Sermon 204A

Sermon 204

Sermon on the Epiphany

"The star like the language of the heavens."

The heavens declare the glory of God, the star led the magi to Christ to be worshipped. These magi were the first fruits of the Gentiles. They exhort you to do what they did. Today Christ received gifts, put your hands into your bags, bring forth from them what is pleasing to Christ. For he wished to be in need in his poor, and there was no place for him in the inn, for whom the whole world is not sufficient, and he was placed, as you know, in a manger. He was sought to be worshipped, he lay concealed when revealed. The Jews are asked where Christ is born, they say: in Bethlehem. They show the way to go but do not go. Milestones indicate the road, they are fixed in place. A star appears as if the language of the heavens, it guides the magi, it shows the place. Childhood is not despised, the small one is adored, because he is understood to be great. The Word of God received gifts, still as an infant he was silent and yet was in the teaching of angels. Still he was silent about what was to be fulfilled in the Gospel.

"Our childhood in Christ is eloquence."

For the heavens were also to declare His glory afterward; the heavens are the apostles, shining with miracles, thundering with precepts. For it is said of them: Their sound went out into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. How could the words that reached to the ends of the earth remain hidden from us? They came to us, found us, and changed us. The weakness of Christ is our strength, the infancy of Christ is our eloquence, the necessity of Christ is our abundance, because even afterward the death of Christ became our life. The bread from heaven lay in a manger. If you, the Lord's cattle, are hungry, come and carry Him in your hearts and you are His cattle. He is your rider, He is your fodder. You know that He sat on a donkey and led that donkey into Jerusalem. Carry Him; He knows where to lead you. Walk securely, you will not be in error under such a great rider; it is the way that leads to the heavenly Jerusalem. It is faith; walk in it, so that you may carry Christ and reach eternal blessedness.