What Gift Do You Bring?
Sermon
Sermons on the Gospel Readings
Series II, Cycle C
Object:
I remember watching a football game between Kansas State and Ohio State. Kansas State was evidently favored to win because they had clobbered Oklahoma just a few weeks earlier, but they were not doing very well. In fact, they were behind by quite a bit and then in the last half they mounted a comeback and midway through the fourth quarter they were doing quite well. They were only behind fourteen points and were deep in Ohio State territory. Then it happened -- a senseless, silly, stupid penalty. It was a personal foul penalty that cost them fifteen yards and set them back so far they did not get a touchdown nor were they able to get a field goal. They lost the game by seven points. Ohio State won.
A silly penalty! An action or a reaction! A decision! An impulse! And that one decision probably changed the outcome of the ballgame. Someone might say, "Well, he was probably hit and was only responding to what someone did to him." It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter if he acted or reacted. He still had the decision to make as to what he would do. He chose to make the play, and it affected the outcome of the ballgame. Well, somebody else might say, "Well, one play does not a ballgame make." And that is true in some cases, but in some cases it is exactly true. One decision, an impulse, or reaction, can actually change the outcome of the event. It can change the outcome of a life. It can change the outcome of history. One event. One action. One reaction. One decision. One impulse.
After the Revolutionary War, a British soldier said that during the war he actually had General George Washington in his sights but could not pull the trigger out of respect for the man. One wonders what would have happened if General Washington had been killed in the middle of the war. There are also those who said that if the Japanese had decided to do so, they could have not only run through Pearl Harbor, but on into Los Angeles as well. One wonders if that would have altered in some way the outcome of the war. Some historians are quite adamant that Hitler would have gone not only through Europe, but on into Britain if he had not paused to go on military parade. One wonders! A small decision. A large decision. Sometimes seemingly insignificant decisions, but yet these decisions are the essence of life. Life is made of a series of decisions that we make that can alter the outcome of our lives. An event? Yes, even history itself. We have the freedom of choice to choose how we will act or react, how we will respond to any single event.
We have some people in our text today that chose to respond in different ways to the coming of Christ -- to Christmas. Some responded out of fear. Some responded out of detachment or avoidance and yet others responded with worship and gratitude. The Bible tells us that when Herod, King of the Jews, heard about the Christmas event, he was afraid and all of Jerusalem with him. How could you be afraid of Christmas? Christmas is the time of joy and happiness. It is the greatest news ever spoken. How could anyone respond except out of joy and gladness? But it is true. Some respond to Christmas in a negative way.
In 1644, Oliver Cromwell, who was the Puritan leader of the nation of England, actually banned the celebration of Christmas. In 1659, in the new world, in the state of Massachusetts, it was declared that if people were caught celebrating Christmas, they would be subject to being fined. Even in Boston, schools were open on Christmas Day until 1870. Do you want to resurrect that law? The teachers' union probably would not let us do that today. Not everybody is happy with Christmas. Not everyone responds to Christmas with joy and happiness. Some even respond like Herod.
This is the first Herod that we find in the New Testament -- commonly called Herod the Great. He was a man who had been born into his position through treachery, lies, deceit, and even the murder of members of his own family. Here was an individual who was so insecure, feeling so inferior, that the crown upon his head rested so uneasily, that he was threatened by any kind of rival. Even the arrival of a baby -- a tiny baby had been born and it created in him much insecurity and fear. Not everyone responds to Christmas with happiness and joy. Some respond out of fear and disturbance. Others respond out of avoidance or detachment. "Well, it's going on but I just don't want to be a part of it. I will not make a commitment to it."
That was the story of the scholars, the chief priest, the scribes to whom Herod went when he inquired, "Where is this birth taking place?" They had their answer. Give them that. They knew their Bible, the Old Testament. Immediately, they quoted Bethlehem, Bethlehem of Judea. That is where it is. They knew their Bible. They knew the scriptures. They had probably memorized scripture -- item for item. They just missed Christmas.
They knew the Bible. They missed the gospel. They knew the scriptures. They missed Jesus. Because one knows the scriptures does not necessarily mean they know the God of the scriptures. It has to be more than that. The scripture is very, very important because in our story today you see a wonderful interplay between nature and scripture. Nature and scripture! Because it was in nature that they found the Messiah had been born, but it was only in the Bible that they found out where the Messiah had been born. There is this marvelous interplay here.
