January 12, 2025 Sermon
Sermon title: “The Wise Men Arrive”
Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12
(Other lectionary suggestions include Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 72:1-7 and 10-14, and Ephesians 3:1-12.)
Matthew 2:1-12
The Visit of the Wise Men
1In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, “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.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They 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.’ ” 7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then 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.” 9When 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. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On 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. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
This sermon probably should have been preached last Sunday, which was Epiphany Sunday, the day that celebrates when the Wise Men arrived to find Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus. But I read a few things that made me want to return to the story of the Magi, or astrologers, which is what and who the Wise Men were.
First of all, notice that Jesus was NOT born into wonderful times. The Roman Empire ruled, and the Empire’s puppet king, Herod the Great, would have done anything - and DID! - to maintain power. According to Diana Butler Bass, “The story of the Wise Men is the hinge between Christmas and Epiphany. At the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas, this stark story warns that the birth of peace and justice will be intertwined with imperial treachery and violence.”
Herod was an awful man. He was so jealous of anybody taking his power he killed members of his own family! He had killed his brother-in-law, his wife’s grandfather, his wife, her mother, and two of his own sons. “He invited the visitors from the East,” according to today’s Scripture reading, “to his palace as guests. He listened to their tale of the star and offered them safe passage through the kingdom. Posing as a man of faith, he tried to trick them into revealing where this future ruler lived.” You heard him say it in today’s reading: “When you have found him, bring me word so I may also go and pay him homage.”
The Wise Men DID find the baby Jesus. But they were warned in a dream NOT to go back to Herod. So -- to quote Diana Butler Bass-- “They went home by another road.”
As you know, when Herod realized that he had been tricked by three spiritual seekers, he flew into a rage. And Matthew tells us that he sent his soldiers to kill all the male children who were two years old and younger in and around Bethlehem. It’s a TERRIBLE story, but it still rings true today. Do you think innocent children were spared in Ukraine? You KNOW they were not. How about those in Gaza and the Sudan? Innocent children suffered there, too. Says Diana Butler Bass: “The Christmas story ends with a tragedy. It begins with the announcement of the birth of a child; it concludes with the murder of many.” She goes on to say, “Christmas does not come easily. Peace on Earth terrifies and threatens those who have prospered under the old order. Corrupt kings will lie and murder - do anything - to stop the possibility of God’s dream made manifest in the world. Herod was one more such tyrant in the brutal history of tyrants. When it comes to human governments, there will be good rulers and there will be mediocre ones. But there will be oppressors and despots aplenty - even after the Prince of Peace is born. Another Herod always awaits, standing at the ready, evil intentions primed to execution.”
Lutheran minister Diane House from a small town in Wisconsin says this: “In the darkness of the reign of King Herod, God sends the hopeful light of Christ in the small body of the baby Jesus. Make no mistake, this small baby challenges the power and authority of Herod....Matthew tells us in verse 3, ‘When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him.’ ”
The gifts the Wise Men bring indicate the challenge this little baby brings to the world. “Matthew uses the image of these gifts to proclaim that all-powerful, rich, worldly rulers will eventually come to kneel in humble worship of the true God who is made known in the life, death, and resurrection of this infant, Jesus.”
It is a powerful message that God’s light of love will overcome the power of sin and death. Has it? Did it? You and I need to walk in faith and trust. “We {{need to}} have faith that the light of God will light our way, sometimes just one step at a time, and that is enough, because we know that God is present in the darkness.”
Diana Butler Bass is a little more severe. She asks, “What do we do when Herod is on the throne?” Her answer: “Be like the magi, those ancient wise men. Do not obey in advance. Discern deceit; trust the truth. Be brave. Following a star means moving at night. Sometimes the night will be very dark indeed. Keep on the journey; trust the way. The star will stop. We can kneel, worship, choose joy. Even when Herod enacts his evil schemes, God is with us. Love is here, born into the world. Offer your gifts,” she says. “Travel light. Give thanks. Pay attention to your dreams. And, whatever you do, take another road home.”
There was a preacher by the name of Howard Thurman. This is from him. “When the song of the angels has stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost, To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among others,
To make music in the heart.”
Amen.
Pastor Skip
