Matthew 7:7-12; Romans 10:1-21; Ephesians 1:15-23; Exodus 3:1-22
Today is Epiphany Sunday. The Day of Epiphany always comes 12 days after Christmas or on January 6th. The Word Epiphany means: “to show”; “to make known”; or “to reveal something that was previously not seen or hidden”. The focus of Epiphany is not to remember history, but rather we celebrate Epiphany to be reminded that God does reveal Himself in places and in ways that we do not expect. We celebrate Epiphany to remind us that God reveals His plans to His people. That is why we give out Epiphany Stars on Epiphany Sunday. Epiphany Sunday is often linked to the Magi following the star to find the Christ-child. However, there are many other epiphanies recorded in the Bible. Today we will look at Moses’ epiphany. We need to learn the lessons from Moses’ experience so that we can experience epiphanies in our life.
If we are going to have a personal epiphany, we need to realize God uses ordinary things to get our attention. The first two chapters of Exodus tell us that the reason Moses was in the desert tending sheep was that Moses was running from his past, running from his mistakes, and running from his destiny. But on that day, Moses ran into God when he least expected it. God used a burning bush to get Moses’ attention. Remember Moses was in a desert. Deserts are very hot and dry. As a result, there are a lot of small dry bushes. And occasionally one of these bushes catches on fire from spontaneous combustion. The bush on fire was not what got Moses’ attention; what got Moses’ attention was that the fire did not consume the bush. When Moses saw that the bush was not consumed by the fire, Moses knew something supernatural was taking place. That burning bush that was not consumed pulled Moses out of his daily routine.
Next, if we are going to have a personal epiphany we need to listen for God’s call. Notice God initiated this meeting with Moses. God was waiting for Moses. God called Moses by name immediately after God got Moses’ attention with the burning bush that was not consumed.
If we are going to have a personal epiphany, we need to remember who God is and who we are. We see this in verses 5 and 6. God is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. God told Moses to take off his sandals because God is holy and God’s holiness fills any and every place God is. God told Moses to take off his sandals so Moses would remember how sinful Moses was. Notice Moses hid his face and was afraid to look at God.
If we are going to have a personal epiphany, we need to look at things from God’s viewpoint. In verses 7-9 we see that God is aware of our circumstances and God cares deeply about His people. “The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So, I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.” Remember Moses was a Hebrew and God miraculously saved the baby Moses from being killed by Pharaoh. Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s palace while his fellow Hebrews suffered as Egyptian slaves. Moses knew the Hebrew people suffered under Pharaoh’s rule and Moses witnessed the Egyptians mistreating the Hebrew people. But Moses did not see this as his problem. In fact, Moses turned his back and ran away from this problem. That is why Moses was in the desert tending sheep. God revealed Himself to Moses that day in the desert so that Moses would see the Hebrews’ enslavement and suffering from God’s viewpoint.
If we are going to have a personal epiphany, we need to remember that God created you for a specific purpose. God has a plan for each of our lives. In verse 10 God revealed His plans to use Moses to rescue the Hebrew people. “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” So, if we are going to have a personal epiphany, we need to be ready to respond to God’s call to use us to accomplish His plans.
If we are going to have a personal epiphany, we need to remember that God uses ordinary people like me and like you to accomplish extraordinary tasks. Moses did not feel that He was qualified to do the job God was giving him. In verses 11-12 we read about all of Moses’ excuses. And if we are honest with ourselves, we would probably say the same things that Moses said. “Who am I that I should go…?” You see when we look at our abilities and our resources, we know we cannot do the jobs that God gives us. But the key to accomplishing the jobs God gives us is in verse 12. “And God said, ‘I will be with you.’ If we would read the rest of Exodus, we would see that Moses was obedient and Moses did what God called him to do. God used this ordinary, stuttering, weak, fearful man named Moses to accomplish extraordinary things for God.
So, the question for each one of us today is how do we ensure that we do not miss experiencing our Epiphanies? How do we ensure that we do not miss experiencing God revealing Himself and God revealing His plans for our lives today?
I believe one of the biggest reasons is we do not experience personal epiphanies is that we do not expect God to reveal Himself and/or His plans to us. The Book of Acts tells us the early church was full of excitement and expectation. These Christians anticipated and they looked forward to Jesus’ return at any time. The point of Epiphany Sunday is not to remember history but rather for us to remember that God miraculously appears to His people in places and in ways we least expect it. If we are expecting to have a personal encounter with The Living God everywhere we are, we are not likely to miss our epiphany. So, the question for each one of us this morning is: Did I really expect a life-changing encounter with The Living God when I came to church this morning? Do I expect to see God at work in my home and at my job site? Friends we serve The Only True Living God and our God is everywhere and our God invites every one of us to open our eyes and to tune into His frequency so that we can hear God’s voice at home, at work, and at the grocery store.
Next, staying in the presence of The Almighty takes the same kind of curiosity and commitment that we see in Moses. We need to listen for God’s voice. Did you properly prepare for church today by praying for The Lord to speak to you through the music, the scripture, the sermon, or someone at church? Do you read your Bible truly expecting God to speak to your heart through His Word? Do you begin each day by praying for The Lord to reveal His will for you as you get ready for work or school, as you answer the telephone, and/or as you meet with a client at the office?
We encounter God in different ways, in different places, and in different times in our lives. The message of epiphany is on-going. Our God is alive and working all around us. Our God is not dead nor is our God stuffed away in our Bible. God uses many different ways to get our attention. Sometimes it is a new friend, the birth of a child or a blessing. Sometimes it takes a miraculous event or a tragedy in our life to get our attention. Remember God came to earth on that first Christmas to be with us and God came to earth to save us so that we could have a close personal relationship with Him.
The message of epiphany is to expect, to watch, and to listen because God has a plan for each one of us. You may think you are just an ordinary person and Epiphany is just another ordinary day. But God is extraordinary and God knows how to get your attention. Epiphany is about God revealing Himself to us and God revealing His plans for us. The Lord has a plan for each one of you and His plan for you is already in motion. God has ordered the events in your life which will bring your personal epiphany at exactly the right time. If God could transform this timid, rebellious, ordinary man named Moses into extraordinary person who accomplished extraordinary tasks for God, God can certainly transform you and me.
When we seek The Lord with all our heart, we will find The Lord is waiting to reveal Himself to us. When we come with an expectation of a personal encounter with The Living Lord, Jesus will give us new vision. Jesus will give us the ability to see ourselves and to see the things around us from His prospective. Jesus will give us the ability to see God at work in our life andHe will allow usto see Him in our neighbors’ lives. That is what Epiphany is all about – God revealing Himself and His plans to us. When you listen and respond to our Lord’s call Jesus will transform you and Jesus will use you to advance His kingdom.
In this Epiphany season we are the ones who are invited to come and see Jesus. You are invited to discover who Jesus really is and you are invited to experience the transforming work Jesus wants to do in your life. However, you must be willing to make the commitment to find out more about Jesus and to find out how The Lord wants to use you in 2025.
Each year we give out Epiphany stars. The Epiphany Stars give you an opportunity to go on a spiritual journey to see what God wants to reveal to you. A spiritual journey of studying and seeking; a journey of asking and questioning; and a journey of listening and responding; a spiritual journey of following The Lord’s leading. To complete the journey will require commitment on your part.So,when we pass out the Epiphany Stars I challenge each one of us to make that commitment to ourselves and to The Lord. Will you be willing to takethe time and to make the effort to find out more about your Lord and to find out how The Lord wants to use you in 2025? AMEN