You see it is true today. All over our society there are stars in the "East" -- in signs, in experiences, in history, in the news, that point to the mystery and awesomeness of God. They point to the existence of God. But without the Bible to define and clarify the meaning of those experiences, the picture of God remains unclear. We see them every day: the unfolding of a rose, the birth of a baby, the falling of the Berlin wall. What does it mean? The grandeur of the Grand Canyons. Signs are all around us that point to the mystery and awesomeness of God.
We wonder what it means. We find out when we go to the Bible. It is in scripture that the revelation of God in nature is defined and clarified and given its spiritual meaning. But there has to be more to it than that because Herod knew the scriptures. The chief priest knew the scriptures, but they missed Christmas because neither Herod nor the scholars went to Bethlehem. They were willing to take someone else's word for it. They accepted secondhand information. They were not willing to get involved personally. We can know all about the Savior. We can have scriptures memorized, but unless we have a personal relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ, we miss Christmas. We miss it altogether.
It is only out of that personal relationship, characterized by discipline and prayer and worship that we are able to understand what Christmas is all about. We can know about Christmas, but to know Christmas, to define Christmas, to experience God in Christmas, we do so only through a personal relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. You see some responded to Christmas out of fear. Some responded out of avoidance. Keep our distance. Let's not get committed. Let's not make anything personal about it. Yet, the Bible says there were some who experienced the Christ Child in a personal way and they responded not with fear or avoidance but with gratitude. They went personally to see it. How many there were, we don't know. It was probably a rather large group because this was hostile territory. Two or three did not travel alone in this territory. Who were they? We really don't know. They are called Magi. Some people said they were astrologers. Some say they were astronomers. Others have said they were magicians. Some even said they were priests of the court of the religion Zoroastrianism. We won't know. We don't know. Except we know they were seekers.
They were seekers. Something was missing within their lives. They had sought in other places and then they saw a sign. They knew not what. They came in their ignorance. They came through hostile territory. They were subject to lies, to corrupt politicians, to theologians who were misinformed and not involved; yet, they were seeking. And they persevered and found; and when they found, they responded with gratitude.
The Bible says that they bowed down and worshiped the Christ Child and then gave him gifts. Is that not why we give God our gifts? Is that not why we give to God our tithes and offerings? Is that not why we give to God our money, our talents, our time, our energy -- the very essence of our lives? We do so out of the wonder and awesomeness of God. We do so out of searching hearts. We do so out of gratitude because he has come into the world and has come into our lives. So we give! We give out of hearts of generosity, out of gratitude, out of thankfulness. What else can you do in the presence of the holy? What else can you do when scriptures indicate as truthfully as it can, "This is the one before whom we bow"?
We don't know who they were. We know they were seekers and we know they were Gentiles. They were not Jews. Matthew wants you to know in the second chapter of his book that this gospel is for everybody. It is not just for a select group. It is not just for the "in" crowd. It is not just for those who think and have all the answers. It is not just for the religious elite. It is for everybody! Gentile and Jews! Men and women! Boys and girls! Black and white! It does not matter! It is for everyone. Why do you think Matthew ends his gospel by saying, "Go ye therefore into all the world and all nations carrying this gospel"? It is for everybody.
The great irony in our story is that those on the inside are on the outside because they don't get it. Those on the outside are on the inside because they do. Wonder how? How are they able to do so? It is worth thinking about.
I recently read something about mountain climbing. I am not a mountain climber, but I read some interesting information. There are fourteen peaks in the world that are considered major challenges for mountain climbers. Fourteen peaks over 26,000 feet, which is about five miles. These are the major challenges for mountain climbers. These are the peaks that one must supposedly use oxygen to be able to climb to the top. There is only one individual living that has climbed all fourteen peaks. His name is Reinhold Messner. He is a resident of northern Italy. He has been the object of scientific inquiry to understand why he and he alone has been able to do what he has done. It is truly amazing. They looked at his technology. He had no more technology than anyone else. In fact, they say that he didn't use as many ropes or ladders or technology that others did. In fact, he used no oxygen at all. They said, "Well, it must be something about his physical ability." And they looked and said, "He was no more athletically gifted than another million people in our world. He looked like a marathon runner and that probably helped." But here was an individual who had been able to do what nobody else had ever been able to do. They asked the question, "How?" One of his friends, another alpine climber by the name of Chris Bonington, said, "Here is an individual who is able to use creative innovation."
I am not sure what that means. I do know that Reinhold Messner was able to use extra-imaginative drive. I think that means this. You see all of us experience those times in life when we come to a wall, whether we say to ourselves or the world says to us, "This is impossible. You can go no further." But yet, people like Reinhold Messner say, "I am going on." And he does so. He does not let failure detour him. He is not put off when people say, "You can't!" He continues to go on. He finds a way. He pursues. He perseveres. He persists.
