Ever heard of "Count Off."? Teachers often use to keep track of a classroom full of kids, especially during fire drills or field trips. The presence of every one of them is assured by reaching the proper total number. Besides learning to count off to get a total tally, sometimes the kids "count off" by two’s or four’s, a fast, easy way to divide up into teams. (Remember how you and your best friends would guess where to stand in the counting-off line so that you could end up on the same team?)
There is a lot of "counting off" that happens during the Christmas season. Retailers count off the all-important number of "shopping days" between "Black Friday" and Christmas Day. Party goers count off the number of seconds until the strike of midnight in Times Square. Then there is the traditional counting-off of the "Twelve Days of Christmas" — or its more recent counter-part, the "Twelve Days of Bad Christmas Sweaters." Today marks the last official count off — as we celebrate Epiphany, the end of the twelve day Christmastide that bridges Christmas Eve and Epiphany.
Now I am counting off my 17th year as a priest and when I first became a priest I began writing out my homilies and so I started filing them away by date and year and then began giving them titles so that I could go back and reflect upon them. So when I was drafting this homily just before Christmas I gave it the title “When Hope Turns to Sight”. I did so because I think that is what the Epiphany is all about.
Consider it for a minute - the wiseman set off from their homeland - probably somewhere around modern day Turkey began traveling from town to town, thru desert and desert toward modern day Israel in the Hope that they might see the Saviour of the World.
They had a hunch, they had a sense, they had a historical understanding - but until they saw that star - all they had was hope! Then - all of a sudden - they see the star - and Hope - which is the certain expectation that the future is in God’s hands - turned into Sight - the realization of something to be visualized.
Don’t know if you ever counted off the things you hope in or not? Just think about it - what do you hope in:
• you might hope for success in your profession or job
• you might hope for a good grade in a school project or a successful presentation
• you might hope in victory for a sports team or winnings in a lottery
• you might hope in personal health or that of a friend /family member
• you might hope for peace, direction, success or even the arrival of a family member
• you might hope that your children are successful, your parents in safety, your siblings in harmony
It is good to hope - in fact it is probably very healthy to hope for things. But hope is not the end. Hope is the beginning. Hope just like for the wiseman is where it all starts!
There is a lot of "counting off" that happens during the Christmas season. Retailers count off the all-important number of "shopping days" between "Black Friday" and Christmas Day. Party goers count off the number of seconds until the strike of midnight in Times Square. Then there is the traditional counting-off of the "Twelve Days of Christmas" — or its more recent counter-part, the "Twelve Days of Bad Christmas Sweaters." Today marks the last official count off — as we celebrate Epiphany, the end of the twelve day Christmastide that bridges Christmas Eve and Epiphany.
Now I am counting off my 17th year as a priest and when I first became a priest I began writing out my homilies and so I started filing them away by date and year and then began giving them titles so that I could go back and reflect upon them. So when I was drafting this homily just before Christmas I gave it the title “When Hope Turns to Sight”. I did so because I think that is what the Epiphany is all about.
Consider it for a minute - the wiseman set off from their homeland - probably somewhere around modern day Turkey began traveling from town to town, thru desert and desert toward modern day Israel in the Hope that they might see the Saviour of the World.
They had a hunch, they had a sense, they had a historical understanding - but until they saw that star - all they had was hope! Then - all of a sudden - they see the star - and Hope - which is the certain expectation that the future is in God’s hands - turned into Sight - the realization of something to be visualized.
Don’t know if you ever counted off the things you hope in or not? Just think about it - what do you hope in:
• you might hope for success in your profession or job
• you might hope for a good grade in a school project or a successful presentation
• you might hope in victory for a sports team or winnings in a lottery
• you might hope in personal health or that of a friend /family member
• you might hope for peace, direction, success or even the arrival of a family member
• you might hope that your children are successful, your parents in safety, your siblings in harmony
It is good to hope - in fact it is probably very healthy to hope for things. But hope is not the end. Hope is the beginning. Hope just like for the wiseman is where it all starts!
- Hope is what leads you to look for the star
- Hope is what purpells you to get thru the desert
- Hope is what brings you to ask for direction, to seek with determination, to walk with desire.
But Hope will not get you there....Sight will
The Wiseman were wise because they knew who they were looking for - the Saviour
The Wiseman were wise because they knew the signs they were seeking - the Star in the Sky
The Wiseman were wise because they knew the endless roads leads to endless life - True Sight
This is what gives hope - sight and sight is given by Faith - and ultimately the wiseman had that in abundance - and so they rejoiced and where able to see the King of Kings!
So here is my question - are you still just hoping ?
• that you will find that right person
• that you will find that right path
• that you will find that right point of happiness in your life
If you are still just hoping - they I invite you to become - well - Wise in 2014 - and start having sight - a sight that comes from looking for the signs of faith - the signs of God in your life.
Sight that comes from faith in the Saviour
Sight that comes from true seeking for the star in the sky - the light of Christ in your life.
Sight that comes from true endless perseverance to get thru the deserts of life and walk toward where the sight of the star of God in your life is leading you....toward the path of becoming who God wishes you to be.
God is so much greater than any darkness - He has a star waiting for you that will lead you to the savior. Will you seek it in faith? - or are you still just counting off the days - and well - just hoping?
The Wiseman were wise because they knew who they were looking for - the Saviour
The Wiseman were wise because they knew the signs they were seeking - the Star in the Sky
The Wiseman were wise because they knew the endless roads leads to endless life - True Sight
This is what gives hope - sight and sight is given by Faith - and ultimately the wiseman had that in abundance - and so they rejoiced and where able to see the King of Kings!
So here is my question - are you still just hoping ?
• that you will find that right person
• that you will find that right path
• that you will find that right point of happiness in your life
If you are still just hoping - they I invite you to become - well - Wise in 2014 - and start having sight - a sight that comes from looking for the signs of faith - the signs of God in your life.
Sight that comes from faith in the Saviour
Sight that comes from true seeking for the star in the sky - the light of Christ in your life.
Sight that comes from true endless perseverance to get thru the deserts of life and walk toward where the sight of the star of God in your life is leading you....toward the path of becoming who God wishes you to be.
God is so much greater than any darkness - He has a star waiting for you that will lead you to the savior. Will you seek it in faith? - or are you still just counting off the days - and well - just hoping?