Epiphany, Sunday 2nd January 2022

This is a time of God revealing himself – we have welcomed Christ as a baby in a manger – and through this child and the life he goes on to lead – we get glimpses of God – but we have to open our eyes and be open to what God is revealing.

This is what the wise men did – they were not Jewish – not from God’s chosen people but they watched and listened – and searched for God – and they found him. Wise men from far off lands can have much to teach us!

And this week I’ve been thinking a lot of one particularly wise man from a far-off land, who died on Boxing day - Desmond Tutu – possibly one of the wisest and most Godly men of our generation.

And, I would suggest, he is a modern-day Magi – coming into our lives and revealing something of how to wait and watch for God.

He would start every day with prayer – he said he could only do what he did through prayer – it was his lifeline, his connection to God. His openness to God’s spirit enabled him to keep hoping and not give up - through all that he experienced. And this is something that many of us time-poor people struggle with - I know I do – but I wonder if we really took the time every day to stop and listen, to make space for God, how things might change. If we take Desmond Tutu’s example – it certainly seemed to be an essential part of what he did and who he was.

And he was someone who inspired, challenged, but above all loved God’s people and God’s world.

He once gave a talk to a group of theological students, and one of them asked him how he coped with the hatred he must feel for those apartheid leaders that were so brutal to so many black South Africans. And he jumped up and down and quite forcibly shouted – I do not hate him - I love him – he is my brother in Christ and I love him – but then he paused and added (with a twinkle in his eye) – but I do not have to like him!

Since his death, Facebook and other social media sites have been littered with numerous posts about his life. And looking through them all I am struck by the consistent message he gives about loving one’s enemies – finding common humanity in every person.

He said “When we see others as the enemy, we risk becoming what we hate. When we oppress others, we end up oppressing ourselves. All of our humanity is dependent upon recognising the humanity in others."

He had no time for overpowering or oppressing any people – but had a vision for a humanity who values and loves each other, in spite of our differences.

And he achieved so much in his life – being part of the anti-apartheid movement, going on to lead the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (which sort to address the many atrocities committed during the Apartheid Era and find forgiveness and reconciliation), and then continuing to speak out wherever he saw injustice and oppression – against Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, against homophobia and even against the ANC in South Africa whom he said was worse than the apartheid government. He was someone who was not afraid to challenge injustice wherever he saw it and made it clear that the Christian journey was not to sit on the fence and remain neutral in such situations.

And don’t you think this is somewhat like Jesus? Someone who would challenge and speak out, but who was always looking to forgive and heal.

The last thing I want to mention is about Desmond Tutu’s extraordinary ability to live joyfully and share that joy, even having experienced the most traumatic of situations and heard about so many atrocities through his reconciliation work. In spite of openly weeping at the hearings the Commission heard, and sharing his grief at the enormous suffering he and others had experienced – he remained an incredibly joyful person.

Tutu’s laughter was a common feature in meetings with people, and he was able to find and share joy in abundance. There is the Book of Joy, which records a week that Tutu spent with the Dalai Lama talking about how to be joyful – which is well worth reading – in which Tutu says generosity is the best way to become joyful. He uses a metaphor of the Dead Sea and says:

"The Dead Sea in the Middle East receives freshwater, but it has no outlet, so it doesn't pass the water out. It receives beautiful water from the rivers, and the water goes dank. I mean, it just goes bad. And that's why it is the Dead Sea. It receives and does not give. In the end, generosity is the best way of becoming more, more, and more joyful”.

And I think perhaps this is what I admired most about him – this ability to find joy in a life which had experienced so much pain – and his ability to share that joy with others – to affirm life wherever he could – to call the best out of people by not only challenging but also expecting them to be a better version of themselves.

And again, this seems to me, reflective of what God is like – God loves us all – in spite of our many failings – God wants us to be the best version of ourselves – the people he created us to be – working to end injustice and bring peace to our world. And God wants us to know the joy of life – joy that can be found in a sure and certain hope for the future and a generosity of spirit that overflows to all around.

This is the legacy that Desmond Tutu leaves – the legacy of a man who has shown us glimpses of what God is like - and what a life centred in prayer, never giving up hope in people’s goodness, and remaining joyful can do.

And my prayer today is that more of us would be able to follow his example and do likewise.

Amen