A Reading from The Gospel of Luke.

Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”–not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.  (Luke 9:28-36

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Epiphany seems to me to have gone too fast. But this is still Epiphany, you know, where we earlier had the story of the Three Wise men. But there has been another slightly different Wise Men Story, in a movie called, The Life of Brian? 

I seem to remember it began with the Wise Men arriving at the stable.  They enter and are greeted by a very rude, coarse, woman.  She tells the visitors that the baby is named Brian, and she takes the gifts, but is not impressed with all of them.

So as they leave, she bellows, ‘Next time, don’t bother with the Myrrh”

As they step into the street, they see another stable, just down the road.

There is a heavenly light around that stable, and there are shepherds looking in at the child. 

They recognise that this is the child they have come to see, go back inside, retrieve the gifts, and head for the real Messiah.

I guess the point of the story is that kings will bow down before Jesus, echoing the prophecy of Isaiah, and Matthew also wants us to know that Jesus came for us Gentiles – the three Wise Men are Gentiles, of course –

And their homage also echoes Isaiah’s words, ‘Nations and kings will come to  the light of your dawning day.”

And the homage paid by the Magi validates the kingship of Jesus the babe.

Over the last few years, Queen Elizabeth was showing her age, after all the stresses that she has had to endure, but I remember watching on a fourteen inch black and white television, a slightly built, beautiful young woman, and the Archbishop of Canterbury placing the crown on her head.

That was at the coronation, the crowning, but she was already queen.

Didn’t they used to shout, when a monarch died,” The king is dead; long live the king.”? Or in Elizabeth’s  case, ‘Long live the Queen.’

The heir automatically becomes the monarch  when the monarch dies.

The wise men weren’t needed to say who Jesus was,  although Matthew

uses the story for that reason: he already was king.

They merely recognised him.

But  the real story of Jesus’ life is about not being recognised isn’t it?    

The disciples couldn’t see the kingship of Jesus, even though they lived with him daily for three years. 

Some people saw him as a troublemaker; others as a potential military  leader; others again, saw Him as a teacher, a holy man, a prophet. 

Perhaps just a couple of the religious leaders  secretly recognised him for who he was.  They knew but condemned him nevertheless. That is the unforgivable sin, isn’t it?  We can be forgiven for not knowing  – for being blind –  but it is  a certain unforgivable kind of evil, which recognises and still tries to destroy pure love.

But most of us, I think, go through life, like Mr. Magoo, bumping into Jesus without knowing him, sadly.

There is the story of the young woman who had the reputation of always depending on the wrong man, and who had never given a thought  to God, and once more deserted, and penniless, and not knowing which way to turn, found herself in a small village church.

Where she found God.

She didn’t know how she got there. She only knew the peace and strength that came when once she recognised Jesus. 

He had always been there, but that day she saw Him for the first time.

And her life was changed.

And now that she had learned to recognise him, she found Christ everywhere. 

There is a story of a strong, abrasive man (argue too strongly with him and he would knock you down) who ridiculed  those men who went to church.

He went through his life meeting every challenge head on and fists up  He thought he could handle anything and anyone. He had no need of God.  But at death’s door, when he was staring into the abyss, he cried out like a child, ” I’m frightened! Jesus save me! ” 

Jesus had always been there. He just hadn’t seen him. Didn’t want to!

Someone came and prayed with him and Jesus took him by the hand and led him home, and he found peace at last. 

There are those who just don’t know about Jesus, and there are those who deny his very existence.

I did a funeral once for a man who had been stricken with a terrible disease, He had cried out, “I don’t believe in God. Look what he has done to me.” and died proclaiming there was no God.

But if he had been able to look, he would have seen Christ in those who had cared for him; in those who had been present with him through his last few weeks of life and in those who promised to care for his orphaned children.

Maybe God didn’t give him what he wanted when he wanted it, but God was there, doing what God does-  working through His people.   

Sometimes we can’t see Him for looking. 

Like the farmer’s son who was sent out to find kindling. He came back empty-handed. “There is no wood, father,” he said.  His father took him outside and pointed at the forest almost on their door-step.

Sometimes the trees get in the way of the wood, don’t they?  

We can find Jesus in the Eucharist. We can find Jesus in our prayers. We can find Jesus in the Holy Gospels. 

Yes.

But look around at each other, and you will also see him.

You will find him in the person who leans over and welcomes you the first time you come to church.  You will find him in the face of a child playing on a pew.

You will find him in the helping hand that comes from that person across the aisle. When you need her.

That’s one good thing to come out of ‘passing the peace.’  Before it was introduced, it was possible to come to church each Sunday and never even know the person in the opposite pew.

Peace is what church is about, isn’t it?

It’s where we can show we have forgotten old arguments; it’s where we can see each other up close; it’s where we can find that as we hope Christ lives in us, he also lives in them. 

The Three Wise Men came, acknowledged the child, and left.   We are invited right in. We don’t have to leave. We belong!

We share in singing His praises, we share in his kingdom, and we share a meal with him,

You know, the Eucharist is a holy and solemn event.  It’s where we touch Christ. It’s very moving.

But on another level, it is simply eating and drinking with Him, and with each other.

We can find Christ there, at the communion rail, but also in each other.

In `each other’ is a bit hard to take sometimes.   We can touch Christ in the Eucharist, but in old Mr. Grumpy?  And that stuck-up looking lady with the hat? And the surly man in the black overalls who comes to check the furnace?  

Come on!

How do I find God in them?

But if He is in imperfect me, then why not in them?

When I kneel at the communion rail and receive the wafer, and ask that God  live in me, I must also expect Him to live in the persons kneeling near me.

And I should look for him in them.

“Dear Jesus, help me find you in them.”

You may know some people in whom it is hard to see Christ.

You might say it’s easier to see the devil in them. Some of them!

But if we keep looking for the  devil in them, that’s who we will find. 

You know, the Nazis made Jews in the prison camps dress in ridiculous -looking clothes, and shaved their heads, to make them look less like a neighbour, less human, so it would be easier to persecute  them.

As Christians, we are asked to do the opposite.  We are asked to look beyond the outer shell, beyond the nose rings, and weird hair, and jeans with the crotch down around the knees, and beyond the short temper, and irritating ways, and to find Jesus.

I am glad to say that in my many years of ministry I have noticed that’s what many Christians  do – look for Christ in the other person.

And may see him there.

But we don’t always recognise Christ in ourselves.

We are not perfect. We don’t always say the right thing or  do the right thing.

Because we are not perfect!.

Right!

Amen.