A Sermon delivered to All Saints Anglican Church at the Chapel of St. Mary's Hospital, Huntington WV. Based on Matthew 2: 1-12
Epiphany Sunday 2008
Today we celebrate the visit of the magi to Jesus. These men are almost entirely mysterious to us today. They make their first appearance after the birth of Christ, pay him a quick visit and then disappear from the narrative as quickly as they showed up. They are of course exotic, and they make for wonderfully colorful figures in the crèche’s and nativity scenes that are so ubiquitous this time of year. But they are also figures who represent to us something very important about the nature of faith and it’s interaction with knowledge. Namely, that human wisdom can be used by God to discover His plans, but it takes an active faith to meet the God we learn about.
Let’s look at some of the ways the Wise men were indeed wise, and how they used their wisdom to find the Lord:
Now we know that the Magi came from the east. They were apparently students of the stars; astrologers and philosophers in the best sense. Probably schooled in the mystery religions, they knew that when a new star arose, that it was a portent, a sign of something that God was doing. They were wise in the cosmic ways of God – they knew he works through heavenly signs.
But they were wise in another way: they knew that it would not be sufficient to merely see the star and realize that God was up to something. No, they understood that once they discerned something, they had to act on it. They had to take the information they had discerned and combine it with faithful action – they had to go worship this newborn king.
Now notice that these magi were not about diplomatic networking with local kings. If that was their goal, they could have stopped at Herod’s house, hobnobbed with him, given him some rich gifts and then be on their way with no trouble. Instead, they stopped at Herod’s place just long enough to ask him where they could find the newborn King of the Jews – again, so that they might worship him. Their simple request created consternation with Herod and with the whole of Jerusalem as well! Not exactly something diplomatic to do!
I believe that God intended this visit to shake up Herod and Jerusalem and to give them a prophetic notice that it was time to do as the wise men were doing – to bring their prideful self-will into faithful obedience, and to follow the Magi in worshipping Jesus the King. Curiously, Herod does show a certain perverse kind of faith. He seems to trust the prophetic Word enough to inquire where the Christ was to be born. He also seems to implicitly recognize that the wise men had discerned something that was potentially BIG. But instead of combining his knowledge with faithful action, he schemes and lies in order to gain information so that he can protect his own skin and kingdom!
If the Magi are paradigms of Good Men, Herod is the epitome of the bad, faithless man. Even without knowing much about the man himself, we sense from the text that he is up to no good. He’s a snake in the grass. But the wise men are wise enough not to call him out on his intentions. Rather, they nod and go their way, intent on seeking Jesus – perhaps even believing that Herod was sincere in his desire to worship the child.
And God graciously leads them. Many modern day astronomers have undertaken to explain the nature of the new star that led the Magi. Once, when I was about 13, I remember going to our high school library one evening in Advent with my parents and listening to a lecture about something called a ‘heliacal rise”. I don’t have a clue about this now, but I remember thinking that this guy is trying very hard to explain something that is inherently mysterious.
As I read this text, it almost seems as if the miracle of the star may have been a sort of Command Performance – a special star that God caused to appear to the wise men in order to lead them to Jesus- whether or not anyone else saw it.
Again, however, let’s point out that if others did see this star, they did not combine their knowledge with faithful action as the Magi did or they too would have shown up from many points on the compass, rejoicing as the Magi did, at the appearance of the star and following it to Jesus.
In verse 11 of our text, we see the climax of their search. The wise men came into the house where Jesus was with Mary, and they fell down and worshiped him. They gave him the symbolic gifts fit for a king - gifts that also foreshadowed the burial and entombment of this king – and they worshipped him. In others words, they gave him the praise and ascribed to him the worth He was due. In modern parlance, they ‘came to Jesus” , they responded to the altar call, they laid their all on the altar and they Got SAVED! Their knowledge had led them to take faithful action and they were rewarded by finding the King they sought. And because this King was not to reign on earth, but to have a heavenly kingdom, the wise men then departed to go home.
And here is where we see that the Magi were not only wise in all the ways we have discussed so far, but they were also smart enough to recognize a warning from God that came to them in a dream. Having been warned they obeyed the warning and went home by another way. Imagine how the story might have ended had they discounted the dream and gone back to Herod! Their obedience saved them and Jesus as well.
So out of this exotic and colorful story let’s derive some lessons for ourselves today:
1) Look for what God is doing in your world today.
