... The story continues... - Isaiah 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12
Have you taken down your Christmas tree yet? Are your stockings, string lights, candles, creches, and wreaths already back in storage, ready for next year? Or do you prefer to keep things out well into January, maybe hoping for the first snow on the ground to take down the decorations? Different households have different traditions about when the Christmas decorations come out and when they are put away. There is not one right way or designated time to put away the holiday decorations and get back to regular routines. You decide how long the to keep out the Christmas décor before you decide to decorate for another season or celebration.
This Sunday, we find ourselves in another stretch of in-between time in the church’s calendar. We celebrated the birth of Jesus with the angelic chorus and curious shepherds. We sang “Silent Night” and watched the candlelight spread in a dark sanctuary on Christmas Eve. Last Sunday, we sang more familiar hymns of the season and considered ways we make resolutions about how to be faithful to the love we find in Jesus in the new calendar year. This in-between time is centered around Epiphany, the recognition of the magi, their journey to follow the star, and their joy in finding Jesus with his parents. The season of Epiphany lasts until Transfiguration Sunday, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, when the season of Lent begins. This story shifts the focus from the preparations and birth of Jesus to his life. Some Biblical scholars think Jesus may have been a toddler at the time that the magi arrived and visited him. As we prepare our hearts for this season of transition, I invite you to listen to the story of the magi with openness. See how the Holy Spirit calls you to pay attention to this passage from the second chapter of the gospel of Matthew.
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 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.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
“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.” ’
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 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.’ 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. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
It’s a familiar story with important implications for us today. According to Matthew’s telling, these scholars from the East are the first people to recognize who Jesus is –naming him the King of the Jews. Their pronouncement that the Messiah is born incites fear and trembling among King Herod and the people of Jerusalem. They are not sure what to expect from this new king. Herod inquires about the identity of Jesus among his own religious scholars, and then he secretly asks that the magi the exact time they observed the star. The foreigners follow Herod’s instructions at this point, and they leave Jerusalem and continue to search for the new king. Make no mistake: the proclamation that the Messiah is born is a political statement. King Herod is threatened by the presence of a new king, no matter if Jesus is three months old or three years old.
Now, the politics of this story cannot be swept aside in favor of the pageant version with plastic crowns and sparkling wrapped gifts. Beloved of God, 2024 is a presidential election year in our country, and in our commonwealth candidates are already declaring their bid for the Governor’s election of 2025. I realize that many people are uncomfortable when the church gets political, and I too grew up with the conventional wisdom that it was not polite to talk about religion or politics during social gatherings. Yet, this story reminds us that the political influences were at play even shortly after the birth of Jesus. Herod’s reaction reminds us that the very presence of Jesus, even during his infancy, had political implications. I agree that we at Second Pres should not be partisan or focus on a particular candidate or party, but the scriptures make it clear that politics are impossible to ignore if we choose to follow Jesus. Mary’s song of hope was political. The magi’s journey to find Jesus was political. It’s hard to argue that the life and ministry of Jesus, years after this story, are not political. The anxiety that comes along with the political ramifications of the presence of Jesus are interwoven into the scriptures as well, starting here with King Herod in Matthew’s gospel. However, this story in scripture reminds us that the life of Jesus is political from the beginning.
Our proximity to the state capitol at Second Pres offers us unique opportunities to incorporate our faith into our politics. I hope you will prayerfully consider how your faith will influence your political activity in the year ahead. Our congregation is committed to being an Earth Care and Matthew 25 congregation, with an invitation to advocate for environmental justice and for those who are hungry, sick, an imprisoned, and these faithful commitments are political as well. I sincerely hope you will vote in November’s election. I hope you will discern how to follow Jesus faithfully, as the magi discerned both how to find Jesus and how their time with Jesus changed them and their journey back.
Dreams are just as influential in the gospel of Matthew as politics in the stories about the birth and early life of Jesus. Joseph decides to stay with Mary after an angel visits him during a dream. It is a dream that makes it clear to the magi that they should not return to Jerusalem on their way home, but they take another route instead. The dream gives the wise men more insight into the ramifications of their visit with Jesus.
Barbara Brown Taylor wrote a wonderful sermon on this scripture passage, titled “Home By Another Way,” and I love how she imagines the scene when the magi leave Mary and Jesus to journey home. As she considers how the magi might have left, she writes:
“No, they would not be going back through Jerusalem, they said. All three of them had had a dream that said stay clear of Jerusalem, as if they needed to be told. … Besides, none of their old maps worked anymore. They would find a new way home. So the wise men picked up their packs, which were lighter than before, and then they lined up in front of the baby to thank him for the gifts he had given them. ‘What in the world are you talking about?’ the baby’s mother laughed, and they told her so she could tell him later.
‘For this home and the love here,’ said the first wise man, who could not remember how to say it in runes.
‘For baby flesh,’ said the second wise man, who had no interest in living on herbs anymore.
‘For a really great story,’ said the third wise man, who thought telling it might do a lot more for him than walking on coals.
Then the wise men trooped outside, stretched, kissed the baby good-bye and went home by another way.”[1]
What beautiful gifts the magi experienced, according to Barbara Brown Taylor! A home filled with love, the softness of baby flesh, and a really great story. As we move from stories of Jesus as a child, to the beginning of his ministry and his baptism by John, we are reminded that this really great story continues. Even if your Christmas decorations are already put away, the story continues. Even if you wish we could sing Christmas hymns through the rest of January, the story continues. Even if you would rather focus on the angels and shepherds, and keep Jesus as a cuddly infant a little longer, the story continues. We are gathered for worship today, ready to celebrate the joyful feast, because the story of the love and life of Jesus continues. Like the magi, we are here to pay Christ homage, to worship him, to bring our gifts, and perhaps to be overwhelmed with joy ourselves. As we embark on this in-between season of Epiphany, we are called to pay attention to how the fullness of the life of Jesus continues to inspire our own lives. Yes, we have put away the Advent wreath and candles here in the sanctuary, but the reason for the season continues to inspire our worship and praise. Today, we give thanks that the life and love of Jesus continues in ways that may surprise us. As we follow the light of Jesus, we too, like the magi, may find a new way home and reasons for joy and gratitude.
[1] “Home by Another Way: Matthew 2:1-12,” Barbara Brown Taylor. Home By Another Way. Plymouth, UK: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 1999. 31.