Variations on a theme
Commentary
The readings for this day are firmly fixed in all cycles of the lectionary and this poses a challenge to the preacher who has to face them year after year. I have found it a helpful rule of thumb to think in terms of a sermon appropriate to the day. By appropriate I mean a sermon that stays within the field of meaning which is set down by the texts or the theme of the Festival yet finds a creative way to illuminate for the hearer some facet of a traditional story that brings its thrust home in a surprising and provocative way.
The pastor seeking a variation on a traditional theme of this day might break the homiletical lockstep imposed by the lectionary and choose a different Old Testament lesson. Some of the ancient lectionaries of the church link 1 Kings 10:1-10 with Matthew 2:1-11. The theme of wisdom surfaces in both accounts. Retaining the Old Testament reading for this day, one could lengthen it selectively, set over against it the Epistle lesson for today and let the sparks fly. Another possibility is to take a statement of Jesus out of Matthew's gospel and use it as the linchpin for proclaiming the story of the star-led Magi.
Sermon Seeds In The Lessons
Isaiah 60:1-6
These verses lurk not only in the background of Matthew's story of the gift-bearing wise men, but also provide his interpretation of the significance of the beginning of Jesus' public ministry (Matthew 4:15-16). Take the time to absorb all of chapter 60. The prophet envisions all the nations streaming to Jerusalem and bringing their tribute and servitude. The thrust of the chapter is triumphalist and nationalistic. The words of this chapter have been used in the past to serve Christian triumphalism and justify the ingathering of wealth to build magnificent cathedrals.
The vision in the whole of Isaiah 60 is that of the community of faith standing in the spotlight before the subservient nations. Herein lies a sermon seed. Matthew proclaims a light for all people. The writer of Ephesians understands the community of faith not as a company basking in the limelight, but an inclusive servant community radiating light. Light cannot really be constricted. Both sunlight and starlight fall on all indiscriminately. We can say that we belong exclusively to God. We cannot say that God belongs exclusively to us.
Ephesians 3:1-12
With a swoop of his pen the author reverses the triumphalism of the past. The God who called Israel to serve him has let it be known in and through Jesus of Nazareth that he wills all peoples to be first class citizens in the Divine Commonwealth and equal sharers in the promises. The servant church under Divine imperatives is to be God's tribune, the advocate of all the little people. Verse 10 is a key verse. The mandate to the church is to let God's light shine through her life and ministry in the world. For a compelling exegesis and exposition of verse 10 in context of the whole passage see Markus Barth's exposition in the first volume of his two-volume commentary in the Anchor Bible series, pages 363 to 366.
Matthew 2:1-12
One option is to use 1 Kings 10:1-11 as the Old Testament lesson and build a sermon out of the tension between this passage and the gospel lesson. Both are accounts of summit meetings of a sort. The Queen of Sheba in what is apparently a trade mission comes to Jerusalem bearing gifts for Solomon and is impressed both by his wealth and wit. Jesus was not so impressed with the golden age of Solomon. Pointing to the lilies of the field he reminds us, "Even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed as one of these" (Matthew 6:29). Evidently the Queen of Sheba linked wisdom and wealth. Was it wisdom that left behind a nation ready to break out in civil war? It is said among us that you cannot argue with success. Or can you? Jesus did.
There is a wisdom motif that links the account of the Queen's visit to Solomon with the visit of the wise men to Jesus. The linchpin for a sermon comparing the two visits would certainly be the words of Jesus reported by Matthew. "The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here" (Matthew 12:42).
Another possibility is to let a statement of Jesus illuminate the story of the star-led Magi, a statement Jesus made after his encounter with the Roman Centurion. "I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 8:11). It is the mention of Jacob that is of particular interest. It is rather comforting to know that scoundrel is at the banquet table. Surely he was a flawed person, but then, aren't we all? Whoever said Christmas was just for kids and not for us jaded adults?
The inclusion of all sorts and conditions of folk in God's love is proclaimed in Matthew's story of the star-led magi. The presence of these Gentile visitors at cradleside would be just as offensive to bias backed by piety as Luke's portrait of the shepherds.
By way of footnote, here are some observations to put on a back burner to simmer. Nothing may ever come of them, but you never know. The magi were like innocents abroad. Asking Herod where the newborn king could be found was like going to Baghdad and asking Saddam Hussein the address of the leader of resistance. This naivety on the part of the wise men triggered the military raid on Bethlehem. Herod's words to the magi are just about the slimiest you'll find anywhere. "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" (Matthew 2:8). This is political venality manipulating well meaning idealism. Shakespeare's Brutus in the play, Julius Caesar, is an example of a philosopher/idealist who unwittingly serves the purposes of people with self-serving agendas. Well-meaning Christians can be vulnerable to such manipulation. It took a dream-sent message from God to get the wise men back home safely by an alternate route. There is a word from Jesus that comes to mind here, "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). There is something to be said for disciples having street-wise smarts.
