2022 01 02

Sermon for January 2, 2022 House of Prayer Lutheran Church Rev. Karl-John N. Stone

observed as The Epiphany of Our Lord Matthew 2:1-12

What was the star of Bethlehem that inspired the Wise Men to look for the Christ child? The phenomenon that the gospel of Matthew describes might be referring to the “Great Conjuncture” [https://astronomy.com/news/2020/12/the-star-of-bethlehem-can-science-explain-what-it-really-was]. This began on August 12, 3 BC when Jupiter and Venus were 1/10^th of a degree apart in the dawn sky. These planets continued to appear close to each other for most of the next year, until they seemed to merge into a single very bright star on June 12, 2 BC. Five years before that, in 7 BC, another phenomenon occurred when Jupiter and Saturn had three conjunctures in the constellation Pisces.

We can’t know for sure if one or more these particular astronomical events inspired the magi. But the fact remains that throughout history, human beings have been fascinated by observing the night sky, and seek deeper meaning and understanding in the workings of the universe. Even today, the James Webb telescope has been launched into space, and it will help us gain greater scientific understanding into the origins of the universe.

We don’t know why or how the wise men in the gospel came to associate this special star (that they observed from their home in Persia) with a child who had been born “king of the Jews”, or why they felt the need to travel so far from home to pay him homage. But it seems they were looking for deeper meaning in life, and were willing to let their curiosity guide them in faith.

Contrast the magi with King Herod, who was installed as ruler in Jerusalem by the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus, who observed that “it was safer to be Herod’s pig than Herod’s son”—because Herod was such a brutal man, who had little interest in life’s meaning besides his own power. He was so ruthless that he murdered one of his wives and several sons when he suspected they were plotting against him. Despite the false modesty he proclaimed to the magi, he had no true interest in seeing the Messiah, because to him the Messiah was only a rival and a threat.

Presumably the same star that the wise men observed in the night sky would also have been visible to Herod. Yet he had no curiosity about it until the wise men came from far away and asked him about it. As we learn if we keep reading in the gospel of Matthew, Herod felt so threatened that he ordered all baby boys in Bethlehem under the age of 2 to be killed, and this turned Mary and Joseph into refugees, fleeing with the baby Jesus to Egypt for safety.

Herod was not open to being changed in any way by the Christ child. He was completely committed to living for himself and his own power, regardless of the consequences for others. Meanwhile Jesus would grow up to live as a shepherd for others, to serve and heal and bring people new life; and ultimately he willingly gave his life on the cross for the sake of love and mercy.

But before he grew up, and before he had to flee with his family from Bethlehem, the wise men famously gave Jesus three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. As we celebrate their story today, we also find three gifts that they left for us. Gifts of curiosity, generosity, and wisdom, which shine light like a “Great Conjuncture” of stars and planets in the night sky to bring deeper meaning to life.

The first gift was curiosity. They were curious about the heavens, and about the child who they believed the special star pointed them to, setting out on their journey even though they did not have everything figured out ahead of time. Likewise, we can never have everything about God or life figured out. We can never have the entire meaning of the scriptures figured out. We can never have all the phenomena of the natural world and universe figured out. And all of that is ok. There will always be more to learn and discover. In so many different ways in God’s amazing creation, people find things to be curious about, which might inspire them in some way to seek Christ, and to put their faith in God. As the Franciscans say, creation was the first Bible. And the magi, who came from a faraway land and a different religion than Jesus, were inspired by the workings of God’s creation. Because of their curiosity, God spoke to them way back then through their understanding of faith, and we should expect that the same thing happens today.

The second gift is generosity. Now, when you think about, it seems a bit odd that the magi would travel all that way for the sole purpose of giving the Christ child gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These items were gifts of grace and generosity to a family that was not expecting it, and who had nothing of material value to offer in return. We learn from the wise men that generosity itself is a worthwhile action—and that it is a reflection of God’s own nature, because God sent his Son into the world simply so that we would be able to experience a love and mercy which we’ve done nothing to earn but which we vitally need.

In seeking to be generous, the magi also did receive something in return. Through their travels and conversations, they had the opportunity to experience a different culture from their own, to see some new places, to be welcomed with hospitality into someone else’s home. Generosity is not only a way to help someone in need, or to show kindness, but it is also a chance to build connections across social classes and cultures, to develop friendships and strengthen relationships. All of these are things we need more of in the world today.

And the third gift they left for us is wisdom. Of course, we call these travelers from the East “wise men”, but the word for them in the Greek is “magi”—where we get the word “magician” from. But they were not entertainers, nor practitioners of sorcery; they were regarded as learned professors and priests because they could understand the working of the stars and planets.

In addition to their scientific study, maybe an overlooked aspect of their wisdom is that they paid attention to the warning in their dreams, and did not return to Herod after visiting the Christ child as Herod wanted them to do, but left for their own country by another road. They looked not on the surface of things—the grandeur and power of Herod versus the poverty and simplicity of the Holy Family. By seeing people as they truly are, down deep, and not by what they show just on the surface, the magi knew the danger that awaited because of Herod’s wrath. So by taking another road back home, they bought some time for Mary and Joseph to make their escape to Egypt.

They learned from their mistakes, as well. After taking the measure of Herod, the magi could see that it was a mistake to have told him who they had come to look for, and that it was a costly mistake because it put everyone in Bethlehem in danger. But a willingness to learn from our mistakes is one of the best paths to wisdom.

The more wisdom we gain, the more we realize how much we don’t know, and still need to learn. This kind of wisdom—when we embrace it—opens us up to the gift of God’s grace, who through Christ gives us everything we truly need. Amen.