“Heralding the Epiphany of Peace”
A Biblico-Theological Reflection
The Wednesday Forum
January 11, 2024
The College of Maasin, Maasin City
Southern Leyte
Scripture Texts:
Isaiah 60:1-9
60Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. 5Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. 7All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall be acceptable on my altar, and I will glorify my glorious house. 8Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?
9For the coastlands shall wait for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from far away, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the Lord your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you.
Matthew 2:1-12
2In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” 7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”
9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
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Biblico-Theological Reflection
by Rev. Francisco J. Hernando, Ed.D.
I. Introduction
I am grateful for this opportunity to be invited to give the Biblico-Theological Reflection for this first session of The Wednesday Forum for 2024, here at the College of Maasin. The rotation of hosting of the TWF in the 7 UCCP Jurisdictional Areas might be challenging to Coordinating Committee but opens the door to broader audience reach both in-person aside and online.
I know that this is now the second time the TWF is hosted here in the College of Maasin with the support of office of President Joshue Zuriel Tiempo and his staff. Also giving their valuable support are the UCCP East Visayas Jurisdictional Area Cabinet with the leadership of Bishop Jerby Salor and the Rev. Lotis Calba-Fiel, Conference Minister of the Southern Western Leyte Conference (SWLC), Rev. Daniel Abogado, UCCP Maasin City and all the Church Workers and their respective local churches of the SWLC. Maraming salamat po sa invitation which was communicated to me by Rev. Callum Tabada, Executive Director of TWF and for the hospitality of the sponsoring institutions and organizations.
II. The epiphany of God and the contending epiphanies
a) Epiphany or God’s self-revelation to humankind has been marked in the Christian Calendar on the 6th of January. Epiphany is the season of revealing, God communicating and reaching out to humankind and in turn humankind awakening and responding to God’s initiative. Epiphany leads us beyond the boundaries of religion, race, and revelation. Non-Christians, Christians, even non-believers such as agnostics and atheists encounter God and awaken to divine revelation. In Christ, there is neither male or female, Jew or Greek, Christian or non-Christian, or faithful or unfaithful. The wisdom of God comes to us in its rich variety, but oftentimes ignored by pessimistic people.
b) God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ was made known to the wisemen or magi from the East, who followed the bright shining star. They were believed to have come from Persia or the modern day Iran and Iraq wherein Zoroastrianism was the widespread religion prior to the first century BCE. As scientifically informed persons, we understand the movements of the stars – astronomically or astrologically – that there is congruence, the scripture suggests, between heaven and earth, between the natural and human worlds. God’s word and wisdom – Logos and Sophia – are the creative principles of all things, guiding the stars and our being to wholeness. We live in a revelatory universe, where the stars above and the spirit within witness to God’s loving providence.
c) Epiphany in the ancient biblical context during the post-exilic period, articulated by Trito-Isaiah was focused on the rebuilding and restoration of the past glorious Davidic monarchy, God’s people resilient hope was well articulated and undergirded people’s perceptions despite the lack of financial and material resources to reconstruct the temple and other infrastructure program. They have to contend with overcoming the “sin” of the people—disunity, defying the leadership of prophets and designated governors. The covenant relationship of God’s people and Yahweh no longer hold water, or lost its plausibility or value, that resulted in debilitating lethargy and hopelessness.
d) The prophet announced God’s intention for restoration of God’s people in the 4th century BCE which provides a positive imaging of the “new Jerusalem” emphasizing the dawning of light and the resulting progress the people will attain. What is interesting in the prophecy was the contribution of surrounding nations to the restoration of God’s people. That means God’s people may not have adequate financial and material resources of their own to carry out the restorative works but have the determination to rise above their limitations and underestimation of God to support them in their work for restoration as God’s faithful people that institutes love, justice and peace.
e) The returned exiles from Babylon faced severe problems. Part of the reason was that the people had allowed sin—that of violations on the provisions of the covenant relations with God to pervert their mission as God’s people. The pericope mentions that the prophet renews the promises of a new day for the community of faith. He assures the people that God has not forgotten them and that their mission as a light to the world has not changed. The new events transpiring in their midst mark the beginning of God’s new day for His people.
f) The dawning of a new day with God Godself is the sun, dispels the fears and gloominess of the night. God’s presence is the light that illuminates a new future for God’s people. The contrast of light and darkness is a common metaphor throughout the book of Isaiah. The text further states, “For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn (v.2-3). God’s glory is a way of portraying the active presence of God among the people and in human affairs.
