Within every religious tradition there is a belief that wisdom comes through foolishness, or at least through what many of the powerful in a culture deems to be foolishness. The apostle Paul in one of his letters to the early church tried to capture this sense, that through what humans define as wise, God sees as foolishness, and what God sees as wise, humans see as foolishness.
The whole Christmas story culminating in today's Epiphany celebration when we remember the Magi, is really foolishness. This was why Herod was so angry; surely God would take on human form in a palace, the son or daughter of a king or a queen. Or at least God would take on human flesh with a great deal of pomp and pageantry. Surely God would become one of us in a wisely conventional way?
And yet the story tells us that God became human in Jesus, the son of a carpenter, a lowly trade in ancient Israel. The birth was shown to shepherds, lower even than carpentry. Angels appeared to these shepherds. Jesus was born in a manger not in a palace or some magnificent place, and not even in Jerusalem, which was a holy city. Now, what about the MagiÑnow we're talking. They were monarchs in their own country, wise people who knew the stars. This was what God had in mind. But the foolishness of the story is that they went looking for a baby. They bowed low to a baby. A baby! What foolishness is this?
And the stories of the other Magi, including the one of Babushka, are about searching for the holy child and sharing wealth, healing and wholeness with the poor and broken people of the world along the way. In order to help the world, in order to ensure justice is carried out, in order to find the holy child, the Magi and the others give away their wealth, teach others the way of the healing arts; this is counter to the ways of the world which is about acquiring wealth, about acquiring knowledgeÑsecret knowledge. What foolishness is this to follow the Christ, the one who died on a cross and yet through that act of selfless love, proclaimed the power of life.
What in life has the potential to reduce even the most reserved of humans to babbling fools? A baby. Cassidy reminds us that through laughter and love, we make a life. We are reminded in this baptism that the way to find a deeper life worth living is to take a child in one's arms and proclaim to the world that riches and power are not what's important—love and this life, the life of all children, the life of every human being and all of life is what is important.
Jackson Browne wrote a Christmas song called The Rebel Jesus. It is about the folly of chasing wealth, riches and power. Truly, Christmas is about love, family and changing the world so that all might have the life that is promised them. It may be folly to gather here this morning and hold up this child Cassidy as a sign of God's presence in this world, for Christ is born in each child. Baptism isn't held the high esteem it once was, but we are here because we affirm, as God does, that life—all life—is vital and important. We hear the story of Christmas and are inspired to seek to live the gift of love that we celebrate all the year long. We call to account that which the world deems important and challenge the powers that be that it is time to transcend hate, fear and protectionism so that we can celebrate the foolishness of love, life, grace and forgiveness.
This is a good way to start the year, to be reminded that in the birth of a baby we witness the miracle of God's presence with us. An Epiphany in Emmanuel. So may it be. Amen.
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