Sermon-for-Epiphany - Condit Presbyterian Church

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Sermon for Epiphany

January 7, 2007

Scriptures: Isaiah 60:1-6

Matthew 2:1-12

“A Camel on the Roof”

Christians have long turned to writings about the lives of saints for inspiration and instruction. So here is a story from a collection of the lives of the saints – in this instance, saints of Islam.

The story is about a king of Balkh (now northern Afghanistan) named Ebrahim ibn Adam. Ebrahim was wealthy according to every earthly measure. At the same time, however, he sincerely and restlessly strove to be wealthy in a spiritual sense as well.

One night the king was roused from sleep by a fearful stomping on the roof above his bed. Alarmed, he shouted: “Who’s there?” “A friend,” came the reply from the roof. “I’ve lost my camel.”

Perturbed by such stupidity, Ebrahim screamed: “You fool! Are

2 you looking for a camel on the roof?” “You fool!” the voice from the roof answered. “Are you looking for God in silk clothing, and lying on a golden bed?” The story goes on to tell how these simple words filled the king with such terror that he rose from his sleep to become a most remarkable saint.

The Epiphany message from Isaiah is: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Awaken from your sleep; greet the new thing God is doing.

The camel on the roof raises the question, “Where are we looking for God?” The Magi went to the wrong place looking for the promised one. They went to Jerusalem, the seat of political and religious power. It was a most reasonable thing to do. Where else would they expect the Messiah to be found? Jerusalem made sense, it felt right, but it was not where God sought to lead them.

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We too often look for God in the wrong places, and neglect to look where scripture consistently teaches that God is. Like the Magi we are taken in by the appearance of power and position to assume that God is to be found in such places. God will surely be found in places similar to where we look for earthly significance. The king in the story knew what was valuable about being king. He was enjoying the perks of silk and gold, but they were not where God was to be found.

Like the Magi we overlook the poverty and plainness of

Bethlehem, the smallness, and commonness that signal for us that little of significance can be found there. Yet scripture tells us God comes to us in a humble stable, comes to us as a homeless peasant, comes to us in one condemned and executed by the power brokers of this world. This is a message most out of step with the wisdom of any age.

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Mark Trotter, a Methodist minister, tells the story of a college professor in San Diego, where Trotter pastored for a time. This professor taught freshman English. To the entering class he assigned a 500-word paper on the topic: “Why are you attending college?” He encouraged them to be candid and straightforward, but the results were nevertheless unexpected.

Paper after paper seemed to have been written by a machine: college was a means to an end of success, status, prosperity and security. Only two papers stood out, dramatically different in spirit and content from the others. These papers talked about college enabling the writers to do something with their lives that would be good for the world, that would better the planet, and that would serve others better.

At first the professor was encouraged that at least two students seemed to have lofty goals for their lives. But then he became mightily disturbed. Both students who authored these papers were

5 not from the US. The students who sought service over status, success, and security were from Angola and Lebanon.

Who of us would think to look in places like Lebanon or Angola for wisdom about how to live, yet the responses of those two students were much more in harmony with the scriptural depiction of kingdom living and lifestyle. Maybe what passes for wisdom in our culture, in our way of understanding the world, is really looking for a camel on the roof, or seeking God in silk clothing lying on a golden bed. Where do we look for God? How do we look for God? What stands in the way of our looking where God is to be found?

I believe this is a very important year for Condit Presbyterian

Church. More and more of us are starting to recognize that business as usual will no longer serve us well. If we are going to once again have a sense of real life and purpose at Condit, we will have to have a renewal of vision and practice. We will have to recognize either where we are looking for a camel on the roof –

6 valiantly attempting to do what may have little hope of success, or in a way that has little hope of success, or looking for God in silk clothing and lying on a golden bed – doing what is comfortable and makes us feel good. Neither offers us much hope of discovering God’s call and faithfully serving where God wants us to serve.

We have finished another year in relatively good financial condition. When I came to be your pastor, there was much angst about money. We were overspending, and funds were dwindling.

There was a great deal of concern about making ends meet. That is no longer the case. While we have not piled up a great heap of savings, we are easily paying the bills each month and maintaining healthy balances in both check book and savings. Financially we are in quite good shape. There is a freedom in that of which we should take full advantage. This should be a year for boldness; a year for discovering that we can afford to hear God’s call and

7 respond with faithfulness. We can arise and shine, we can find and follow the light of God for our path.

We have much opportunity, and God is faithful. The light is there if we will arise and be willing to shine.

We have opportunity to love our neighbor. We have opportunity to love our neighbors enough to invite them to church with us. We have opportunity to love our neighbor enough to volunteer at Big

Walnut Friends who share. We have opportunity to love our neighbor by offering a ride to one of our older members, to visit in the nursing home, to send a card, or make a phone call. We have opportunity today. Arise, shine!

We have opportunity to nurture our children and youth. We have opportunity to encourage them to use their talents, and to share their ideas. We have opportunity to encourage them to grow strong

8 in their faith, and to take their faith seriously. We have opportunity today. Arise, shine!

We have opportunity to get involved in the decision making and ministry of this congregation. There is not a committee of Session that could not use more talent, more creativity, more committed, serving members. Everywhere you look around today, there is opportunity for service; there is opportunity to open yourself to greater engagement with the Kingdom of God, in the places where that kingdom is to be found.

The Magi point us to where the world’s best hope, the world’s only salvation comes: bowing before the Christ who is found and served in out of the way places. A lowly stable, a scurrying populace, unaware of God’s great presence, describes the place of God’s coming then and now. It is to such places and in such places where we must look for God’s presence, where we must find our

9 calling to arise, shine with the light that has come to us. Where will we look for God this year?

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