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January 06, 2008

Lessons from the Magi

Sermon: January 6, 2008 Epiphany—Lessons from the Magi

Matthew 2:1-12. The gospel writer Matthew has already written of Jesus’ birth. Now we report on the visit of the wise men or magi-which we read on Epiphany each year.

Let us pray.

Today ends the Season of Christmas. For the Christian Church, Christmas is more than one day. It is a twelve day celebration (hence the 12 days of Christmas song). It begins on Christmas Day and ends on January 6th, Epiphany. Epiphany is an unfamiliar word to most of us. It means the manifestation of the Lord--A revealing of the presence of God. And on Epiphany the presence of the God of Israel is celebrated not only by the Israelites but also by Gentiles—the Magi.

Who were these wise men who came to see the baby Jesus? Many scholars believe the wise men were Gentiles from the east, perhaps Persia Rome’s enemy. The term Magi comes from Persia, the lands of Iraq and Iran, lands of ancient peoples and ancient wisdom.

Scholars believe these magi were not kings but scholars/astronomers/priests who had access to centers of power. One way they studied the world and predicted world events was through the stars. Astrological signs were valued by some and were often understood to signal the birth of an important figure.

Scholars also believe the Magi welded power themselves with their mysterious and often threatening predictions. They certainly were not afraid to go right to the Governor of Judah, King Herod, and seek information about the whereabouts of this new “King of the Jews.” Josephus, an ancient historian, notes that Herod himself was called, King of the Jews. How would this question have gone over with Herod? Scriptures tell us Herod was frightened, and all Judea with him. So these visiting magi were men of power, privilege and prestige.

A couple questions--How many Magi where there? We have always assumed there were three because of the three gifts but we don’t know that for sure.
Were they all men? Probably. Some scholars have kidded that we can deduce that the Magi were not women because of the inappropriateness of their gifts. But were they really inappropriate? They certainly were not practical, but we are talking about seeking and finding a King. Practical gifts are not what you give a king.

Gold—a gift that represents the power of giver—the more gold the more power.
I imagine that they had much to offer this king in the way of gold but that upon seeing him, they refrained. Some gold was given, but realizing that this king was different, and did not respect the power of the gold, they offered other gifts as well. Frankincense—Incense for worship, given because it speaks to their desire to worship him. Myrrh—used for anointing a body for burial, an unusual gift for a new born baby. If one of the men was able to make predictions, maybe his gift was a sign of things to come. The myrrh represents the pain and suffering Jesus would undergo. A Jewish prophet, Simeon, describes as much when he sees Jesus at the temple when he is just a baby.

It is interesting to try and understand who these Magi were and where they came from. However, we do not have to agree on the specifics of them in order to examine and learn from the valuable lessons that they taught us. I’d like to briefly expound on them this morning. Throughout Advent we waited, anticipated, cleaned up our act, but basically it was about the anticipation of Christmas and the birth of Jesus. The story of the Magi builds on what we did during Advent.

The first lesson we learn from the Magi is to be alert, pay attention, and be observant. Having been watching the stars, they noticed when a new one appeared in the night sky. What are you alert to? What has your attention so that when it changes you notice immediately? Our dog Casey is a good one for this.
If something changes in the backyard, a rake is left out that was not there yesterday, he’s all over it barking and barking, letting the object know that he’s aware of it’s presence.

Society would have us be aware of our bodies--getting on the scales every day to see if we have lost or put on a dreaded pound. Or maybe aware of the most recent celebrity that has gotten mixed up in something “news worthy.” But the Magi remind us to pay attention to God’s actions and presence both in our lives and in the world.

The second lesson we learn from the Magi is to move beyond your comfort zone. They packed a bag and headed out, not knowing exactly where they would end up but trusting that they would be guided by the star. As we look to 2008, we will be asked to head out and go in places that are beyond our comfort zone.
The world in which we find ourselves will not come to us—as Christians we are called to go into the world, not knowing exactly where we will end up but trusting that God will guide and direct us.

For example. How comfortable are you with your Bible? Maybe you need to pick it up and read it more often. If you are comfortable in the scriptures, maybe you’re not too doing service work. Set aside one evening and give back. Here’s one most UM are uncomfortable with—sharing their spiritual experiences with others. We’ll take about anything but our walk with God. We’ll work on that together this year. We’ll work together to get beyond our comfort zone.

