Colour Supplement

Articles by Christians around the world

Sunday 6 January 2008

Precious gifts

a sermon preached at Epiphany - Sunday 6 January 2008

by Jeremy Harvey - Reader at St. Andrew's Church

Light plays a central part in the Christmas and Epiphany stories. And more and more I realise that light is a precious gift, especially at this time of year when the light arrives late and departs early.

It seems that God thought so too. For light features very early in the story of creation. In the beginning God created the heavens and earth; an earth that was formless, empty and dark. And God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1.3-4) Light arrives first! Before any other form or thing on our planet.

Light is different to and separate from the dark. The time of light is called day, the time of dark night. And life takes place both in the day and the night.

The coming of light brings many benefits. The chief being that we can see and do more – unless we suffer from blindness.  

But light does not consist of one texture or strength. It varies according to the season and how it reaches us. Light ranges from the very bright to the soft and fragile

I learnt about this from my artist friend Tom, who one day invited me into his kitchen and extolled the virtues of their north-facing window, at the side near their dresser. It wasn’t their main kitchen window but its appeal was that it provided a soft and subtle light. Such a light is suitable for painting and is beloved of artists. That conversation got me looking at the light from that window but also at the way the light comes and moves round my house, and elsewhere.

In contrast the dark is the time when there is a lack of natural light. It can be mystifying and lead to uncertainty - and even surprises.

Over the New Year our daughter and son-in-law were staying. Baby Louie – eight months old – had his cot in their bedroom. After seeing the New Year in Jo and David were going to bed in the dark as quietly as they could. They knew that putting the light on would wake Louie. All went well, and they were in bed and settling down, when Jo heard a strange noise. What’s that? she asked. For a moment David was also puzzled. Then he laughed. ‘It’s Louie clapping!’

We laughed at breakfast when they told us. Was Louie clapping in the New Year? Was he applauding his parents for creeping about so quietly? Was he just awake and happy?

The story set me thinking. Did baby Jesus clap when the wise men came to see him?

I can imagine God clapping when he saw how good the light was that he had just created. Both delight and radiant light shine through that account of the first day of the world’s creation.

And what did finding Jesus mean to the wise men? They must have sensed that their hard journey had been worthwhile; that it was right to follow the star and also to bring precious gifts with them.

How do they respond to Jesus? On arrival they kneel down and worship him, as our crib scene shows; and then they give him their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Some people see these three precious things as symbolic, as representing three essential elements of our human nature.

The gift of gold signifies matter, the material things of our world, our body and blood. The wise men were wishing Jesus would be in touch with his body. They were commending the material things of life to him.

Incense here stands for the feeling side of life, our emotional nature, our desires, instincts and aspirations. The giver wishes Jesus an integrated and mature emotional life.

The third gift – myrrh – stands for the mind, our mental capacity, and especially our capacity to accept suffering, in particular undeserved suffering. The hope here was that Jesus’ suffering would be transformed into something rich and ennobling (he was after all hailed as a king); that through all he was to experience he would find an integration of body, mind and soul.

Arise, shine, for your light has come. Isaiah’s call is true for us today. Coming to this Epiphany light, coming to worship the Christ child, invites us to learn that the three precious gifts were not just for Jesus. They are God’s three wishes for us also.