My Epiphany Homily

So I can't preach in my church (being a woman and all)
But if  I could here is a messy draft of what I would say on this feast of epiphany.

The readings today are joyous.
The first reading is all about gathering all God's people together to celebrate.
The people of God, gather from all parts of the world.

Then we hear the gospel.
A Jewish king, one of Jesus' own people,
is defensive, angry and out to get this newborn king.

And then the Magi, from different places, different cultures listen to signs from nature.
The stars, their dreams- they are following a different path.
And this path leads them to honor and rever this Christ child.

As our reading from Ephisans said, "What was not known in other generations has been made known."

It seems though this Gospel is setting up a new way of knowing.
The religous leader, Herod in this setting, is not a "good guy"
From the very beginnig of Jesus' life we have a theme. 
"The people who are 'supposed to get it' don't.
And the people who aren't supposed to get it do."

This theme recurrs again and again and again in the gospel.
All the way until pentacost.
Women, religious outsiders, sinners, those with broken bodies, broken hearts, broken religious laws are the ones who "get it"

So who are these magi?
From another land, from another religion, from another culture, from another worldview.

So let me ask you a question,
Who are the people whose religious lives you admire?
Think for a minute.

And whose lives seems to be in shambles? Who seem the furthest from God?  Who are the people in live who need to get it together?

Think for a minute.

I argue, and i argue as a person with some religious authority that the latter group, the group whose lives are a hot mess, know something more about God than those who have your religious admiration.

THat latter group, the people who are a mess, are the ones that God constantly says, "These are my people..."

So how do we make them our people?
Well, for starters, we have to be genuinly curious about their experience.
Then we have to shut up an listen.
And we have to trust God.

and let our hearts swell open.

And in our curiosity, and listening, and trusting we will find that deep inside of us, our lives are also in shambles.  We have to connect ourselves to our shambly selves.  Connect to the parts of us that are wandering following the small light. 

We have to let ourselves listen to the uncertainty, listen to the poverty, listen to the shambly, and the vulnerable.
Let ourselves wander with curiousity into others lives. 
Into the mangers,
Into the vulnerable families.
Into the dangerous unknown.