g) The imagery…”will come to your light,” and “kings to the brightness of your dawn” must be kept in mind, that the people have no light of their own. God is the light who rises like the sun over them. Their light is the reflected light of God’s presence. The people of God are to reflect the light of God’s presence to the surrounding nations. This light will bring the world justice, peace and deliverance from oppression. “Nations will come to your light,” would mark the achievement of their mission as the people of God. The succeeding verses (4-14) continue to depict the elevated status of restored Jerusalem, where the exaggerated descriptions and some details may depict the new prestige of Jerusalem under the favor of the Persian kings. [1]
III. The epiphany of God in Jesus Christ
a) The epiphany of God in Jesus Christ and the epiphany of universal peace was made known through the visit of the magi from the East. Matthew narrates the epiphany or God’s extraordinary revelation of the birth of the messiah through the appearance of unusual bright shining star, that became the guiding star of the magi in finding the place where the messiah was born
b) The birth of the messiah was hidden from the sight and consciousness of Herod, because tyrants like him don’t look up in to the sky, at least to see the wonderful “falling stars” or perhaps in modern times get UFO sightings. The powers-that-be often depended on their “think-tank” or battery of consultants to advise them the best options or decisions to make in ensuring their hold to power and increase their wealth and influence. But wise men/women may spend time looking up the sky for forecasting rain or other signals of weather conditions for the day, but are attuned to the work of God with the people for justice and sustainable peace.
c) On the Feast of Epiphany, we recall the coming of the magi (Matthew 2:1-12) who sets our Epiphany journey in motion. Traveling from a far off land, Persia, and a different religious tradition, Zoroastrianism, the magi present the holy family and baby Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. God’s bright star shines over the holy family’s home, but the revelation begins months earlier among the Zoroastrian religious elite and guides a specifically attentive group to worship the Holy Child.
d) It was observed that these foreign followers of divine light experience God’s light among the Jews and are, as a foreign people, also the recipients of divine revelation. For ages, these magi and their predecessors may have been looking for testimony that their spiritual tradition was part of a larger revelation. They found that confirmation through a bright star and a baby’s birth. When their light comes, they “rise,” in the spirit of Isaiah, and journey toward Bethlehem. [2]
e) Furthermore, God does not privilege wealth, power, or race. The Christ-child, the star of the ages, is born in a lowly stable, among an oppressed people, and not among the learned and affluent, or the typical preservers of the Jewish faith tradition. His first witnesses are the working poor shepherds, domestic animals, and later spiritual pilgrims from a foreign land. Epiphany celebrates God’s generous and varied revelations among the peoples of the world. The religion of the magi, different as it is from the faith of the Jewish people, is not a fall from grace, but the result of God’s unique manifestation, appropriate to the Persian people. [3]
f) The season of Epiphany invites us to celebrate the many faces of God, found in the many religious pathways of humankind. Surely the magi were not the recipients of a second-class religion that needed to be completed by their encounter with Jesus. The text says nothing about conversion from their faith to Judaism or the faith of Jesus. Rather, their encounter with the baby Jesus and his star signaled the expansion of their faith beyond parochialism to become a truly global faith. God is known first in relationship from which flexible and evolving doctrines emerge. We believe that God’s revelation in Jesus Christ is one that embodies the image of the Prince of Peace. Isaiah’s prophecy of the messiah is one who is Mighty God, Counselor, Everlasting Parent and Prince of Peace, which embody in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
IV. Heralding the epiphany of tenable and sustainable peace
a) Heralding the epiphany of peace in the country and the world based on our historical experience is really daunting. Our world with the dominant powers and modern day empires have not rested from conducting and supporting wars of aggression. The most recent is Israel’s bombing of the occupied territories in Gaza strip and other occupied territories. It has been estimated that 20 thousand Palestinians died in the bombing. The heralds of ceasefire, justice and peace have been muted by the dominant powers that support the Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people.
b) Heralding God’s revelation of justice and peace in the country and the world is made possible through varied modalities. These are the following:
1) Issuance of statements or communiques of the ethical stand of the Church, institutions or organizations that are deeply concerned of the urgency of justice and peace in war stricken countries.
2) Intervention of the international community within the auspices of the United Nations coupled with the political pressure from influential nations invoking the international humanitarian protocol to protect vulnerable peoples.
