An Epiphany Message from Bishop Mande Muyombo

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Brothers and Sisters,

As I begin this reflection on Epiphany, the manifestation of Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, Son of God, and Savior of the world, I invite you to keep in your thoughts and prayers our Roman Catholic siblings who have just lost Pope Benedict XVI, a great theologian.

The choice of the Matthew 2:1-12 biblical text for today shouldn’t be a surprise, as the book’s author asserts the messianic role of Jesus Christ to the Hebrews right from the beginning, and Matthew’s account stresses the importance of the magi paying homage to Jesus Christ.

An epiphany—lowercase “e”—is when something is shown, displayed or manifested to an audience. In the western church, the visit of the magi appears to have been associated with its Epiphany celebrations from the beginning.[1] The first Epiphany festivals focused on the revelation of God in Jesus, originally including the celebration of the birth of Jesus, before the Christmas festival was instituted.

While the great feast of Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the wise men or magi who also represent neighboring pagan religions, it is important to look at some historical considerations. Pope Benedict XVI observes the following: “It is hard to say how far back the beginnings of the Christmas feast go. It assumed its definitive form in the third century. At about the same time the feast of Epiphany emerged in the East on January 6 and the feast of Christmas in the west on December 25.”[2] The two feasts had different emphases because of the different religious and cultural contexts in which they arose, but essentially their meaning was the same: The celebration of the birth of Christ as the dawning of the new light, the true sun of history.[3]

The concept of the new light establishes a solid nexus with the prophecies of Isaiah 60:1-16, where a magnificent vision of Zion’s future full of light, prosperity, and prestige is presented. In these utterances there seem to be a clear shift from the wreckage of war-violence and scars of empire to reconstruction, peace, and international traffic. The coming of Christ as the Messiah and light of the world offers an opportunity to humanity to shift from the powers of darkness and oppression to light and liberation. In this regard, Martin Luther observes the following:

The freedom of a Christian, although certainly not dealing with the kind of political power imagined in Isaiah 60, there is deep wisdom in his claim that all the riches of heaven are given to us in Christ, not in order that one might subject others, but rather that the Christian might empty himself, take on the form of a servant and in every way deal with his neighbor as he sees that God through Christ has dealt and still deal with him.[4]

United Methodist Brothers and Sisters, after reflecting on the meaning of Epiphany, I would like to invite you to embrace Jesus the Christ, the light and the one who is able to keep us from falling during our darkest moments. While the context of our church has been characterized by major disagreements on moral issues that led to several disaffiliations, let us celebrate our epiphany as a moment of restoration. Let us empty ourselves and take the form of a servant by embracing our neighbors whomever they are. Let us contemplate our neighbors though the love of Christ. The riches of heaven are given to us so that we can share them by investing through mission by serving the most marginalized individuals in our respective communities.

Your Connectional Table is a framework that you have built in order to identify the missional priorities upon which you would invite Christ our light to journey with you in your commitment. The forces of darkness of wars and violence are still displacing humanity, including women and children, especially in countries such as Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Furthermore, the wondering of migrants around the globe, especially in the southern border of the US are evidence of how forces of darkness are still operating in the world and not allowing ordinary families to find a place to settle peacefully. During this very cold winter in the US and Europe, homeless people who are also our neighbors are caught in darkness looking for a light to shine, that light is Christ our Epiphany. The forces of darkness are also letting people, especially students, become victims of gun violence in our respective communities. What about those individuals who are incarcerated and still looking for justice? Christ our light is the only one who can provide justice and liberate them from prisons.

Late 18th century England was also a period of upheaval. The British slave trade was a lucrative business, and it destroyed not only the lives of those sold into slavery, but also the souls of those who bought and sold human beings. When faced with the forces of darkness in England, John Wesley urged his followers to “flee from the wrath to come.” William Wilberforce, a contemporary of the Wesley brothers (1759-1833) finally overthrew the British slave trade. Wesley encouraged him to continue until even the American slave trade was vanquished. The periods of upheaval in Europe due to wars, the so called “French and Indian War” in the colonies (meaning on our shores), brought great suffering. The wars were driven by the need for power and wealth. The result was death.[5]

On this Epiphany, Christ our light must liberate us from the forces of racism and colonialism so that we can advance God’s kingdom.

[1] Hans Forster, Epiphany(v), Religion Past Present (ed. HD. Betz et al; 13 Volumes. Leiden: Brill 2008, 4. 5046

[2] Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, The Spirit of the Liturgy, Kindle Edition, 200.

[3] Ibid

[4] Martin Luther, Martin Luther. Selections from His Writing (ed. John Dillen Berger; Garden City: Doubleday, 1961). 75.

[5] Reflections on Epiphany, Anthony, and Wesley - United Methodist Insight (um-insight.net)

Bishop Mande Muyombo serves as resident bishop of the North Katanga Conference in the Congo Central Conference of The United Methodist Church. This post is republished from a Connectional Table newsletter.