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Trinity Episcopal Church Hattiesburg, Mississippi The Feast of the Epiphany (Year A) January 6, 2008 Go To Trinity's Home Page

Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12
The Collect of the Day
From the Revised Common Lectionary as Adapted for Use by the Episcopal Church
and Authorized by the 74 th General Convention of the ECUSA

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “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.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 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.’” Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then 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.” When 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. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. (Matthew 2:1-12)

From Palestine to Hattiesburg to You
The Rev. Dr. Bill Stroop, Rector

     “Since the beginning of the human sojourn on earth, light has been the symbol of hope and joy. The Feast of the Epiphany portrays the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world, beginning with the prophecies of his coming, and ending with its manifestation within our lives. It tells of Jesus who is the light of the world, and his coming into the world as the savior of all people.

     “The celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany predates the celebration of the Feast of Christmas, and was the observance in the Eastern Christian Church of Christ’s coming into the world. The season of Epiphany is the great missionary season of the Church Year, for it proclaims that Christ is the light of the world, and that he has come as the savior of all people everywhere and in every time. And the great task of the church is to make Christ known to all people in all places throughout all times.

     “To prepare the world of the coming of the light, God spoke through his servants, the prophet. In the words of the prophets, the early church saw God preparing the way for Jesus’ first coming. Through prophets like Jeremiah, Hosea, and Micah, God spoke to God’s people. But perhaps the most beautiful and thrilling are the words of Isaiah, as he proclaims that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-- on them light has shined. For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa 9:2-6). Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you … Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn (Isa 60:1-3).

     “At the appointed time the Light appeared in a dark world. As John the Evangelist expressed it, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it (Jn 1:1-5) … And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth(Jn 1:14).

     “The arrival of the small babe born to Mary was virtually unnoticed – even by the people God had prepared to expect his coming. However, according to Luke, some shepherds from the hills outside the city came with joy to pay their respects to the child.

     “According to Matthew’s account, among the people living to the East were three learned men – possibly astronomers. Nightly they searched the heavens, and by day they sought to interpret what they saw in the sky for its meaning to the peoples of the earth. And when a bright light appeared, they interpreted it as an omen. And they set out to find the child they believed the light foretold.

     “Bearing gifts, and looking to the heavens for guidance, they came to Bethlehem and found the child. To him they presented gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. As the first people from beyond Israel, they beheld the light of God and worshipped him. They came as a sign that this child had come not only to Israel, but to all people everywhere.

     “With the first Easter, the majesty and power of what God had wrought in Christ burst upon the world, to be confirmed by the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. And from there, the twelve disciples went forth as Apostles of Christ to bring the Good News of the light to the whole world.

     “Yet the most notable of those who took the story of the light that is Christ and carried it from Palestine to the other end of the Roman Empire was not one of the twelve – but another whom God called to be an apostle shortly after Pentecost. The ascended Christ met this man on the road to Damascus and changed him from an enemy of Christ’s followers to a champion of the Son of God.

     “That man was the Apostle Paul, who became a great missionary of the Christian Church. He brought the message of the Light of Christ to the Gentile world, across Asia Minor and the northern Mediterranean – the whole of the Western world. God revealed to Paul that the Light had come to be the life of all people, beginning with Israel, and through them to all nations and races.

     “Centuries passed before Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World. But after his historic voyage, all manner of people came from Europe and elsewhere to settle in this country. One such group founded the settlement of Jamestown in the year 1609. Among their company was an Englishman serving as chaplain in the Royal Navy who had been sent as the representative of the Bishop of London. On the Lord’s Day, with a tattered ship’s sail overhead to protect him and his worshipers from the July sun, Chaplain Robert Hunt celebrated the first service of Holy Communion in this new land according to the English Prayer Book. Bringing the English Bible and the Prayer Book with them, these brave pilgrims from England came to start a new life. They came – and brought the Gospel with them.

     “From 1609 to 1815 is a long time. And in that time the eastern part of our country had become quite settled and populous. Throughout the east, churches were built, and the Gospel was woven into the fabric of the lives of the people. The war of independence had been fought, and the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America had been formed with its own Prayer Book adapted from the Scottish Prayer Book and the Wee Bookies used in Scotland at the time. But there were vast territories on this continent that were under unexplored and which were controlled by foreign kings.

     “The Mississippi Territory was held by the Spanish until 1815, when it became part of the United States. And Christ Church in Church Hill, MS became the first Episcopal congregation in Mississippi.

     “In 1849 The Rev. William Mercer Green from North Carolina was elected the first Bishop of Mississippi. By 1883 the sparsely populated Piney Woods area of South Mississippi developed to the point of the founding of Hattiesburg from the pre-existing village of Twin Forks.

     “By 1895 the number of Episcopalians in Hattiesburg had grown to the point where the organization of a mission seemed feasible. The first Episcopal services in Hattiesburg were held in 1895, and in 1899, three lots of Buschman Street were acquired. The first confirmations were administered by Bishop Thompson on February 11, 1900. In July 1901, Trinity Mission was officially organized and Church services were held in the Court House and at First Presbyterian Church until 1902 when a 200 seat wood frame church was erected on the Buschman Street property. In April 1902, Trinity Mission was admitted into the Diocese of Mississippi.

     “The Rev. William Smith Simpson-Atmore was priest-in-charge from 1920-1922. In 1910 the process for requesting parish status was begun, and the current property on First and Pine Streets was acquired. The present church structure was begun in 1911 and completed in 1912. All of the 400,000 bricks were laid by a single parishioner, Mr. Percy Oliver. The church was consecrated in November 1912, and Trinity achieved parish status on June 11, 1922.

     From the original light, Trinity has grown to the Church it is today. For over 100 years, Trinity has been spreading the Light in Hattiesburg. The task of every follower of Jesus Christ is to let the Light of Christ shine through her or his life. We are called and commissioned at Baptism to be bearers of the Light that is Christ.

“‘The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world,’ wrote John the Evangelist. ‘He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God’ (Jn 1:10-13).

     “When we leave this Church, we carry the Light into the world wherever we are. Once outside, we need to remember that the real light – our Lord Jesus Christ – dwells within us. Christ is the One we are to share with all people. Because Christ dwells within you – you too are the light of the world. Let your light shine before all people that they may see Christ in you and so be led to give glory to God.” [1]

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Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 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. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift 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. Then 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. A 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.

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14, Deus, judicium

1 Give the King your justice, O God, *
and your righteousness to the King’s Son;

2 That he may rule your people righteously *
and the poor with justice;

3 That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
and the little hills bring righteousness.

4 He shall defend the needy among the people; *
he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

5 He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
from one generation to another.

6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *
like showers that water the earth.

7 In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *
and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.

11 All kings shall bow down before him, *
and all the nations do him service.

12 For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *
and the oppressed who has no helper.

13 He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
he shall preserve the lives of the needy.

14 He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.

Ephesians 3:1-12

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles-- for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “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.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 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.’” Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then 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.” When 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. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

The Collect of the Day

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

[1] This sermon was inspired by and quotes extensively from the works of Fr. Chet Falby, Diocese of Oregon, and Mr. Harvey Poole, parishioner of Trinity Episcopal Church, Hattiesburg, MS.

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