Jesus Makes All The Difference
Sermon
Sermons on the Gospel Readings
Series III, Cycle C
Object:
Our gospel reading for this Epiphany Sunday is a marvelous story about confrontation. The wise men -- more commonly known as the three kings today -- were teachers of science and truth. They had been watching the heavens, searching for a sign of God's activity in the world, when they were confronted by a star. The poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was confronted while reading their story in the gospel of Matthew. The result was his poem, The Three Kings.
And the Three Kings rode through the gate and the guard,
Through the silent street, till their horses turned
And neighed as they entered the great inn yard;
But the windows were closed, and the doors were barred,
And only a light in the stable burned.
And cradled there in the scented hay,
In the air made sweet by breath of kine,
The little child in the manger lay,
The child, that would be king one day
Of a kingdom not human, but divine.
His mother Mary of Nazareth
Sat watching beside his place of rest
Watching the even flow of his breath,
For the joy of life and the terror of death
Were mingled together in her breast.
They laid their offerings at his feet;
The gold was their tribute to a King,
The frankincense with its odor sweet,
Was for the Priest, the Paraclete,
The myrrh for the body's burying.
And the mother wondered and bowed her head,
And sat as still as a statue of stone;
Her heart was troubled yet comforted,
Remembering what the Angel had said
Of an endless reign and of David's throne.
Then the Kings rode out of the city gate,
With a clatter of hoofs in proud array;
But they went not back to Herod the Great,
For they knew his malice and feared his hate,
And returned to their homes by another way.1
Longfellow spoke of these kings, people searching for a sign from God, people yearning for a king, a spiritual leader, a Savior. Longfellow may have seen himself in these wise men when confronted with Matthew's account of their visit to the Christ Child. This is not a story of a road trip by men who had no idea where the path would take them. It is a revelation of the discovery at the end of that journey. It began as they searched the heavens and found a new star, a sign that something great had occurred. As wise men, the kings set out following that star until it stopped over Bethlehem.
We, too, as wise people, are confronted as we desperately search for signs of a king, a spiritual leader, a Savior who could make a difference in our lives. Jesus is the one who confronts and makes that difference. We are told by Matthew that the wise men, after meeting Jesus, returned to their homes by another road. When people encounter Christ they return to life along a different path, for Jesus makes all the difference.
The wise men were searching for a king to give order to life, to protect them, to give them guidance, and to be a leader to whom they could turn. They presented their gift of gold, a kingly gift, to Jesus. We, too, are to be wise people looking for a king to give order and purpose to our lives and to our world, searching for a king who will help us to live together in peace. As wise seekers, we find in Jesus, he who shelters and directs us; he upon whom we can depend in all situations; he who gives meaning and purpose to our existence. Having met Jesus, we will return to daily life changed people, traveling a much different path than previously taken. For the king we have met makes all the difference.
The wise men were not only looking for a king. They realized their need for a spiritual leader, one to guide them in matters of the heart. They presented their priestly gift of frankincense. We, too, as wise people, are searching for spiritual meaning and wholeness in life. However, we seem to look in all the wrong places -- pursuits of pleasure, physical comfort, and materialism, just to name a few. We indulge ourselves in satisfying the physical side of our being but ignore the spiritual dimension. That is why we find our young people absent from church after their "big day" -- confirmation. That is why the numbers of active, baptized members keep decreasing in most mainline denominations. The paths people choose often lead away from Jesus not toward him. Yet the wisest continue to seek their spiritual leader and walk through life depending upon God. Encountering Jesus does make a difference in the listing of our priorities.
The wise men sought a king and a spiritual leader and a Savior. They, too, knew death's dark shadow. They presented to Jesus the gift of myrrh, the bitter perfume that covered up the stench of death. We, too, as wise people, in the face of our own mortality, search for a Savior, one who would free us from the bondage of sin and death. We find in Jesus the one who makes the difference. For it is the journey from the cross to the grave that opens the tomb. This tomb now becomes a tunnel through which we pass to meet our risen Savior, Jesus Christ, who makes all the difference.
The wise men found Jesus and presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh because they had found their king, spiritual leader, and Savior. Then they left, following the path God's messenger told them to take -- a "different road." Their choice was not an easy one for following a "different road" involved risk of capture and being killed by Herod. They returned to other lands changed men, but the places they left had not changed. Many were and would be hostile to the message of God's love.
We, too, as wise people have found in Jesus a king, spiritual leader, and Savior. God sent a messenger to us to deliver that good news of salvation. All stand at a fork in their paths and must choose which way to travel, for the places we enter are also hostile to God's message of forgiveness and love.
Robert Frost can help us to make a right decision with his famous verse from the poem, "The Road Not Taken."
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.2
When people encounter Jesus, they return to life along a different path. Jesus makes all the difference. As wise people, choose your paths carefully -- for one leads to life with a king, spiritual leader, and Savior, but the other leads to death. Yes, the road you take certainly does make a difference -- an eternal difference. Choose it wisely. Amen.