It is somewhat like a bunch of wise guys 2,000 ago who marched through hostile territory, not knowing exactly that for which they were looking. They were subject to lies, deceit, corruption, and theological ineptitude, but they kept on until they found God, the very same God who was looking for them.
He is looking for you and you can find him.
A silly penalty! An action or a reaction! A decision! An impulse! And that one decision probably changed the outcome of the ballgame. Someone might say, "Well, he was probably hit and was only responding to what someone did to him." It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter if he acted or reacted. He still had the decision to make as to what he would do. He chose to make the play, and it affected the outcome of the ballgame. Well, somebody else might say, "Well, one play does not a ballgame make." And that is true in some cases, but in some cases it is exactly true. One decision, an impulse, or reaction, can actually change the outcome of the event. It can change the outcome of a life. It can change the outcome of history. One event. One action. One reaction. One decision. One impulse.
After the Revolutionary War, a British soldier said that during the war he actually had General George Washington in his sights but could not pull the trigger out of respect for the man. One wonders what would have happened if General Washington had been killed in the middle of the war. There are also those who said that if the Japanese had decided to do so, they could have not only run through Pearl Harbor, but on into Los Angeles as well. One wonders if that would have altered in some way the outcome of the war. Some historians are quite adamant that Hitler would have gone not only through Europe, but on into Britain if he had not paused to go on military parade. One wonders! A small decision. A large decision. Sometimes seemingly insignificant decisions, but yet these decisions are the essence of life. Life is made of a series of decisions that we make that can alter the outcome of our lives. An event? Yes, even history itself. We have the freedom of choice to choose how we will act or react, how we will respond to any single event.
We have some people in our text today that chose to respond in different ways to the coming of Christ -- to Christmas. Some responded out of fear. Some responded out of detachment or avoidance and yet others responded with worship and gratitude. The Bible tells us that when Herod, King of the Jews, heard about the Christmas event, he was afraid and all of Jerusalem with him. How could you be afraid of Christmas? Christmas is the time of joy and happiness. It is the greatest news ever spoken. How could anyone respond except out of joy and gladness? But it is true. Some respond to Christmas in a negative way.
In 1644, Oliver Cromwell, who was the Puritan leader of the nation of England, actually banned the celebration of Christmas. In 1659, in the new world, in the state of Massachusetts, it was declared that if people were caught celebrating Christmas, they would be subject to being fined. Even in Boston, schools were open on Christmas Day until 1870. Do you want to resurrect that law? The teachers' union probably would not let us do that today. Not everybody is happy with Christmas. Not everyone responds to Christmas with joy and happiness. Some even respond like Herod.
This is the first Herod that we find in the New Testament -- commonly called Herod the Great. He was a man who had been born into his position through treachery, lies, deceit, and even the murder of members of his own family. Here was an individual who was so insecure, feeling so inferior, that the crown upon his head rested so uneasily, that he was threatened by any kind of rival. Even the arrival of a baby -- a tiny baby had been born and it created in him much insecurity and fear. Not everyone responds to Christmas with happiness and joy. Some respond out of fear and disturbance. Others respond out of avoidance or detachment. "Well, it's going on but I just don't want to be a part of it. I will not make a commitment to it."
That was the story of the scholars, the chief priest, the scribes to whom Herod went when he inquired, "Where is this birth taking place?" They had their answer. Give them that. They knew their Bible, the Old Testament. Immediately, they quoted Bethlehem, Bethlehem of Judea. That is where it is. They knew their Bible. They knew the scriptures. They had probably memorized scripture -- item for item. They just missed Christmas.
They knew the Bible. They missed the gospel. They knew the scriptures. They missed Jesus. Because one knows the scriptures does not necessarily mean they know the God of the scriptures. It has to be more than that. The scripture is very, very important because in our story today you see a wonderful interplay between nature and scripture. Nature and scripture! Because it was in nature that they found the Messiah had been born, but it was only in the Bible that they found out where the Messiah had been born. There is this marvelous interplay here.
You see it is true today. All over our society there are stars in the "East" -- in signs, in experiences, in history, in the news, that point to the mystery and awesomeness of God. They point to the existence of God. But without the Bible to define and clarify the meaning of those experiences, the picture of God remains unclear. We see them every day: the unfolding of a rose, the birth of a baby, the falling of the Berlin wall. What does it mean? The grandeur of the Grand Canyons. Signs are all around us that point to the mystery and awesomeness of God.