Third: Be willing to ask for assistance from those who probably know. The magi go to Jerusalem, to the capital city of the Jews to find out where this new king is. They go to the Roman representative, Herod, who has scribes, and other Jewish scholars to ask the question. Earlier I said scholars believed the Magi were gentiles from the East. This is why we assume they were not Jewish. If Jewish, they could have consulted the scripture themselves and found the place, especially if we understand them at least one of them to be a priest.

So, when on a quest, go to whoever might have the answer you seek. Don’t be intimidated by people in position of power. A political question goes to a politician. A question about the religion Islam is best answered by a Muslim. We ask those who are in the know on the particular issue at hand regardless of their different cultural, ethnic, religious, or class status. We go with an attitude of learning, seeking knowledge, openness.

Fourth: Know when you find the truth. The Magi were looking for a king. Maybe they were expecting a baby, maybe not. They certainly were not expecting the humble beginnings of this king, born in a stable, to a carpenter and his young wife. But the minute they saw Jesus, they knew. Jesus was the king they had been searching for. God’s presence was manifest in this little baby boy, the glory of God was evident to them. When I think of a baby, I usually think of how God’s presence is manifest in the child. It is part of the miracle of creation. How would the magi have known that this baby was the one? How do any of us know when we experience the truth that we have searched for? We just do.

The fifth lesson we learn from the Magi is having experienced God’s truth, have the courage to act on it. The mystery of the star has given way to the revelation of Jesus’ birth. They realized this baby boy is God’s truth. They also were sent a message in a dream. Remember Herod told the Magi to return to Jerusalem and tell him where the baby was so he could go worship the new king. The magi knew that Herod was not being truthful so they ignored his request, and listen to God. They returned home without going through Jerusalem.

The five lessons we learn again are: Pay attention to God’s messages.
Move out of your comfort zone. Be willing to ask for information from those who have it. Discern when you find the truth. Having found the truth, have the courage to act on it.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is the prologue of the Gospel of John. John has a way of writing that is symbolic and deep. A way of putting things that is multi-layered and appeals to the heart instead of the head. In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, he did it by speaking a word…And so in the beginning was the Word. Please get out your Bibles. Read chapter 1, verse 1 to 16.

What strikes me in these 15 verses is the word ALL is used 5 times…
(vs. 3) ALL things came into being through him.
(vs. 4) What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of ALL people.
(vs. 7) …so that ALL might believe through him.
(vs. 12) But to ALL who receive him…he gave power to become children of God.
(vs. 16) From his fullness we have ALL received, grace upon grace.

Could it be that the reason we celebrate Epiphany, God’s presence in the world, is as a reminder that Jesus came to save ALL people. The gospel writers could have stopped with the Jewish virgin and carpenter, the shepherds and angels. But they don’t. At the very beginning of his young life, Jesus, God incarnate in human flesh, was celebrated by ALL with eyes to see…be they Jewish or Gentile, poor or rich, male or female, common folk or power brokers.

The scripture lessons this morning remind us that God will act in the world—in God’s time and in God’s way. It’s up to us to be aware of God’s presence and respond. Christmas says Christ is here, born into the world. Epiphany says it’s up to us to find him, and it may not be easy.

In the December 28th issue of our United Methodist (UM) Reporter, there was an article reviewing our UM church in 2007. One of the sections, entitled Disaster Relief stated that “More than 63,000 UM volunteers from 42 states, two foreign countries and 60 annual conferences have come to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina since August 2005. 63,000 surely is a short count as it probably doesn’t include all the individuals from UM churches that went on their own or with a friend.

I must admit I felt some pride knowing that so many people in my church responded by actually going down to the affected area and helping. 63,000 persons left their comfort zone in order to respond to God’s call and I imagine there are at least 63,000 stories of how they experienced the presence of Christ during their trip.

Epiphany calls us to take some responsibility for finding God in our lives. God is out there, alive and working to bring about light in the corners of darkness in our world, in our lives. Can we be Magi-like and remember to:

Pay attention to God’s messages.
Move out of your comfort zone. Be willing to ask for information from those who have it. Discern when you find the truth. Having found the truth, have the courage to act on it.

The Message of Jesus Christ is a message for ALL the people and as such will not be exclusively for us Christians. Let’s be sure that we are paying attention and are continuing to seek God’s truth for our lives so that the light of the Christ child will live in and work through us. What a wondrous gift that would be for ALL people.

Posted by vickie at January 6, 2008 10:00 AM