“This is good. That is bad.” We often think life is that simple. We believe we can assess a situation accurately and determine if it is positive or negative. It’s hubris. As Jesus gathered followers, he taught them that his kingdom runs exactly opposite to the principles and priorities of the world. Therefore, much that we think is good is bad, and vice-versa.

If we want to accurately see the world, we need to have this epiphany. That which the world considers a blessing can often be a curse. Things like success and wealth and health can lead us away from our God. We become so enamored with those blessings that we forget about the Blesser. Conversely, there are hidden blessings in what we would normally consider curses. When we fail, when we suffer, and when things don’t go our way, it forces us to put our trust in God and for our souls to be satisfied in him. The reality is that perceived blessings can be cursed and perceived curses can be used for our blessing.

Imagine you need heart bypass surgery. When meeting with the surgeon, you ask, “How many of these have you done?” He responds, “You get the honor of being my very first patient!” You probably feel more anxious than honored. With important jobs, we understand it is crucial that the person doing that job is well-qualified.

There is no more important job than sharing the good news of salvation with others. So, you would expect Jesus would only give that job to those most qualified, like the angels. Nope. The least qualified are the first sent. In love, Jesus prepares and equips us to speak on his behalf. How? He draws unworthy sinners into his presence to provide us with the free gift of holiness that we lack. Once cleansed, we jump at the opportunity to be the ones through whom God does the same for others. Here is this week’s epiphany moment. Let this be a crucial epiphany moment! You might think you are unqualified to share the gospel with those Christ brings into your sphere of influence. But the least qualified are the first sent.

In 2009, Facebook added the “like” button. That same year, Twitter added the “retweet” feature. Interestingly, reported cases of depression began to rise sharply in 2010. It is easy to think that the more people like us, the more successful our lives must be. Likewise, it is easy to believe the more people like a church, the more successful that church is. So here is an important epiphany for both individuals and churches. Popularity is not proof of success.

Though there will be times when Christ’s gospel and those who proclaim it are popular, that popularity is never the goal. Nor does that popularity define success. If a church makes its central focus things like personal improvement, healing for the sick, or social justice, that church may draw a crowd. It just fails to carry out the true agenda Christ has given his Church. The gospel of forgiveness is to be the center of all our preaching and teaching. The agenda for Christ’s Church is set. It’s the same agenda that was followed by the Church’s Christ.

When you are trying to share some important information with someone, but they refuse to listen or perhaps totally reject what you are saying, it feels like you have failed. This is especially true when someone rejects the gospel! We proclaim the good news because we want others to know the love of Christ. When people are disinterested in God’s Word, we feel like we’ve failed.

So, here is this week’s epiphany. Rejection is not proof of failure. Precisely because the gospel is divine revelation, it is guaranteed to be rejected by many. God’s Word offends like an unwelcome diagnosis from the doctor. When someone rejects God’s Word (including us), that rejection is proof that God’s Word powerfully cuts straight to the heart of mankind’s biggest problem—sin. Yet, what causes Jesus’ words to hurt is what gives them power to heal. That reality encourages us to receive God’s Word with joy and to proclaim it boldly to others.

It is easy for us to assume that if God says “no” to a request, we are getting less than we wanted. We need to have an epiphany moment, seeing the reality—that God always wants more for us than we want from him. Saying “yes” to all our requests would often result in us receiving less joy, less blessing, a lesser life. So, when God says “no” to our request, we can be assured it is because he wants to give us more. Far more than existing as a “help desk” or 911 dispatch, God’s love for us is like that of a groom for his bride. His love for us exceeds all expectation and understanding. In that love, God always delivers more than we ask, not less.

“Who is Jesus?” For the longest time, people thought the answer to that question was, “Mary and Joseph’s son” or “a carpenter from Nazareth.” While true enough, those answers do not adequately describe Jesus. But when Jesus was baptized, God the Father spoke, declaring Jesus true identity. Jesus was the dearly loved Son of God, chosen to be the Savior of the world.

“Who are you?” someone asks. Perhaps you would answer by providing your name. Maybe you would add additional information—where you are from or what you do for a living. Perhaps, in some dark corner of your mind, you would answer negatively. “I’m no one.”

We need to understand that none of those things really describes who we are. To answer that question—Who are you?—we must look to our baptism. Baptism is the cure for an identity crisis. There, just like he did with Jesus, our Father declares us to be his dearly loved child. Moreover, in baptism God anointed us with power for a life of selfless service. May God grant us this epiphany moment!

On Christmas Eve the angel told the shepherds, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10). One wonders if those words struck those Jewish shepherds as odd. For centuries, God had given special attention to one nation—Israel. There were Jewish religious leaders who taught that only members of that special people would be saved. Not according to the Christmas angel! The birth of the Savior was good news for all people.

Today we celebrate the Festival of the Epiphany. Epiphany comes from a Greek word meaning “reveal.” When the Savior was born, he was first revealed to Israelites: the shepherds, Simeon, Anna. But today, we see the Lord miraculously guides foreigners across countless miles so the Savior could be revealed to them as well. How did the magi respond? “They were overjoyed” (Matthew 2:10). The Festival of Epiphany is sometimes known as “The Gentiles’ Christmas.” We Gentiles (non-Jews) rejoice in the good news that this Jewish baby is not just a gift for the Jews. He is a gift for all people—the Savior of the world.

On this Eve of a New Year, we are gathered together to meditate on the goodness of our God during the past year and to pray for his grace for the future. As most years of our lives, this past one has likely been a year of joys and a year of sadness. There have been days when all has worked out well and days when it seems nothing could go right. We have laughed at times, cried at times, contemplated at times, and sometimes just sat back in wonder at life. Such is life in this imperfect world.

Yet in the midst of uncertainty we have turned again and again to the Lord our God who does not change. His Word has been our fortress and our Rock of refuge in all times. So as we approach the New Year tonight, we turn again to that Word – to its revelation and its promises. It helps us to know God better. It will direct our prayers. It will fill us with hope. It will remind us of the forgiveness which we have in Jesus for our failures. May the Lord bless our meditation and grant us a blessed New Year – connected with Jesus Christ, our Savior.

The Son of God took on flesh for two reasons: to be our substitute and our sacrifice. You see, when God created mankind in his image, his desire was that we would live holy lives, full of love for him and our fellow man. When mankind fell into sin, that became impossible. So, the heavenly Father sent Jesus. He is the only human being to keep all of God’s law perfectly. He did that as our substitute. Through faith, we claim his perfection as our own. But we needed another gift—one who could pay for the sin we had committed. And so, the Son of God became human for another reason—so that he might die as the sacrifice for our sins, removing that barrier between us and a holy God.
Understanding we needed both—substitute and sacrifice—helps us better understand Jesus’ saving work. That work includes more than Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus saving work began the moment he was born under the law and obeyed it. This week, we thank God that Jesus served us in both these much-needed ways!