At our Vestry retreat yesterday, Rev. Ron Crum stressed this point by urging us to find out what is our present reality. Not WWJD – What would Jesus do? But WIJD – What is Jesus Doing? For us as All Saints Anglican Church, Jesus has clearly led us to band together and stand for the Historical Faith Once Delivered. He is clearly encouraging us in our worship by gifting us with the use of this beautiful Chapel - that we didn’t have to build or maintain! It’s been done and is being done for us! We are free to enjoy the beauty of our surroundings which affirms one of our core values as a worshipping body - the Beauty of Liturgical Sacramental Worship. God is helping us to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
2) Use your intellect to discern God’s purposes. As Anglicans, we value the right use of reason and preserving the orthodox faith we have received – that which we call the Tradition with a Capitol T. We can use our minds to help us pursue what seems to be good to us and to the Holy Spirit (ACTS 15). Jim Akers presented to us some of his research about CANA and the Anglican Mission in the Americas. We learned some new things that might affect our decision-making, and it was very helpful.
3) Combine belief with faithful action. Go and seek Jesus, and worship Him. I commend you all for doing just that as you have left places that may not have been worshipping Christ, in order to follow an “uncertain star” (ASAC) that leads to faithful worship of our God. Our next faithful action as a body will be to apply to actually apply to either CANA and or AMiA.
4) Beware of Herod! Watch out for those who feign belief in order to destroy you and your faith. (Enough Said!)
5) Worship God with the Best you can muster. Bring him your precious gifts of God Frankincense and Myrhh, fit for a King. Ascribe to the Lord the Honor due His name. If the wise men thought it was important enough for them, it’s important enough for us too! I wear a signet ring with the letters DOM, a traditional Benedictine slogan. The letters stand for Deo Optimo Maximo – To God the Highest and the Best. This is the attitude with which I wish to serve God. I hope you do too.
6) Pay attention to warnings. God may be trying to get your attention! Over and over again in the first chapters of the Gospels, we read of angels coming to deliver messages to Mary, to Joseph, to the Shepherds, and to the wise men. Some times these messages come through open visions, and sometimes and more ominously they come through dreams. God loves you enough to warn you when you’re about to get into trouble. Pay attention and Herod won’t kill you; pay attention to your dreams – God may be leading you to something wonderful!
I’d like to close by reiterating the collect for the day as our closing prayer: O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Epiphany Sunday 2008
Today we celebrate the visit of the magi to Jesus. These men are almost entirely mysterious to us today. They make their first appearance after the birth of Christ, pay him a quick visit and then disappear from the narrative as quickly as they showed up. They are of course exotic, and they make for wonderfully colorful figures in the crèche’s and nativity scenes that are so ubiquitous this time of year. But they are also figures who represent to us something very important about the nature of faith and it’s interaction with knowledge. Namely, that human wisdom can be used by God to discover His plans, but it takes an active faith to meet the God we learn about.
Let’s look at some of the ways the Wise men were indeed wise, and how they used their wisdom to find the Lord:
Now we know that the Magi came from the east. They were apparently students of the stars; astrologers and philosophers in the best sense. Probably schooled in the mystery religions, they knew that when a new star arose, that it was a portent, a sign of something that God was doing. They were wise in the cosmic ways of God – they knew he works through heavenly signs.
But they were wise in another way: they knew that it would not be sufficient to merely see the star and realize that God was up to something. No, they understood that once they discerned something, they had to act on it. They had to take the information they had discerned and combine it with faithful action – they had to go worship this newborn king.
Now notice that these magi were not about diplomatic networking with local kings. If that was their goal, they could have stopped at Herod’s house, hobnobbed with him, given him some rich gifts and then be on their way with no trouble. Instead, they stopped at Herod’s place just long enough to ask him where they could find the newborn King of the Jews – again, so that they might worship him. Their simple request created consternation with Herod and with the whole of Jerusalem as well! Not exactly something diplomatic to do!
I believe that God intended this visit to shake up Herod and Jerusalem and to give them a prophetic notice that it was time to do as the wise men were doing – to bring their prideful self-will into faithful obedience, and to follow the Magi in worshipping Jesus the King. Curiously, Herod does show a certain perverse kind of faith. He seems to trust the prophetic Word enough to inquire where the Christ was to be born. He also seems to implicitly recognize that the wise men had discerned something that was potentially BIG. But instead of combining his knowledge with faithful action, he schemes and lies in order to gain information so that he can protect his own skin and kingdom!
