Epiphany 2 (A) The True Light

 Epiphany 2 (A) The True Light
January 15, 1984
By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell




Jesus Christ was born into a dark, destructive world. we celebrate His birth at the darkest time of the year. In John’s Gospel we read that Jesus was born into that darkness to be the true light to every man and woman. The light of Christ shines in the darkness of our trouble and fear. The way of a Christian is learning to trust that light, and to allow that light to be reflected in and through our own lives so that others will be led from darkness into the true light of Jesus Christ. 


True Light: A climate that inspires being and sharing God’s best in all of us.


The theme of the Epiphany season concentrates on how Jesus demonstrated His divine power, and on how we as His disciples can be His ambassadors in the special parts of the world in which we live and move and have our being. Because none of us in ourselves has any claim on divine wisdom or divine power it is imperative that we keep ourselves in communion with the one who does…. Jesus Christ. No one could claim to be an ambassador for his country, and at the same time maintain that he is not obligated to keep in close communication with the official home agents of the country he represents. As St. Paul puts it in today’s Epistle, “You wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are to wait for the revealing…. (for the guidance and direction) of our Lord Jesus Christ.”


We have learned that the Jews had a special understanding of what it meant to wait on the Lord. I think I would have made a good Jew because they tend to think in pictures. When a Hebrew used the word… wait – the picture that came to mind was of a path worn by constant use. It would be like the short-cut across the yard that finally shows as a path because of frequent travel. So, when we read in the Psalm, “I waited patiently upon the Lord” we are not to think of that waiting in a passive sense. The Psalmist was thinking of beating a path to the Lord with a frequency that would leave no question about which way he turned for help in the time of need. 


Example) In a rural area, it is easy to determine the town that people head for when they need supplies by checking the ruts at the end of the driveway. The ruts point to where they find what they need.


When we are waiting actively on the Lord, Paul writes that we will not be lacking in any spiritual gifts. 


Psalm 40: vs 1-4

  1. I waited patiently upon the Lord;

He stooped to me and heard my cry.

  1. He lifted me out of the desolate pit, out of the mire and clay;

he set my feet upon a high cliff and made my footing sure.

  1. He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God;

many shall see, and stand in awe,

and put their trust in the Lord.

  1. Happy are they who trust in the Lord!

they do not resort to evil spirits or turn to false gods. 


I believe the Gospel lesson describes in the most simplistic way how we may become evangelists for Jesus. Two disciples of John followed Jesus to His camp and stayed with Him. After waiting on the Lord, Andrew went and found his brother Peter and said, “We have found the Christ.” I have discovered that the more I expose myself to the Lord through study of His word, the more I am fed. The more I am fed, the more I find myself able to share the hope in God’s love. 


Over the years I have been privileged to know some Christian men and women whose relationship with the Lord was so well established that you have a sense of His presence when you are with them. There is a genuineness about them that invites trust. You can be wrong without fearing that they will use your weakness to gain some advantage. You think of their name when you are looking for support. We could well pray that our won spiritual journey would lead us in that direction.


We can be sure that the Saints with their halos have done a lot of waiting on the Lord. The artists are telling us symbolically that these men and women reflected a noticeable difference growing out of their steadfast relationship with Jesus. 


There is an important adjective that goes with active waiting…. the Psalmist writes, “I waited…. patiently upon the Lord.” In a society that has grown to demand high-speed efficiency and instant everything we are not terribly comfortable being patient. The old saying that best describes our conditioning is this; “I want patience, and I want it NOW!” Many of us suffer impatience because of an inflated ego. When someone is taking too long to transact their business in the bank or post office, or when someone ahead of you in the grocery check-out lane is arguing about a seven-cent sale coupon – you begin to think, “How could this be happening to me? I have important things to do – which makes me an important person.


Regrettably we learn to treat our relationship with God in the same way. We pray for something to happen in our lives, or in someone else’s life and when we don’t get over-night delivery, we get all stressed out. It is like praying for a turned on, spirit-filled church that has 600 different individual members. I don’t know how it makes God feel, but when someone says, “What’s wrong with our church!” when you are trying to do the best you can, I pick up the stress of that person’s impatience. The truth is that we would both like to see certain things improve, but it doesn’t always work out on our time schedule.


Example) The apple tree that took three-years to bear fruit.


The most important spiritual discipline is to stay rooted in the love and strength and patience of the Lord. When we are willing to wait on the Lord…. many shall see, and stand in awe….and then also put their trust in the Lord. 

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