3) Organizing advocacy groups that can form an international network for the protection of human dignity, human rights and civil liberties.
4) Organizing and strengthening of international solidarity network to support grassroots people’s organizations to demand for justice for their people and prosecute in the international tribunal world leaders who committed genocide, and crimes against humanity.
5) Educational programs on peacemaking and conflict transformation whether in the Churches, schools and communities.
6) Legal and meta-legal approaches that progressive lawyers organizations can initiate to highlight on mass media the facts of the cases related to violations of civil liberties, human rights and unveil political machinations threatening the lives of advocates for justice and peace.
c) Although issuance of statements might not be a very effective mode of heralding or communicating justice and peace in the country and the world, but somehow it sets the theological and ethical basis for the Church’s concerns. In view of this, the UCCP COB issued a statement of concern on the ongoing situation in the country and Palestine in particular:
“We lament the thousands of casualties in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, including the Israeli military's bombings of Gaza's hospitals and homes, which is blatantly against international humanitarian law that forbids attacking civilian populations or their property. We call for ceasefire and the provision of humanitarian aid to affected Palestinian and Israeli communities and offer prayers for the full recovery of everyone hurt in this genocidal war.”
d) Similarly, in the same statement they touched on the bombing in Marawi, “Hopeful as we are, we mourn the victims of the Marawi bombing during the Catholic Church Mass on December 3, 2023, along with the rest of the Inter-Faith faith community, full of hope for a future anchored in justice and peace.”
e) In connection with the recent opening up of the government for possible peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front, Philippines (NDFP), the Council of Bishops of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines warmly welcomes and appreciates the Joint Statement, which was signed at Oslo City Hall on November 23, 2023, and calls for the resumption of the long-stalled peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, which were initiated more than 30 years ago. The hope expressed in Matthew 4:16, ‘The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned’—resonates a meaningful respite in our troubled nation.”
f) The joint statement encapsulates the Filipino people's quest and struggle for a true, just, and lasting peace that is unwavering and unstoppable in the face of opposition from previous administrations, political setbacks, and the ongoing counterinsurgency, all of which cannot weaken the people's resolve to fight for reform and sustainable peace in the nation. The parties' best intentions to address the protracted armed battle are expressed in the Joint Statement, “Cognizant of the serious socioeconomic and environmental issues, and the foreign security threats facing the country, the parties recognize the need to unite as a nation in order to urgently address these challenges and resolve the reasons for the armed conflict.”
g) Ecumenical and Inter-religious advocacy for comprehensive peace negotiations/talks. The WCC in a statement, “An Ecumenical Call for Just Peace” has emphasized that, Within the limitations of tongue and intellect, we propose that Just Peace may be comprehended as a collective and dynamic yet grounded process of freeing human beings from fear and want, of overcoming enmity, discrimination and oppression, and of establishing conditions for just relationships that privilege the experience of the most vulnerable and respect the integrity of creation. [4]
h) Strengthening and consolidating of the ecumenical peace platform such as the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) in which the Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF) has been actively involved. The PEPP has to enlarge its network that will encourage Church leaders and the laity to actively participate in the various facets of justice and peace advocacy as well as enjoin international and global partners to initiate congruent justice and peace issues and integrate national sovereignty and reunification issues of Taiwan and Korea, in particular.
i) Conduct educational program on peacemaking, peace as God’s mission and Church’s covenanting with God. Peace education is one of the most effective and relevant ways of planting the seeds of peace in conflicted communities and even in places not directly affected by wars and violence: the WCC suggested education for peace. Education inspired by the vision of peace is more than instruction in the strategies of peace work. it is a profoundly spiritual formation of character that involves family, church, and society. Peace education teaches us to nurture the spirit of peace, instill respect for human rights, and imagine and adopt alternatives to violence. Peace education promotes active ethical stance as an unequalled power for change that is practiced and valued in different traditions and cultures. Education of character and conscience equips people to seek peace and pursue it.
THANK YOU.
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[1] Dennis Bratcher, http://www.crivoice.org/isa60.html
[2] Bruce Epperly, Bruce Epperly, https://www.patheos.com/blogs/livingaholyadventure/2018/12/the-adventurous-lectionary-the-feast-of-epiphany-january-6-2019/
[3] Ibid.
[4] http://www.overcomingviolence.org/fileadmin/dov/files/iepc/resources/ECJustPeace_English.pdf
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