Howdy So, uh, yeah, I totally ran away I went
to Germany for a week so Yeah, don't be jealous
or or do and make me feel better. Yeah It's it
was amazing. It was beautiful. It was ridiculously
cold I took basically every single warm thing
that I had and put it on it was yeah 32 was the
high it was crazy There was once I think it was
20. It was it was rough But got to see Berlin,
got to see Wittenberg, Erfurt, went over to Munich,
spent the time with my sister, my brother -in
-law, my niece. We had way too much food. I mean,
everything was really, really good, you know,
every time. Well, let's just try one more thing.
It gets very dangerous when you realize it's
been two hours and we're now at another restaurant.
What is happening here? Bavarian cream is actually
not a doughnut. It's actually an actual thing.
It's delicious. It's like a very light cheesecake.
On top of it is that we were seeing not just
sites for Lutheran sites. We saw the castle where
the 95 theses were posted. Had a chance to go
check out the monastery where Luther had studied.
Just amazing places for sure. You know that castle
that you see in Disney movies like Beauty and
the Beast and Sleeping Beauty and all that stuff?
Yeah, we saw that thing that it was based off
of. It was gorgeous, absolutely. It didn't have
a TV though, so I don't think I could stay there.
But one of the things that we were seeing though
is apparently I had to be reminded about my brother
-in -law because they brought along a Jenga game.
Apparently there's a board game now with Jenga.
And I realized that for the sake of a family
trip, We do not play board games on the family
trip. It is a very, he's very competitive. He's
very competitive. But as we were doing all these
things and I realized that I'm going to have
to lose yet another five pounds with the new
year, stupid new year. One of the things I loved
about this trip was the tours. I loved getting
a chance to hear from people who are from the
country what they knew about their history and
what they were sharing with us. There was one
that we had when we were in Berlin and they walked
us through all these different places. You see
where, you know, the wall and you see different
spots where like memorials and all and getting
a chance to understand not just the architecture
and the food but what it is that Germany has
had to deal with. What it is that Germany had
to face. What they had to confess. What went
wrong. And what to learn from in order to move
forward. And what struck me was how fitting it
is for the epiphany. Because epiphany is not
about light emerging out of darkness, as if the
darkness is somehow what produces light, but
rather epiphany is about light shining into darkness.
Light coming from the outside. And that distinction
matters more than we often realize. See, When
we look at what Isaiah the prophet is speaking
to us What we discover is that that's what he's
looking at at the time. We're looking at Isaiah
60 But when you look at 59 and 60 together they
come from a time after the exile The people had
been removed from their homes for 70 years, and
then they were finally able to come back to Judah
The people they had already been humbled by God
They had already lost their land, they'd lost
their city, they lost their temple. Repentance?
Oh, it has happened. They are very, very sorry
for what they have done. The confession, it has
been going on. They need to change. They know
that they were sinful and idolatrous. The old
illusion that they used to have, we're the people
of God. Nothing bad can happen to us. Well, that
is gone. They have clearly gotten past that.
But there's a new illusion that starts to sneak
in. You know how often times we're learning our
lesson from something, but we somehow manage
to replace it with what we're more comfortable
with? Well for them, it's the belief that now
if they just try hard enough, if they live well
enough, if they rebuild faithfully enough, if
they rebrand everything in a good Jewish fashion,
If they repent thoroughly enough, then they can
fix everything that's broken and everything they
wanted to be before. Well, now they can finally
be that nation. And Isaiah, he's not ignoring
the work that they're doing. I mean, he acknowledges
their efforts. He doesn't dismiss the repentance
that they have inside. They want to change. But
in chapter 59, It becomes painfully clear that
human effort, even as sincere as it is, it's
not enough. Justice, the way God defines it,
not our justice, God's justice, it's still absent.
Truth still stumbles in the face of what makes
us comfortable. The people, they're trying, but
something deeper is wrong. And Isaiah names it.
Redemption cannot be generated from ourselves.
Redemption, it cannot come from us. It never
can be. And even when I was hearing all the different
stories about Germany and how they tried to redeem
their own story after World War I and all the
issues, all the struggles, how can we take this
brokenness and make it better? Look at what happened.
World War Two. They tried to redeem themselves
in a way that they were comfortable with, their
own way, and they fell deeper into their self
-centeredness. And at the end of that chapter
though, something decisive happens. God looks
and sees that there is no one who can truly set
things right on his behalf. There is no human
reformer. There is no perfect leader. There is
no merely human solution in Isaiah that will
stand as the perfect beacon for righteousness.
So God acts. God puts on righteousness himself.
God becomes the Redeemer. There are arguments
about whether Isaiah was written all before the
exile and whether or not this part might have
been written later by somebody in Isaiah's name.
You know how sometimes you read something you
say there's no way they could have known what
was going to happen that far down the line. It
must have been somebody who had much more knowledge.
You know sometimes you're looking at things and
you're saying, oh well that's obviously going
to happen. You can predict the weather. You can
predict the economy. You can predict whether
or not the person you're with is going to know
what restaurant they want to eat at. I love my
sister and my brother -in -law, oh my word. But
you know, sometimes when God is revealing it
to us, the future is pretty clear no matter how
far off it is. And the message was obvious. Even
after repentance, Isaiah is still going to stumble.
There is no doubt. Even after returning home,
they are still going to need saving. Repentance
matters, okay? Wanting to change is important.
