Matthew 2:1-12
Mt 2:1 ¶ In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
2 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."
3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;
4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.
8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage."
9 ¶ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.
10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.
11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Epiphany is not one of the church’s major holidays--which is sad. Years ago, Christmas trees would go up Christmas Eve and stay up for the twelve days of Christmas which ended on January 6--Epiphany.
Now, trees and decorations go up after the trick-or-treaters go home and the trees are thrown out on the sidewalk along with the wrapping paper from the presents. We tend to think of Christmas as being over when the presents are unwrapped on the 25th of December, but that’s not how the early church envisioned it when it first began to observe Christmas.
Christmas is not a day, but a season, which ends in the Feast of the Epiphany.
So, what is Epiphany? The word simply means revelation, and recalls the occasion of Jesus Christ being revealed to the entire world. In Matthew’s version of the birth of Jesus, there are no angels singing in the heavens, no shepherds, no stable, no manger. Mary and Joseph are living in a house in Bethlehem, and no one has seen this newborn king until the Magi arrive from the East.
We call them wise men or kings, but they would be better described as shamans or sorcerers or astrologers. In Matthew’s time they could legitimately be called “wise men,” but in our culture, they’d be pretty shady. These were people, who, like modern astrologers, watched the stars in order to interpret the events of the day and predict the events of the future. It’s funny, really, that the modern church is so averse to astrology, yet we revere these fellows as “wise men.”
And, contrary to the hymn we sang earlier, we have no idea how many there were, and they certainly were not kings! But, they saw Jesus’ star and they came to see and to honor this new kings with gifts.
Interestingly, contemporary astronomy--not astrology--has determined that during the year 4 BCE, and interesting phenomenon occurred in the heavens. Three times that year, Jupiter (known as the king planet) crossed the orbit (from earth’s perspective) of Saturn--the planet which the ancient world associated with Bethlehem. These ancient watchers of the sky saw, not once, but three times the King planet going to the Bethlehem planet. What message did they get? The king is in Bethlehem.
It was clear to these stargazers that God was up to something big, and they needed to go and witness this thing, and to bring gifts--the best gifts they could. Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. Myrrh. Who brings myrrh to a baby shower?
Some preachers will dwell on the symbolic nature of the gifts--gold for Jesus’ royalty, frankincense for his divinity (because incense is used in worship), and myrrh, for his death, as it is used in embalming. St. Bernard of Clairvaux declared that such notions were rubbish.
Matthew intended only one point--these gifts were of tremendous value. We know gold is valuable, but frankincense and myrrh were rare, aromatic resins not native to Palestine. Their value would have made them extremely resourceful to Joseph and Mary. For example, I wonder how they financed their journey to Egypt that we studied last week? The point is, these were very expensive gifts befitting a king, or a messiah.
And then, they went back to their own country. As far as I’m concerned, that’s where this sermon really begins. Do you think they kept the king that they had seen in Bethlehem secret? I don’t think so. The traditions of the church--as well as its art--begins to depict the Magi in an unusually inclusive way. By the fifth century, the Magi take on names and ethnic identities. There was the African named Gaspar, the Asian named Melchior, and Balthassar from Europe.
By their convergence from the North, East, and South, they symbolically represent the entire world, invited by the signs in the night sky to be the first to see the newborn king, the savior of the world. Even before his own kind.
And so the tradition is also that these same three began to reveal the good news of Jesus Christ to the world, even before John the Baptist and even before Jesus proclaimed it. And that may be the best gift of all.
If the greatest gift to Jesus is revealing him to the world, what gifts do you bring this morning? I’m not talking about the offering, though that is one way we reveal Christ to the world. And if you haven’t completed an estimate of giving card for this year, that would a wonderful gift to bring to the Savior this morning.
There is no star in the sky, we must shine for him today. We can’t all be teachers, who work with children or adults. We can’t all be evangelists or preachers. But, there is one thing we all can do. We can, as Paul writes in the first chapter of Philippians, “live our lives worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Matthew writes the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount, that we are to let our light shine, not to call attention to ourselves, but so that God may be glorified. In other words, we can let Jesus shine through us--as individuals and as the church--in such a way those around us can’t help but see him. What’s that hymn we sing sometimes? “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.” The call to reveal Christ to the world is the call to love.
Epiphany is not just a day, but a season. We’ll be talking over the next few weeks about the many ways in which we can reveal Christ to the world. We have seen his star, and we have worshiped him. And now, there is Good News, Good News, indeed to share with the world. Let’s get to it.
Invitation to Communion
Just as the star drew the Magi to Bethlehem, Jesus Christ draws us to this table to remember his saving acts, to celebrate his presence, and to look forward to his coming again. The invitation is for all.
Offering Sentences
The first act of worship offered to Jesus was that of giving. When they had opened their treasures, they presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh--the best they had. Let us bring our gifts--our best--to honor the child.
Offertory Prayer
We come to you seeking to be wise women and men. Receive our gifts, and bless us as we bring them. Use them for the revealing of Christ and the growing of your kingdom in the world. In the name of Jesus our Christ, we pray. Amen.
Blessing
Go in peace--and take peace--into the world of human need. You are the body of Christ, and members of one another. Let us serve, honor, and love each other, that Christ may be revealed to the whole world. Amen.
FCC Sermons by Chris Whitehead
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