___________________________
1. The Three Kings by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). In the public domain.
2. "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost from Mountain Interval, 1920. In the public domain.
And the Three Kings rode through the gate and the guard,
Through the silent street, till their horses turned
And neighed as they entered the great inn yard;
But the windows were closed, and the doors were barred,
And only a light in the stable burned.
And cradled there in the scented hay,
In the air made sweet by breath of kine,
The little child in the manger lay,
The child, that would be king one day
Of a kingdom not human, but divine.
His mother Mary of Nazareth
Sat watching beside his place of rest
Watching the even flow of his breath,
For the joy of life and the terror of death
Were mingled together in her breast.
They laid their offerings at his feet;
The gold was their tribute to a King,
The frankincense with its odor sweet,
Was for the Priest, the Paraclete,
The myrrh for the body's burying.
And the mother wondered and bowed her head,
And sat as still as a statue of stone;
Her heart was troubled yet comforted,
Remembering what the Angel had said
Of an endless reign and of David's throne.
Then the Kings rode out of the city gate,
With a clatter of hoofs in proud array;
But they went not back to Herod the Great,
For they knew his malice and feared his hate,
And returned to their homes by another way.1
Longfellow spoke of these kings, people searching for a sign from God, people yearning for a king, a spiritual leader, a Savior. Longfellow may have seen himself in these wise men when confronted with Matthew's account of their visit to the Christ Child. This is not a story of a road trip by men who had no idea where the path would take them. It is a revelation of the discovery at the end of that journey. It began as they searched the heavens and found a new star, a sign that something great had occurred. As wise men, the kings set out following that star until it stopped over Bethlehem.
We, too, as wise people, are confronted as we desperately search for signs of a king, a spiritual leader, a Savior who could make a difference in our lives. Jesus is the one who confronts and makes that difference. We are told by Matthew that the wise men, after meeting Jesus, returned to their homes by another road. When people encounter Christ they return to life along a different path, for Jesus makes all the difference.
The wise men were searching for a king to give order to life, to protect them, to give them guidance, and to be a leader to whom they could turn. They presented their gift of gold, a kingly gift, to Jesus. We, too, are to be wise people looking for a king to give order and purpose to our lives and to our world, searching for a king who will help us to live together in peace. As wise seekers, we find in Jesus, he who shelters and directs us; he upon whom we can depend in all situations; he who gives meaning and purpose to our existence. Having met Jesus, we will return to daily life changed people, traveling a much different path than previously taken. For the king we have met makes all the difference.
The wise men were not only looking for a king. They realized their need for a spiritual leader, one to guide them in matters of the heart. They presented their priestly gift of frankincense. We, too, as wise people, are searching for spiritual meaning and wholeness in life. However, we seem to look in all the wrong places -- pursuits of pleasure, physical comfort, and materialism, just to name a few. We indulge ourselves in satisfying the physical side of our being but ignore the spiritual dimension. That is why we find our young people absent from church after their "big day" -- confirmation. That is why the numbers of active, baptized members keep decreasing in most mainline denominations. The paths people choose often lead away from Jesus not toward him. Yet the wisest continue to seek their spiritual leader and walk through life depending upon God. Encountering Jesus does make a difference in the listing of our priorities.
The wise men sought a king and a spiritual leader and a Savior. They, too, knew death's dark shadow. They presented to Jesus the gift of myrrh, the bitter perfume that covered up the stench of death. We, too, as wise people, in the face of our own mortality, search for a Savior, one who would free us from the bondage of sin and death. We find in Jesus the one who makes the difference. For it is the journey from the cross to the grave that opens the tomb. This tomb now becomes a tunnel through which we pass to meet our risen Savior, Jesus Christ, who makes all the difference.
The wise men found Jesus and presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh because they had found their king, spiritual leader, and Savior. Then they left, following the path God's messenger told them to take -- a "different road." Their choice was not an easy one for following a "different road" involved risk of capture and being killed by Herod. They returned to other lands changed men, but the places they left had not changed. Many were and would be hostile to the message of God's love.
We, too, as wise people have found in Jesus a king, spiritual leader, and Savior. God sent a messenger to us to deliver that good news of salvation. All stand at a fork in their paths and must choose which way to travel, for the places we enter are also hostile to God's message of forgiveness and love.
Robert Frost can help us to make a right decision with his famous verse from the poem, "The Road Not Taken."
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.2
When people encounter Jesus, they return to life along a different path. Jesus makes all the difference. As wise people, choose your paths carefully -- for one leads to life with a king, spiritual leader, and Savior, but the other leads to death. Yes, the road you take certainly does make a difference -- an eternal difference. Choose it wisely. Amen.
___________________________
1. The Three Kings by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). In the public domain.
2. "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost from Mountain Interval, 1920. In the public domain.
