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01-02-2022   “Be the Light”

Matthew 2:1-12

A little background to start this message. Epiphany  is January 6th, next Sunday January 9th is the first Sunday after Epiphany.  I thought that this would be a great opportunity  to hear about the Wise men. Epiphany is very special to me.

Who here put up their Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving?

Who took their tree down shortly after Christmas?

I grew up in a family that observed the lighting of the Advent candles.

Every evening during Advent we gathered, took turns reading parts of the Bible over the four weeks and lighting the candles.

We did not put up a Christmas tree until the day before Christmas.

My husband believes that my Dad was cheap and used Advent to postpone getting a tree. But for me it had special meaning. The tree was a symbol of Christmas. And it stayed up for twelve days.  Hence the twelve days of Christmas.

Most churches have candlelight services on Christmas Eve.  I grew up with candlelight service on Epiphany, in the Episcapol Church.  We moved frequently.  In one community where I lived, the tree from the church was burned along with some of the trees from church members. It was a bonfire that was as bright as daylight. Candles were lit from this fire and a candlelight service was held in the light of that fire.

We were encouraged to keep the candle lit all the way home. That may have been a good tradition in rural England where people walked to and from church, but piling a family of six into a car with lit candles is not always a good plan. Beyond that, the meaning did leave a mark on me. We were taking the light of Christ into the world.

Christmas did not stop on December 25th. I do not recall the Sundays after January 6th being the 1st , 2nd, 3rd etc. Sunday after Epiphany. To me they were the Sundays of Epiphany, that awareness and understanding  that Christ is here now and always.

In Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth, the poor and lowly were the focus.

In Matthew’s account:

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. (Matthew 2:1-3)

We often speak of these wise men as “kings” . We sing “We Three Kings” during Christmas and Epiphany . It is one of my favorite carols. It even explains the significance of the gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew does not identify them as “kings” but as magi. Our English word would likely have been “magician”. They were probably not Magicians as you or I would define the word. Some say they were Astrologers. Some say they were Astronomers. The two studies most likely overlapped in the Persian society making them the scientists of their day.  Persia would be today’s Iran.

They traveled about a thousand miles to Jerusalem to pay homage to the newborn King. Their journey would have taken three to six months.

Why would these educated men make this journey? It must have been an extraordinary light.

Our scientists today have different theories on what the magi and others saw.

Some believe it was a comet thus the idea of leading them.

Some believe it was a Supernova.

And some believe it was Jupiter aligned with Regulus and later the planet Venus. Also creating a direction to follow.

Whatever occurred, it led these magi to believe that a great king was being born in Judea.

Why did God, the God of the Jews beckon these people to Jerusalem? They were people that were not Jews and probably had beliefs quite different from the Jewish people.

The Gospel of Matthew points toward God’s concern for all people. Jesus was not only the king and savior of the Jews but of everyone.

In a sense, the magis’ story parallels the story of Jonah in the Old Testament. Jonah saw the people of the ancient city of Nineveh as wicked but God saw them as worth saving. Despite the fact that they were not Jews and did not worship Him.

The story of the magi tells us about how God looks at people of other faiths. God deeply cares about all people. The magi becomes that message of the Gospel and how it would be taken to the entire world.

We are called to be messengers of God today and everyday.  How! By the way we conduct ourselves, speaking about our beliefs, and bringing the Good News of great joy to others, through our words and actions.

The star itself points to our role of leading people of other faiths to Jesus.

We are meant to be a light, a sign that draws others to Christ.

The wise men  turned up in Jerusalem. They went to Herod’s court. They might have assumed that the child must be Herod’s. They asked about the child “born “ king of the Jews. Herod was not a Jew , but an Idumean (e/du/me/an). He was appointed king of the Jews by Rome. This is why Herod and his court were frightened by the mission of the magi. How could Herod be the father of the “king of the Jews”

It always puzzled me why didn’t  one of the priest go with the magi to Bethlehem. I have concluded that, by joining the magi, they would have acknowledged who the magi were seeking and the priest were afraid of Herod.

We know the story of how Herod asked them to return and report to him.

Of course at that time the magi didn’t know that Herod intended to kill the child.

Our nativity stories and songs often included the magi at the stable. But Matthew says they entered “the house”  This was likely the home of Joseph’s parents, which had now become Joseph and Mary’s home. Young families often moved in with the parents of the groom. After all, Mary and Joseph were still newlyweds.

Our reference to three wise men or kings comes from the gifts that they gave. Three gifts are listed ; gold,  frankincense, and myrrh. There could have been two or even ten magi traveling.  What truly matters is that they made the journey to find the child of royal birth.

Enough history and enough of the breakdown of today’s scripture.

What does it all mean to us?

Christmas is God’s gift to us–a gift of light and life, hope and grace. It is a reflection of God’s concern for the world, and God’s desire to heal it and drive away the darkness. Is Christmas over? Not for me, because Epiphany is a part of Christmas.

Epiphany comes with a mission, a calling, and a responsibility.

We must bear Christ’s light into the world. We can do that by expressing our love through works of mercy and justice. We can be kind not just to those we see all the time but to others. We can seek out ways to make the world a better place. We are invited to receive Christ’s light, but not only receive it. We are invited to bear the light, to walk in the light , and to take the light into the world.

When Pastor Kookho was with our parish, he liked to give us assignments. So. Think of three things you can do in this next week to be Christ’s  light to the world.  Call someone you haven’t talked to in a very long time. Volunteer at the food shelf. This could be a regular commitment or a one time event. Volunteer to read to residents at the nursing home. Volunteer at the library. There is a woman that I do not know personally, but if she is in the grocery store when I am there, I have seen her greeting people , including me with “Don’t you look good today.” “Is that a new outfit?” Use your imagination. She brings light into the world . She does not complain about the weather.  She does not complain about the prices. She brings light. Don’t be afraid to share the light of Jesus, even if it is just being kind.

Turn and look at the person to your right, turn to your left, look in front of you, and behind you. Next week share what you did or plan to do with these people.

Our world is changing. I have seen major network  News Anchors express the importance of Christ in their lives not just this past season but throughout the year. They share favorite devotional material. Good Morning America 3rd hour has Faith Friday every week. I saw a TV show that had one of the main characters saying the Lord’s Prayer  with another character about to step into a dangerous situation. The times are changing. Can we be part of the change?

Here is a thought to ponder: when the magi were told in a dream to return to their homes by a different way, did it mean only a physical route or did it mean that their heart was also different when they returned home.

We can take Christ’s light into the world.

Christ be with you

And also with you

Amen

 

 

 

Posted in Sermons