We wonder what it means. We find out when we go to the Bible. It is in scripture that the revelation of God in nature is defined and clarified and given its spiritual meaning. But there has to be more to it than that because Herod knew the scriptures. The chief priest knew the scriptures, but they missed Christmas because neither Herod nor the scholars went to Bethlehem. They were willing to take someone else's word for it. They accepted secondhand information. They were not willing to get involved personally. We can know all about the Savior. We can have scriptures memorized, but unless we have a personal relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ, we miss Christmas. We miss it altogether.
It is only out of that personal relationship, characterized by discipline and prayer and worship that we are able to understand what Christmas is all about. We can know about Christmas, but to know Christmas, to define Christmas, to experience God in Christmas, we do so only through a personal relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. You see some responded to Christmas out of fear. Some responded out of avoidance. Keep our distance. Let's not get committed. Let's not make anything personal about it. Yet, the Bible says there were some who experienced the Christ Child in a personal way and they responded not with fear or avoidance but with gratitude. They went personally to see it. How many there were, we don't know. It was probably a rather large group because this was hostile territory. Two or three did not travel alone in this territory. Who were they? We really don't know. They are called Magi. Some people said they were astrologers. Some say they were astronomers. Others have said they were magicians. Some even said they were priests of the court of the religion Zoroastrianism. We won't know. We don't know. Except we know they were seekers.
They were seekers. Something was missing within their lives. They had sought in other places and then they saw a sign. They knew not what. They came in their ignorance. They came through hostile territory. They were subject to lies, to corrupt politicians, to theologians who were misinformed and not involved; yet, they were seeking. And they persevered and found; and when they found, they responded with gratitude.
The Bible says that they bowed down and worshiped the Christ Child and then gave him gifts. Is that not why we give God our gifts? Is that not why we give to God our tithes and offerings? Is that not why we give to God our money, our talents, our time, our energy -- the very essence of our lives? We do so out of the wonder and awesomeness of God. We do so out of searching hearts. We do so out of gratitude because he has come into the world and has come into our lives. So we give! We give out of hearts of generosity, out of gratitude, out of thankfulness. What else can you do in the presence of the holy? What else can you do when scriptures indicate as truthfully as it can, "This is the one before whom we bow"?
We don't know who they were. We know they were seekers and we know they were Gentiles. They were not Jews. Matthew wants you to know in the second chapter of his book that this gospel is for everybody. It is not just for a select group. It is not just for the "in" crowd. It is not just for those who think and have all the answers. It is not just for the religious elite. It is for everybody! Gentile and Jews! Men and women! Boys and girls! Black and white! It does not matter! It is for everyone. Why do you think Matthew ends his gospel by saying, "Go ye therefore into all the world and all nations carrying this gospel"? It is for everybody.
The great irony in our story is that those on the inside are on the outside because they don't get it. Those on the outside are on the inside because they do. Wonder how? How are they able to do so? It is worth thinking about.
I recently read something about mountain climbing. I am not a mountain climber, but I read some interesting information. There are fourteen peaks in the world that are considered major challenges for mountain climbers. Fourteen peaks over 26,000 feet, which is about five miles. These are the major challenges for mountain climbers. These are the peaks that one must supposedly use oxygen to be able to climb to the top. There is only one individual living that has climbed all fourteen peaks. His name is Reinhold Messner. He is a resident of northern Italy. He has been the object of scientific inquiry to understand why he and he alone has been able to do what he has done. It is truly amazing. They looked at his technology. He had no more technology than anyone else. In fact, they say that he didn't use as many ropes or ladders or technology that others did. In fact, he used no oxygen at all. They said, "Well, it must be something about his physical ability." And they looked and said, "He was no more athletically gifted than another million people in our world. He looked like a marathon runner and that probably helped." But here was an individual who had been able to do what nobody else had ever been able to do. They asked the question, "How?" One of his friends, another alpine climber by the name of Chris Bonington, said, "Here is an individual who is able to use creative innovation."
I am not sure what that means. I do know that Reinhold Messner was able to use extra-imaginative drive. I think that means this. You see all of us experience those times in life when we come to a wall, whether we say to ourselves or the world says to us, "This is impossible. You can go no further." But yet, people like Reinhold Messner say, "I am going on." And he does so. He does not let failure detour him. He is not put off when people say, "You can't!" He continues to go on. He finds a way. He pursues. He perseveres. He persists.
It is somewhat like a bunch of wise guys 2,000 ago who marched through hostile territory, not knowing exactly that for which they were looking. They were subject to lies, deceit, corruption, and theological ineptitude, but they kept on until they found God, the very same God who was looking for them.
He is looking for you and you can find him.
