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn" (Isaiah 60:3). The clues even pointed to the details of our Savior's death on the cross. In Psalm 22, the Messiah said, "Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet" (Psalm 22:16). All of those clues uncover the mystery of our salvation. God sent his Son to live, to suffer, and to die for our sins. God calls it a mystery because it had been hidden for centuries until Jesus came. God calls it a mystery because it's hard for sinful people to understand. It's a mystery solved only through the eyes of faith!

When a baby is born, who comes to visit? Grandpas and grandmas, family members, and friends. Imagine having one of the guys who picks up garbage and speaks with a heavy Spanish accent stop in after a long day on the job. Then, on baby's first trip out, a strange, old man with gray, tightly curled hair and dark skin shuffles over and asks to hold your child. Finally, the Publisher's Clearinghouse Prize Patrol stops by with gleaming smiles and fancy clothes to deliver the winner's prize because they heard you just had a baby. Jesus had plenty of visitors following his birth, and not one of the visitors the Bible tells us about were family or friends. First, it was shepherds, then elderly Simeon and Anna in the temple. They were all descendants of Abraham who had been watching and waiting for the coming Messiah. The final group of visitors were, perhaps, the most unlikely. Magi from the east, Gentiles, not part of God's chosen people, arrived with gifts to worship the child. Their arrival is part of the Epiphany mystery.

God has given us a clue that uncovers the rest of the mystery. "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" (Ephesians 3:6). How could people so different from Mary and Joseph, different in language, skin color, and culture, be called co-heirs, co-members of one body, co-sharers of the promise? Did you find the clue? Look at the last three words of verse 6—"in Christ Jesus." A hymn-writer set that thought to poetry. "In Christ there is no east or west, In him no south or north, But one great fellowship of love Throughout the whole wide earth. With God there is no tribe or race; In him we all are one. He loves us as his children through Our faith in his dear Son."

Sometimes we try to destroy that oneness, thanks to our sinful nature. German, Swedish, or Norwegian—we try to make some of our traditions better than others. Anglo, Hispanic, Hmong, or African-American—we so easily, so naturally fall into racial prejudice and stereotypes. We make assumptions about an entire group instead of learning to love the individual no matter what their accent or skin color. Packer fan, Viking fan, or no fan—it's easy to get into arguments and not even talk to some people on game day. Wealthy, middle class, or poor—we look down on those who act differently, dress differently, or live differently than we do. When we allow our sinful nature to control the way we think about others, we stand in danger of God's judgment. The apostle Paul warned us against any form of prejudice when he wrote, "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you" (Romans 12:3).

Don't forget the last clue to the Epiphany mystery. Through the gospel we all receive the benefit of forgiveness that Jesus earned on the cross. He didn't come only for Jews, or Anglos, or Viking fans. Faith in Jesus brings different skin colors, different languages, different traditions and cultures together into ONE. We have ONE inheritance. We are ONE body, with Jesus as our head. We all share in ONE promise of forgiveness and eternal life. That's a mystery. It's hard to understand. Sometimes it's even harder to live, but thanks to the faith God has given us, we can live as ONE family in Christ.

Mystery solved! Good job, fellow detectives! We've figured out the Epiphany mystery—God sent a Savior to rescue the entire world from sin, and that includes you and me! There's still one task left. Paul tells us what our job is. "Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things" (Ephesians 3:8-9). God entrusted Paul to share this mystery. Paul didn't deserve that privilege. He calls himself "less than the least of all God's people." Paul had been an enemy of Jesus, even arresting and murdering anyone who believed in Jesus. God graciously changed Paul's life. Preaching the unsearchable riches of Jesus was the least that Paul could do in response to God's love.

Pastors today have the same task as Paul—to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. God has entrusted us with this wonderful mystery. We have the privilege of doing daily detective work in these unsearchable riches and uncovering treasures that we can share in sermons, devotions, Bible studies, confirmation classes, and in our daily conversations.

Paul also called the unsearchable riches of Christ the "manifold wisdom of God." The word "manifold" also means "multi-colored." On one of our trips from Houston, Texas, to Minnesota, we were driving through Oklahoma at sunset. The sky was clear and clean, not a cloud to be seen. As the angle of the sunset changed, so did the color of the sky. It went from blue to pink, to gold, to orange, to purple, to navy, until finally the stars came out in force. For 45 minutes we were amazed at the different color combinations, and how the different light and color made everything look slightly different. That's part of a pastor's privilege as he does his detective work in the manifold wisdom of God. The Holy Spirit shows us the many colors of God's grace—the inky darkness that hides sinful actions; the crimson, sin-stained clothing draped over our souls; the same clothing that sparkles bleach-white thanks to the red, red blood of Jesus; the golden crowns that await us in the brilliant blue of heaven. These are treasures, Paul reminds us, that the angels—the "rulers and authorities of the heavenly realms"—wait to hear from the lips of God's servants.

Serving as pastor is an incredible privilege. How did I get here? By the grace of God! He used faithful pastors and teachers who encouraged me to use my gifts. He guided me by the example of Christian friends who were thinking about the public ministry. God did the same for Pastor Birkholz, and every other pastor who has ever served a Christian congregation. Some of you young men have the gifts and abilities to serve this way. God has graciously guided you to this point in your life. He has instilled love for him and his Word in your hearts. Will you think about preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ? I pray that you do!

God needs all of us, not just pastors, to share the solution to the Epiphany mystery. Jesus' great commission calls all of us to "make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). He has equipped each one of us with the right tools make disciples. We bring our children to baptism, where God forgives their sins and creates faith in their hearts. We have the Word of God to search and study, so that when someone asks us why we believe what we believe, we are "always…prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15). We need to share it with everyone, no matter what they look like or where they come from. If they don't know Jesus, they don't have the forgiveness and eternal life he won for them.

The detective work is done. We have all the clues. The mystery of the Epiphany is the appearance of our Savior Jesus, our Savior who belongs to the nations of the world. Throughout this season of Epiphany, we'll see more evidence of this incredible truth. Keep treasuring up all the clues that you find, and piece them together to share with the people you meet who need to know Jesus too. Amen.