January 7, 2018: "Star Gazing"

THE WORD IN THE GOSPEL  Matthew 2:1-12

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.”

When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was troubled with him. He gathered all the chief priests and the legal experts and asked them where the Christ was to be born. They said, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote:

“You, Bethlehem, land of Judah, by no means are you least among the rulers of Judah, because from you will come one who governs, who will shepherd my people Israel.”

Then Herod secretly called for the magi and found out from them the time when the star had first appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you’ve found him, report to me so that I too may go and honor him.”

When they heard the king, they went; and look, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Because they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.

MESSAGE     “Star-gazing”

If you were at the Christmas Eve morning service, and saw our children’s pageant, you might remember that as the “mother” in the pageant told the Christmas story to her children, she mentioned that there are some differences between the way the story is told in the Bible, and the way we like to portray it in our Christmas carols and nativity scenes and pageants.

For instance, the Bible doesn’t say anything about animals in the stable, but we like to imagine that the baby Jesus was surrounded by gentle sheep and cattle.

Today’s story from the gospel of Matthew doesn’t say a word about three kings riding camels – all it says is that magi, or wise men, came from the east to Jerusalem. Neither does it say that it happened right after Jesus was born. And yet, we like to see those kings in our nativity scenes, and we love to sing the carol, “We Three Kings.”

But in fact, it seems pretty implausible that these magi arrived in Bethlehem so soon after Jesus was born. They had traveled many miles and stopped first in Jerusalem to ask people about this baby who was supposed to be King of the Jews. Most scholars believe that the magi visited Jesus when he was around two years old.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with all these “extras” – all these props and lovely details that we add to the stories – as long as they don’t detract us from the deep truth of the stories.

So . . . what if we were to look past the three kings and the camels and the pageantry, and ask, who were these guys, really – these magi – these wise men – and what’s up with that star they were following?

I think one of the main points of this story about the magi and the star is that God was working in the lives of these men to lead them to this baby who would grow up to be the ultimate revelation of God’s love and God’s ways for all humanity.

But God didn’t just choose some random guys to look up one night and notice some star wandering across the sky. No, God chose men who were able to notice and appreciate the star for what it was. These magi were able to discern, pay attention to, and follow the star because they were highly educated and well-trained astrologers, who spent a lot of time studying the stars and the heavens, looking for signs and trying to determine the future through astrology. So it makes sense that they – of all people – would notice, among the millions of stars in the night sky, that one new star, or that one star that appeared in a different location in the sky.

God worked through the knowledge and experience of these magi, and gave them a sign that they were sure to notice, in order to lead them to Jesus.

In other words, the magi were ready – they had the skills, the knowledge, and the experience that would make it possible for them to sit up and take notice when that one subtle little star made its appearance.

The magi were ready. Are we?

I think some people believe that God will lead us through life by giving us clear and obvious signs. All we have to do is keep our eyes and ears open as we go on our way.

I also think too many people believe that simply listening to what other people tell them about God and Jesus and the Bible is all they need to navigate through life and to faithfully follow God’s ways.

But I’m not sure that’s enough. One hour of worship a week isn’t enough to prepare us properly to see the signs that point to Jesus.

I mean, I’m honored that you come here and listen to me preach each week, and that you give some kind of credence and authority to what I say. But no matter how brilliant (or not) my sermon might be, it’s not enough.

I think we all need to do more to be ready so we can follow the signs that God provides. Because sometimes those signs are very subtle, and if we’re not prepared to notice them, we can easily miss them altogether.

So, in order to be ready, we need to make time to learn more about God. We need to read the Bible on our own, and to talk about it with other people, in Bible study, or in casual conversations. Like the magi, we need to develop the skills, the knowledge, and the experience so that we can discern those signs that will lead us to Jesus.

There are a lot of people in our society who are trying to show us “signs” of God’s ways and God’s will.

For instance, every time there’s some kind of natural or human-created tragedy, there are plenty of people who claim that the tragedy was a sign of God’s will, or of God’s judgment and punishment.

And there are plenty of political leaders who say that their party’s platform, their record, their views and opinions are all a sign of God’s will for our country.

Yep, there are a lot of people dangling bright, shiny stars in front of us, trying to convince us that those stars will lead us to God. The sad thing is, a lot of those stars lead away from God and God’s commandment to “love others as we love ourselves.”

So, like the magi, we need to be ready. We need to be informed. Not just about the issues. Not just about the politics. But about God’s intentions for our lives, our country, and our world. We need to learn all we can about what God wants us to do and about how God wants us to live so we can see and follow the stars that lead us to God from among all those other “stars” that people will dangle in front of us.

So my challenge for you in 2018 is to be wise like the magi, and to do what you can to be ready. Read the Bible more often – at least once a week – and especially read the gospels and the stories about Jesus. Ask questions about things you might not understand about the Bible or God or faith. Talk with your family or friends about what you read and learn. Borrow a Bible commentary from me or from our church library to learn even more. Come to Bible study. Ask me to share my own understanding of the Bible. Do whatever you can to prepare yourself to discern the true signs from the false signs, and to follow those sometimes very subtle signs that point us to God.

This is a Moravian Star. I have always loved these stars. I invite you to focus on this star as you prepare to share in the life of Jesus in our celebration of holy communion. May the image of this star, and may this meal, lead you ever closer to God and to God’s love as revealed in Jesus.