"Saying 'Yes' to God!"
Sermon Presented January 6, 2008
The Epiphany of Our Lord
Matthew 2:1-12
When I was in elementary school, I took Expression Lessons from Miss Antoinette Schwien, an elderly woman who also taught my mom when she was a child. Miss Schwien taught us to read with expression - and memorize short plays and poems. She was a stickler for good manners and correct English grammar. (Children like me with no musical talent could still take lessons.)
Miss Schwien was a good Catholic who observed Advent and Epiphany. For this Southern Baptist girl, that was all new! She didn't put up her Christmas decorations until Christmas Eve and didn't pack them away until after January 6th, the Epiphany of Our Lord, the celebration of the coming of the wise men. At my house, the Christmas decorations went up immediately after Thanksgiving and came down the day after Christmas, so I enjoyed Christmas a little longer at her home.
It wasn't until about 20 years ago that I understood that the Season of Epiphany is more than a celebration of the coming of the wise men. It isn't something tacked onto Christmas to make the season last longer, but a time to look for God's guidance through new manifestations. Our text is Matthew 2:1-12.
Ever since I can remember, I was told that practicing astrology was sinful! Good Christians didn't read their horoscopes because to do so was to rely on something other than God for guidance. And yet, here we find that men who relied on the alignment of the stars to make predictions were the ones to find the child Jesus. So why did God work through Gentile astronomers - the Magi - to discover what the Jews couldn't find?
My guess is that only astrologers would understand the significance of that brilliant star. Only they could interpret the star as heralding the birth of the king of the Jews - even though they weren't Jews! Only they would follow a star across miles and miles of terrain into a strange land! And I might surmise that only they would be so determined to discover where the star led that they would sacrifice their macho image and stop and ask for directions. Paying attention to stars was their passion, and so they followed a brilliant star to Jesus and worshiped him. By following the star, they said "yes" to the One who sent the star.
Not everyone has a passion for something, but some of you do! I imagine that if Les or Tasha knew they could play a Stradivarius instrument, they would find a way to do so. I'd bet that if Lawrence were invited to participate in an archeological dig that most certainly held scrolls and artifacts from the first century, he would move mountains to be there. Or if Sara knew that she could sit down with the original hand-written manuscript of Pride and Prejudice, she would jump at the chance. It's that kind of passion that spurred the astrologers to follow the star. They wanted to participate in that momentous event, and so they went!
But when they arrive at the city of Jerusalem - the city of kings - they don't know how to proceed. They are at a crossroad and there isn't a gas station where they can ask for directions. However, they stop and inquire where the King of the Jews is to be born.
King Herod to the rescue! Herod believes his reign is threatened and so he asks for the information so he can intervene. The priests and scribes tell him that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, so he sends the wise men off with the request to bring him word of what they find. When these foreign travelers find Jesus, they are overjoyed and the text says that they worship him through the giving of valuable gifts. Then after being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they take an alternate route home.
The message of Advent is to stay alert for the coming of Jesus. The message of the Epiphany is to be open to follow the light we are given to find God in new ways. But in order to accomplish this goal, we need to say yes to God time and time again.
I don't believe that the magi had the understanding that they were following God - or that they were on a spiritual journey. They weren't acquainted with the God of Israel. Yet God spoke to them through a star - their passion - and they followed. They stayed alert to stars and dreams. When they thought they might lose the way, they asked for help. They continued to push on - seeking what lay at the end of the journey. They sought and then discovered the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow" - "the pearl of great price" - God's son, the promised Messiah of the Jews. By being open to newness, they found God!
When we make the choice to follow God through a personal relationship with Jesus - when we say yes and begin the journey - we experience great passion and a sense of God's presence, but other times when the light is dim, we wonder if the light even exists. When the light is dim, we need to seek help. It's unlikely that a person will have a productive solitary journey.
Last week a woman called to learn more about the church and about me. She asked what I did to strengthen my spiritual life. She wanted to find out if I read the same authors that she reads, because she wanted to see if our theology was compatible. Besides reading authors she hasn't heard of, I told her that I seek guidance from a spiritual director and that I see her once a month. It's easy for ministers to spend so much time in sermon preparation and other ministry and administrative duties that our spiritual lives wither and die. A spiritual guide serves me well. The spiritual life is not a solitary life.
I invite you to think of someone who came along side of you to help you on your journey with Jesus. It may have been a parent, grandparent, friend, pastor, Sunday school teacher, school teacher or neighbor. Some of our guides are there for the long haul and others for only a short time. When we are open to see the light - and open to see our need for greater illumination, God will provide the star or the person or the dream to guide us.
We love to tell others of our moments of epiphany - when we found God anew. However, we tend to gloss over the rough times - the times of physical and emotional pain - the times of doubt - that often serve as the catalyst to bring us to God. It's the broken relationship, the awareness of an addiction, the loss of a loved one through death, a financial setback, or a health crisis that often causes us to seek new light and experience epiphany.
I received a call yesterday from a friend whose daughter died Friday night. She has now lost 3 of her 4 children and a step child. She mentioned how tired she is. My friend desperately needs a glimpse of light from God.
Last Monday the Journal Sentinel had a front page article on Marty Stein, a philanthropist who died of cancer two years ago at the age of 68. Stein retired in his early 40's as a very wealthy man. His passion in life was to make a difference in the lives of those with the greatest needs, and that's what he pursued in retirement. He followed God's light to address specific causes - the United Way, Hunger Task Force, St. Ann's Center for Intergenerational Care, Junior Achievement, the Black Holocaust Museum, various Jewish causes, and especially the plight of Milwaukee children in need of guidance and financial assistance for education. Through the light of Stein's gift that keeps on giving and giving - even after death - the light of God shines into the lives of those in need.
We need to look for the rays of light God sends to our lives. When we are alert, we will see that our epiphany moments come as a chance encounter, a statement heard or read, a moment when we are alone with God in prayer and silence, or through one who walks along side us as friend or family member. When we are open to such a moment, we are more likely to experience God.
I invite you this morning to take a fresh look at the stars before you. I invite you to push aside your fear of the unknown, and say yes to God. The wise men were prepared to find the messiah at the end of their journey. They brought gifts along with them. They were open to change their plans as they followed the star and they even returned home by a different way. They are called wise men because of how they lived!
You may be at a crossroads this very moment. Are you willing to wait for the necessary illumination before proceeding on your journey? Do you have the light, but can't get started? God's Spirit will help us to see a new direction if we are open to newness. The journey is as valuable as the final destination. Do you have the courage to say yes to God?
