Guided By A Star
Text: Matthew 2:1-12 The scripture
today, from
Matthew's gospel,
gives us another
piece of the
Christmas story.
It is the story
of the wisemen
and the journey
they made as
they followed
the star to
worship the
newborn King.
There are many legends like this that speculate on who those visitors from the East were and what their purpose was. Who were they? How many were there? And where exactly did they come from? Where did they go after leaving Bethlehem and what did they do with this great news of the newborn Messiah? And what about that star? What exactly did it look like and how did they know to follow it? Where did it go? And more importantly, can we still see it today?! Matthew never tells us how many wise men there were, but we usually think of three. Another legend has given these men three names: Caspar…he bore the gift of frankincense. Frankincense was a gift for a priest and the chief function of a priest was to prepare the way for the people to God. The second was Melchior and he brought the gift of gold. Gold was the gift for a King to symbolize royalty. Balthasar brought the gift of myrrh. Myrrh was used as a medicine; for healing, and was also a gift for one who is to die because myrrh was used to embalm the bodies of the dead. These legends and others have helped to create the beautiful, familiar story we tell at Christmas about the wise men, their journey and the star that led them, and their gifts and the visit to the baby Jesus.
The story of
the wise men
bringing gifts
to the Christ
child has in
some ways become
the focal point
of our modern
celebration
at Christmas.
The gifts which
we exchange
with each other
are, in their
own ways, symbols
of the gifts
which were presented
to the Christ
child. We too,
in following
the star to
find the baby
Jesus, give
gifts to people
whom we love
and want to
express our
appreciation
for. Sometimes my world is hazy…cluttered with too many things, or too many calendar items, and I can't see that star at all. Sometimes the fog of my own ego gets in the way and I am selfish and don't want to see the needs of others around me. Sometimes the light of that star has just gotten really dim, and I forget what the true gifts are all about. If, as the old legend says, the star has settled into the city wall in Behlehem and can be seen by those whose hearts are pure and clean, I need a little "inner" house cleaning and "fresh vision" as I leave Christmas and enter this Epiphany season. Let me share with you a little bit of my gift-giving experience this Christmas season. I enjoy giving gifts to people, but not when under the pressure of a time clock, and this year I was not particularly inspired with good ideas. All of a sudden, it was the week of December 16 and we were busy at the church with moving into the new building and preparing for Christmas Eve. By that next Saturday I had none of my Christmas shopping done. I got into a panic and went on a shopping frenzy, looking for anything I could purchase to get the job done and cross people off my list. I headed out and arrived at the Arboretum on a Saturday morning. It was indeed a zoo in the parking lot and in the stores, but I made several trips around without incident. Later in the afternoon (when I should have been long gone anyway), I was circling the parking lot in front of Pottery Barn waiting for someone to come out and leave in their car, contemplating my list and how many more items I needed to purchase to just be finished.
I was also thinking
about a call
I had received
earlier in the
week from someone
telling me about
a friend from
college whose
father was in
the hospital
and not expected
to live through
the holidays.
"I'm sure
she would like
to hear from
you," he
said. Not now
God, I thought,
and in my crazed
need to get
everything done
on my list,
I rationalized
all the reasons
why I didn't
need to get
involved.
I suspect I'm
not the only
one here this
morning who's
had this experience
in the Christmas
season. And
it probably
won't be the
last time either.
But, I am reminded
as we enter
this season
of Epiphany
and read the
story of the
wise men and
their visit
to Jesus, that
the REAL gifts
are yet to be
shared. Those presents that we purchase and exchange with family and friends are really just symbols…symbols that should say, "Thank you God for the gift of Jesus born again into our lives and in our world. Thank you God for giving us, in that birth, the gifts of joy, love, healing and hope ….. And now God, show us (show ME) how to use my gifts in our hurting world. It seems to me that although in our busyness, tiredness, or self-centerdness, we sometimes lose sight of it, that star that guided those wise men so long ago is still guiding us, inviting us to share our real gifts with the world.
Today is Epiphany
Sunday - the
time when we
celebrate the
light of that
star and the
love that strengthens
us to go out
into the world
with our gifts.
The real gift-giving
has just begun.
Today is an
opportunity
for us to get
some "fresh
vision"
and recommit
ourselves to
go out in Christ's
name. But, Artaban gives his last gift to a young girl sold by her father as a slave to pay a debt. He is certain that rescuing her would be a deed of love and after all, he says to himself, "Isn't the ability to love the gift of the One True Great God?" At the conclusion of the story, Artaban hears a voice call softly to him, "You have been a good and faithful servant. I was hungry and you fed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was in prison and you visited me. Come now to the rest I have prepared for you. "Not so, Lord," whispers Artaban with the last of his strength. "When did I do all these things for you?" And the voice answered, "Whenever you helped one of my people in need, you helped me." The peace of understanding fell upon Artaban's soul and he smiled. His journey on earth was ended. His treasurers were accepted. The other wise man had found the King. Artaban never saw Jesus face to face, but his gifts were given to Christ in the giving of himself to others. As we prepare for Holy Communion, think about your journey. In what ways has the birth of this baby brought gifts into your life? How have you been touched by God's love through joy, love, healing, and hope? How might you take those gifts and offer them to your family, your friends, your coworkers, your community, and those you haven't yet met who need to know of God's love and healing? As you come to this table to be fed, and consider your journey, I invite you to come knowing that you are guided by the Star of God's love. Come to the altar where you have the opportunity to kneel in the presence of that newborn baby and be renewed by Christ's birth, life, and death. Use this feeding and this kneeling before Christ as an opportunity to offer your gifts to God. Pray for God's love to work within and through you in this new year. Many of you are familiar with Bob Lively and his weekly Saturday column in the Austin paper. Some years ago he told this story. He was flying in an airplane next to a young girl flying alone. She was a little nervous on the takeoff, so she held his hand, but said nothing. Later in the flight as she stared out the window into the night sky, she said to him, "Hey mister, do you know why God put stars in the sky?" When he responded that he didn't know, she said; "Because the stars show us the way home." As we enter 2003 and this Epiphany season, let us pray for God's star to guide us home. Let us pray:
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