If the Magi are paradigms of Good Men, Herod is the epitome of the bad, faithless man. Even without knowing much about the man himself, we sense from the text that he is up to no good. He’s a snake in the grass. But the wise men are wise enough not to call him out on his intentions. Rather, they nod and go their way, intent on seeking Jesus – perhaps even believing that Herod was sincere in his desire to worship the child.
And God graciously leads them. Many modern day astronomers have undertaken to explain the nature of the new star that led the Magi. Once, when I was about 13, I remember going to our high school library one evening in Advent with my parents and listening to a lecture about something called a ‘heliacal rise”. I don’t have a clue about this now, but I remember thinking that this guy is trying very hard to explain something that is inherently mysterious.
As I read this text, it almost seems as if the miracle of the star may have been a sort of Command Performance – a special star that God caused to appear to the wise men in order to lead them to Jesus- whether or not anyone else saw it.
Again, however, let’s point out that if others did see this star, they did not combine their knowledge with faithful action as the Magi did or they too would have shown up from many points on the compass, rejoicing as the Magi did, at the appearance of the star and following it to Jesus.
In verse 11 of our text, we see the climax of their search. The wise men came into the house where Jesus was with Mary, and they fell down and worshiped him. They gave him the symbolic gifts fit for a king - gifts that also foreshadowed the burial and entombment of this king – and they worshipped him. In others words, they gave him the praise and ascribed to him the worth He was due. In modern parlance, they ‘came to Jesus” , they responded to the altar call, they laid their all on the altar and they Got SAVED! Their knowledge had led them to take faithful action and they were rewarded by finding the King they sought. And because this King was not to reign on earth, but to have a heavenly kingdom, the wise men then departed to go home.
And here is where we see that the Magi were not only wise in all the ways we have discussed so far, but they were also smart enough to recognize a warning from God that came to them in a dream. Having been warned they obeyed the warning and went home by another way. Imagine how the story might have ended had they discounted the dream and gone back to Herod! Their obedience saved them and Jesus as well.
So out of this exotic and colorful story let’s derive some lessons for ourselves today:
1) Look for what God is doing in your world today.
At our Vestry retreat yesterday, Rev. Ron Crum stressed this point by urging us to find out what is our present reality. Not WWJD – What would Jesus do? But WIJD – What is Jesus Doing? For us as All Saints Anglican Church, Jesus has clearly led us to band together and stand for the Historical Faith Once Delivered. He is clearly encouraging us in our worship by gifting us with the use of this beautiful Chapel - that we didn’t have to build or maintain! It’s been done and is being done for us! We are free to enjoy the beauty of our surroundings which affirms one of our core values as a worshipping body - the Beauty of Liturgical Sacramental Worship. God is helping us to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
2) Use your intellect to discern God’s purposes. As Anglicans, we value the right use of reason and preserving the orthodox faith we have received – that which we call the Tradition with a Capitol T. We can use our minds to help us pursue what seems to be good to us and to the Holy Spirit (ACTS 15). Jim Akers presented to us some of his research about CANA and the Anglican Mission in the Americas. We learned some new things that might affect our decision-making, and it was very helpful.
3) Combine belief with faithful action. Go and seek Jesus, and worship Him. I commend you all for doing just that as you have left places that may not have been worshipping Christ, in order to follow an “uncertain star” (ASAC) that leads to faithful worship of our God. Our next faithful action as a body will be to apply to actually apply to either CANA and or AMiA.
4) Beware of Herod! Watch out for those who feign belief in order to destroy you and your faith. (Enough Said!)
5) Worship God with the Best you can muster. Bring him your precious gifts of God Frankincense and Myrhh, fit for a King. Ascribe to the Lord the Honor due His name. If the wise men thought it was important enough for them, it’s important enough for us too! I wear a signet ring with the letters DOM, a traditional Benedictine slogan. The letters stand for Deo Optimo Maximo – To God the Highest and the Best. This is the attitude with which I wish to serve God. I hope you do too.
6) Pay attention to warnings. God may be trying to get your attention! Over and over again in the first chapters of the Gospels, we read of angels coming to deliver messages to Mary, to Joseph, to the Shepherds, and to the wise men. Some times these messages come through open visions, and sometimes and more ominously they come through dreams. God loves you enough to warn you when you’re about to get into trouble. Pay attention and Herod won’t kill you; pay attention to your dreams – God may be leading you to something wonderful!
I’d like to close by reiterating the collect for the day as our closing prayer: O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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