The pastor seeking a variation on a traditional theme of this day might break the homiletical lockstep imposed by the lectionary and choose a different Old Testament lesson. Some of the ancient lectionaries of the church link 1 Kings 10:1-10 with Matthew 2:1-11. The theme of wisdom surfaces in both accounts. Retaining the Old Testament reading for this day, one could lengthen it selectively, set over against it the Epistle lesson for today and let the sparks fly. Another possibility is to take a statement of Jesus out of Matthew's gospel and use it as the linchpin for proclaiming the story of the star-led Magi.
Sermon Seeds In The Lessons
Isaiah 60:1-6
These verses lurk not only in the background of Matthew's story of the gift-bearing wise men, but also provide his interpretation of the significance of the beginning of Jesus' public ministry (Matthew 4:15-16). Take the time to absorb all of chapter 60. The prophet envisions all the nations streaming to Jerusalem and bringing their tribute and servitude. The thrust of the chapter is triumphalist and nationalistic. The words of this chapter have been used in the past to serve Christian triumphalism and justify the ingathering of wealth to build magnificent cathedrals.
The vision in the whole of Isaiah 60 is that of the community of faith standing in the spotlight before the subservient nations. Herein lies a sermon seed. Matthew proclaims a light for all people. The writer of Ephesians understands the community of faith not as a company basking in the limelight, but an inclusive servant community radiating light. Light cannot really be constricted. Both sunlight and starlight fall on all indiscriminately. We can say that we belong exclusively to God. We cannot say that God belongs exclusively to us.
Ephesians 3:1-12
With a swoop of his pen the author reverses the triumphalism of the past. The God who called Israel to serve him has let it be known in and through Jesus of Nazareth that he wills all peoples to be first class citizens in the Divine Commonwealth and equal sharers in the promises. The servant church under Divine imperatives is to be God's tribune, the advocate of all the little people. Verse 10 is a key verse. The mandate to the church is to let God's light shine through her life and ministry in the world. For a compelling exegesis and exposition of verse 10 in context of the whole passage see Markus Barth's exposition in the first volume of his two-volume commentary in the Anchor Bible series, pages 363 to 366.
Matthew 2:1-12
One option is to use 1 Kings 10:1-11 as the Old Testament lesson and build a sermon out of the tension between this passage and the gospel lesson. Both are accounts of summit meetings of a sort. The Queen of Sheba in what is apparently a trade mission comes to Jerusalem bearing gifts for Solomon and is impressed both by his wealth and wit. Jesus was not so impressed with the golden age of Solomon. Pointing to the lilies of the field he reminds us, "Even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed as one of these" (Matthew 6:29). Evidently the Queen of Sheba linked wisdom and wealth. Was it wisdom that left behind a nation ready to break out in civil war? It is said among us that you cannot argue with success. Or can you? Jesus did.
There is a wisdom motif that links the account of the Queen's visit to Solomon with the visit of the wise men to Jesus. The linchpin for a sermon comparing the two visits would certainly be the words of Jesus reported by Matthew. "The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here" (Matthew 12:42).
Another possibility is to let a statement of Jesus illuminate the story of the star-led Magi, a statement Jesus made after his encounter with the Roman Centurion. "I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 8:11). It is the mention of Jacob that is of particular interest. It is rather comforting to know that scoundrel is at the banquet table. Surely he was a flawed person, but then, aren't we all? Whoever said Christmas was just for kids and not for us jaded adults?
The inclusion of all sorts and conditions of folk in God's love is proclaimed in Matthew's story of the star-led magi. The presence of these Gentile visitors at cradleside would be just as offensive to bias backed by piety as Luke's portrait of the shepherds.
By way of footnote, here are some observations to put on a back burner to simmer. Nothing may ever come of them, but you never know. The magi were like innocents abroad. Asking Herod where the newborn king could be found was like going to Baghdad and asking Saddam Hussein the address of the leader of resistance. This naivety on the part of the wise men triggered the military raid on Bethlehem. Herod's words to the magi are just about the slimiest you'll find anywhere. "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" (Matthew 2:8). This is political venality manipulating well meaning idealism. Shakespeare's Brutus in the play, Julius Caesar, is an example of a philosopher/idealist who unwittingly serves the purposes of people with self-serving agendas. Well-meaning Christians can be vulnerable to such manipulation. It took a dream-sent message from God to get the wise men back home safely by an alternate route. There is a word from Jesus that comes to mind here, "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). There is something to be said for disciples having street-wise smarts.
