Paying Homage

Reverend Ann Beaty
Tarrytown United Methodist Church

January 9, 2011

Matthew 2:1-12

“As long as they could see it, they knew they weren’t alone.”  As I consider the meaning of the journey of the kings long ago and how it speaks to us today, I think I am most struck by this statement.  It’s not in the scripture exactly that way, but it is certainly implied in the way Matthew tells their story.

They see the star and trust that even at their far distance from it, it is indeed the star of Jesus.  They would have had to travel a long way on dark and dangerous roads to get to it.  And, they were willing to start out even though they weren’t really sure where they were headed. 

They go first to Jerusalem to inquire about where they might find Jesus.  They have come to pay him “homage” – defined as:  “special honor or respect shown publicly”.  They learn from King Herod (and his is a whole other story!) that the baby can be found in Bethlehem.  And once again, they set out on dark and dangerous roads to continue following the star to the place where Jesus is staying with his mother and father.  Do we see the star today?  And more importantly, do we live in that light with the assurance that we are not alone?

Several years ago I read an article that asked this question:  “Could the wise men have located the Christ child with modern navigational technology?”  The author, Robert Clapp, suggested that unlike our previous ancestors who relied on the sky for much knowledge about direction, we have “lost the sky”. 

He goes on to write that he had recently read that the US Navy has stopped teaching celestial navigation.  Satellites and global positioning systems have rendered the stars obsolete, or as they say…”unnecessary to knowing where you are.”

Now, I must admit – I love my Garmin GPS that goes everywhere with me in the car – in town and on trips in unknown places.  It gives me assurance that someone with more knowledge than I have has mapped out the path and I can trust that I will arrive if I follow the commands given to me. 

But even in recognizing the value of GPS, I’m intrigued by this move of the Navy and I wonder if in “losing the sky” have we lost touch with something that offers us a greater reality that guides us?”

In our lives that are complicated and busy and filled with so much, have we lost track of where to look to find the star that guides us to Jesus – can we see the star that assures us that we aren’t alone?

I’ve told this story before, but I think it bears repeating – especially today as we consider the wise men and their journey with the star.  It was written by Bob Lively – a Presbyterian pastor – and printed in the Austin newspaper some years ago.

“I stumbled down the airport concourse toward my plane in a state somewhere between tiredness and exhaustion and collapsed into the seat that had been designed in the holy cause of efficiency.  I then propped my feet on my briefcase, pried open the pages of a book and sought to escape.  Just a few moments had passed when the flight attendant came down the aisle towards me.

‘Sir, she said, ‘there is a little girl who flies with us every week.  Her name is Amy and she is frightened of takeoffs.  It really helps if she can sit by someone and hold their hand during takeoff.  Would you mind?’  I said I’d be honored.  Within moments Amy climbed into the seat next to the window.  She wasn’t one for conversation.  She acknowledged my introduction with a simple nod and turned away towards the window, clutching a doll that seemed to be her single friend in those miles that separated her now-divorced parents.

The engines roared in preparation for take off, and Amy grabbed my hand and squeezed it.  Together we shared an uneasy silence while the plane pushed up through the clouds.  As the plane reached a place of smoothness, Amy released her grip, and I watched as she studied the night stars beyond the small window. 

It was then that she stunned me with this question:  ‘Hey mister do you know why God put stars in the sky?’  When I allowed that I didn’t, she turned to me and said:  ‘Because the stars show us the way home.’”

Bob goes on to write:  “I’ve decided that young Amy was right.  Centuries ago three kings found their way home when they were led by a mysterious star to a barn where a baby wrapped in rags lay in a feed bin.  Countless millions of us have also been guided home by following the same star shining brightly against the shadows of our fears, addictions, confusion, pain and all the dark nights of our soul when we feel very alone.

You won’t locate this particular star through the window of an airliner.  Nor will you find it etched on a map of the heavens.  Science can’t view it even through the most powerful telescope, because the star that guided the wise men to a manger can only be seen through the lens of child like faith.

If we are courageous enough to follow that light shining in the darkness, we will inevitably discover the most amazing of all truths under heaven – that the star leads us to love – to the place we call grace.

Bob is suggesting that the star led the wise men home to a place of grace. If we believe the gospel story told at Christmas, then we can believe that the star still shines today and it also leads us home to God – to a place of grace – to love.

We see the star when we touch those places of love that God puts before use every day – in those we love, in the simple beauty around us, in the gift of community.

We see the star when we acknowledge that we aren’t perfect and we need help from God and from each other to walk on the path of life and faith because there are indeed many dark and dangerous places we travel.

We see the star when we come to worship and bible study and prayer and open ourselves before God to receive healing and mercy.  We see the star when we come to the table for this meal of Holy Communion – and we are touched and fed once again by the presence of Christ to find the courage we need to walk the road before us.

Maybe tonight I will walk outside, and look up into the sky for just a moment and see a star shining somewhere.  Or, if the city lights and clouds cover them, I’ll still pause for a moment and remember that they are there – shining in the darkness just as God’s love is shining in all my places of darkness and in all the places of darkness in the world. 

And just for a moment, I too will have traveled to Bethlehem and seen for myself the birth of this baby.

  Like the wise men, I can be assured of the good news of God’s love born at Christmas and I can pay homage… I can give thanks to God for the amazing gift of never-ending love.