Change matters. Making steps. We're facing a
new year. There are many things that you are
resolved to do. Good. Try them. Do the best that
you can. Live into it. We need to be willing
to admit how we have stumbled in pursuing our
own selfishness instead of always just trying
to justify our actions. There was a reason oh,
but you don't know about this you don't understand
what was happening Y 'all we have to be willing
to change Repentance though does not replace
God's action and how much we need him Because
ultimately it is God's son for us and God's spirit
in us Who must do what human beings cannot do
on our own salvation is not something that we
somehow finish It is something that we need God
to accomplish in us that's the only reason that
hope is even real and Isaiah says arise shine
for your light has come Notice what it does not
say it does not say Arise and see, hey, look
at the light inside of you. It doesn't say, hey,
you know, kind of grit your teeth and concentrate
and create some light. And it does not say, prove
yourselves worthy. It says the light has come.
Arise, shine, it's a response to the light arriving
into our lives. Darkness still exists. It hasn't
vanished every time something good happens It
doesn't mean that there is now no more darkness
to be dealt with and we need to face the reality
that darkness It doesn't just Come to us Darkness
comes from us Not just them Whoever they might
be But God's presence it is now unmistakable
and that is what the nations must see They do
not come to Israel to see Israel. They come not
because Israel finally perfected itself. They
come because God is there. Witness flows from
God's action, not from our own self -improvement.
The more our actions are based on what seems
to make the most sense to us, like Germany invading
Belgium to get to France when it wasn't even
involved in the first place, the less our actions
are based on God's timing, God's mercy, God's
righteousness, doing things that are right in
His eyes and according to His plan instead of
ours. You see, people become a beacon not by
polishing themselves and making themselves in
their ways pretty. We become a beacon because
we are illuminated by God. A lighthouse with
just mirrors to reflect itself is useless. if
there is no light shining within it in the first
place. And you see that's where Germany quietly
stands as a parable. Germany was a Christian
nation long before the 20th century. Germany
was the birthplace of Lutheranism, one of the
main birthplaces of Protestantism. Martin Luther
fought to save German churches from the abuses
of the Catholic Church. But those a century later
who followed more after Luther the person and
the Pope as some sort of figurehead, rather than
Christ the Messiah, began a war that killed a
third of central Germany. Because of their power,
their economics, their personal rage after the
80 years war, the good Christians and Catholics
destroyed each other in the 30 years war. for
Jesus. And Germany today, they are honest about
the brokenness. After World War II, after the
Cold War, Germany could not redeem itself by
simply deciding to be better or justifying its
past actions. There was outside intervention.
There was accountability. There was confession.
There was some weird beeping sound on the side
of the sanctuary. You never know what's gonna
happen But you see there was There was the outside
way of coming in and holding them accountable
There was a confession a rebuilding and there
was repentance But as beautiful as Germany may
be No Christian nation will ever be a beacon
on a hill if it's more about being Christian
than it is about being like Christ Redemption
does not erase history, but it can transform
it into a new beginning. That's how God works.
Redemption does not pretend that the past did
not happen or try to rewrite it into something
better than it was. It creates a future that
learns from it, does better, not based on our
understanding or our efforts, but based on trusting
Christ. For each and every action we take, every
emotion, every motivation we need to be honest
about, every single moment is to stop saying,
what should I do as a good Christian, and instead
to say, what would Christ in me do? And that's
what brings us to the Magi. That's what brings
us to the wise men. Because the Magi, they could
have stayed home. They could have just said we
believe in the idea of a messiah. We know it's
there We know he's out there. We trust God from
a distance They knew they saw the star they they
could say hey look that must be where the king
of the Jews will be born That's really cool good
for them, man. It's good thing. We know about
this Wow, it's a great thing. You know what let's
go over here We're gonna watch from the comfort
of our living rooms. Oh look at the show there
Look at how the star is moving isn't that fascinating
Epiphany is not distant admiration They traveled
they risked they sought they pursued the Messiah
That they desired they did not come for an idea
that they had within themselves They came for
a person. They wanted God Himself. Don't we all?
An epiphany is a revelation of an idea. A theophany
is a revelation of God. The Magi wanted God Himself.
So in a sense, this is not a celebration of the
epiphany. It's a celebration of the theophany.
The light of the world. And light, real light,
it demands movement. And that's where this meets
us. We cannot fix ourselves by just deciding
things harder. I'm going to be a better person.
I'm going to fix these things. I've got it figured
out. We don't just need new ideas or better plans
or stronger resolution. We need God. Every moment
of every day. We are called to pursue new life,
but we're not called to pretend that we're the
ones creating it. Redemption comes from outside
of us, and it meets us personally. It changes
us. It restores us. It sends us forward. That
is what the nations are going to see. That is
what the nations will pursue. That is what will
change the camels of warfare into the camels
of righteousness and discipleship. That is what
the world needs. more than our strength or our
great ideas. That is what we need in this new
year. Are you ready to spend time in God's Word?
To worship together? To grow together? To serve
our community together? To give together? We've
been talking about this for a year now. What
are the things that we want for every member
of this community? But are you ready for Christ?
and for his church to be more than just a great
idea that you made sure that your kids learned
about and that your glad exists on the corner.
Are you ready to go beyond just trying to figure
things out in your own head, to solve your own
problems, to move beyond looking for your epiphanies
and instead pursue the epiphany? Because the
invitation of epiphany is not be better. The
invitation has come to Christ. As this New Year
begins, my question to you is straightforward.
Are you ready for this year to be about pursuing
Christ rather than just trying to remake yourselves?
Because your New Year's resolutions will mean
nothing without Him. And more than that, your
actions and your reactions will reflect more
of what is in this world than what is in God's
kingdom. if you don't. So please, the light is
already shining. The question is whether you're
willing to leave behind what you have had in
order to pursue Him Himself. Thanks be to God.