A radically inclusive epiphany!
by Pastor Stephen Abraham
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This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:6).
Read Ephesians 3:1–12
Well, our Christmas season has ended, and the Epiphany season has begun!
In this first week of Epiphany, we celebrate with wonder at God becoming manifest and living among us in the person of Jesus Christ. I’ve always found it fascinating that in this season, there seem to be two great ‘epiphanies’: God has come to earth as one of us, and Jesus is recognised as ‘King of the Jews’ by non-Jews, the Gentile Magi of the East. This second ‘epiphany’ ultimately resulted in the message of salvation through Christ Jesus coming to the whole world.
Just think about it. Pick up your Bible (physically or mentally) and look at the spine. In the first two-thirds of this great revelation of God’s will for the universe and its inhabitants, if you wanted to know the Living God, understand the great mysteries and be a part of the Great Plan, you had to be one thing: Hebrew/Jewish. No ifs, no buts. Until now …
Read Ephesians 3:1–12.
It’s hard to comprehend with our 21st-century Western ideals of inclusivity just how profound this shift in thinking was – that you can be an heir to the promises of that first two-thirds of the Bible (the Old Testament) without first being Jewish.
You don’t have to be born an ethnic Jewish person. You don’t have to marry into a Jewish family. You don’t have to convert and be ritually circumcised and circumcise all the males in your household. You don’t have to adhere to the ethnic Jewish practices or have a Jewish name or heritage.
This change truly was a paradigm shift in teaching and practice. Paradigm shifts are hard. When we read Acts 10 and 15, we realise it was difficult for the early church to navigate, especially the Jewish church communities (even Peter seemed to wrestle with his position in Galatians 2:11–13).
Ultimately, this radical inclusivity unlocked the rest of the world to having access to the gospel and being ‘grafted into the vine’ of God’s promises of old (Romans 11:16–24).
Almighty Father, thank you for sending your Son into our world to save us and sit down at the table with sinners. Thank you for these epiphanies. Holy Spirit, help us share your welcome and acceptance with those we meet this day. Amen.
Stephen Abraham is a musician and Lutheran pastor who retired early due to a spinal injury that leaves him largely housebound with chronic pain (documented by Lutheran Media on its Messages of hope YouTube channel and radio program). As his condition allows, Stephen still preaches, takes chapel and serves his local church and school. He also writes and records personal songs, worship songs and Christian meditations, which he shares on his YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/StephenAbrahamMusic
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