Wise Men -- And Women -- Still Seek Him
Sermon
Don't Forget The Child
Sermons For Advent And Christmas
Object:
My sister once sent these verses as part of her annual Christmas letter:
"'Tis the week after Christmas and all through the house, not a package was still wrapped, not even a blouse. The stockings are picked up from the chimney where they fell; the children are fighting and starting to yell. Yes fighting and yelling and calling their dreads; the sugar they've eaten has gone to their heads! The excitement of New Year's has finally passed. And the Bowl games are over. Back to normal at last!"
It does seem as if the holidays are over, doesn't it? But, technically speaking, we're still in Christmastide. In the church year, the season of Christmas is twelve days long. Remember the old song, "The Twelve Days Of Christmas"? Christmas doesn't officially end until Epiphany, January 6. So it's still appropriate to sing some Christmas carols and to hear a sermon about Christmas. On this the Second Sunday after Christmas, we generally think about the Wise Men and their contribution to the Christmas story.
We're all familiar with the story of the Three Kings, having seen dozens of Christmas pageants with ten-year-old boys dressed up as kings, wearing royal crowns made out of cardboard and royal robes made out of their fathers' bathrobes.
Actually scripture doesn't say anywhere that they were kings, does it? More likely they were court astrologers from ancient Persia, which is modern-day Iraq. Scripture doesn't even say there were three of them, does it? We get the idea of three from the mention of three gifts.
But whoever they are, and however many they were, they were persons of importance. In the story when they arrive at Jerusalem, King Herod sees them right away. And there's another thing about them. They were honest seekers. Think about what they went through to get closer to God!
Inspired by the star in the sky, they left their homes and families and set off on a difficult and dangerous journey. They didn't know exactly where they were going. Can you imagine planning for such a journey? If you didn't know where you were going, how would you know what to pack? And how could you tell your family how long you'd be away?
Then there were the rigors of the journey itself. Through the burning sands and freezing nights of the Arabian Desert, rocking back and forth on their camels, through sandstorms and windstorms, under threat of robbers, they pushed on.
They finally arrived in Jerusalem, thinking their long journey was ended. They expected a big celebration, torches lit, trumpets blowing, people dancing in the streets, rejoicing in the birthday of a King. But not a soul was stirring. So, after a brief visit with Herod, they pushed on.
They pushed on to Bethlehem, following the star, seeking enlightenment. And what did they find there at the end of their trip? No royal robes or royal entourage or palace, but just a peasant baby, born of poor parents, cradled in a manger in a smelly shack. The whole experience of seeking and encountering the Christ Child must have been confusing for the Wise Men. But notice how they kept at it. In faith, they completed their mission, laying out their expensive treasures at the poor baby's feet.
The Wise Men represent men and women from every age who are seekers: sincere folks who long to know God, who will sacrifice to try to understand God, who are serious about growing in devotion and faith. The Wise Men were seekers. And I'm sure that at one level or another, all of us here this morning are seekers too. Isn't that what has brought us to worship: a desire to know more about God, a hope to draw closer to God?
And aren't we fortunate! We don't have to travel across a desert, following a star, risking our lives, to make contact with Jesus. We can find fellowship with Jesus, we can worship Jesus, and we can receive Jesus into ourselves by sharing this morning in the Supper of our Lord. For the Child of Bethlehem, the Man of Jerusalem, the DayStar, the Risen Jesus is here with us in the bread and the cup. Led on by the star, the Wise Men sought Jesus; the Wise Men went to Jesus. Now Jesus comes to us in communion. Wise men and women seek him here.
Here we see God, God's sacrifice for our sins represented in a broken body; God's love and forgiveness for us poured out in Christ's blood. Here we are invited to take God's strength and goodness into ourselves. Here our differences and divisions are overcome and healed. Here we can forgive each other, make up with each other, and are reunited with each other. Here, in some special way, we draw close to God.
Wise men and women seek Jesus in communion. In this sacrament we are offered what sent the Wise Men on their journey, the kind of closeness to God, the understanding of God, the vision of God that men and women, down through the ages, have longed for and sought.
What are you searching for? Could it be the same thing the Wise Men were searching for: closeness to God? I believe we can find both strength for our journey and the fulfillment of our journey in a relationship with Jesus, through the Sacrament of Communion -- here.
"'Tis the week after Christmas and all through the house, not a package was still wrapped, not even a blouse. The stockings are picked up from the chimney where they fell; the children are fighting and starting to yell. Yes fighting and yelling and calling their dreads; the sugar they've eaten has gone to their heads! The excitement of New Year's has finally passed. And the Bowl games are over. Back to normal at last!"
It does seem as if the holidays are over, doesn't it? But, technically speaking, we're still in Christmastide. In the church year, the season of Christmas is twelve days long. Remember the old song, "The Twelve Days Of Christmas"? Christmas doesn't officially end until Epiphany, January 6. So it's still appropriate to sing some Christmas carols and to hear a sermon about Christmas. On this the Second Sunday after Christmas, we generally think about the Wise Men and their contribution to the Christmas story.
We're all familiar with the story of the Three Kings, having seen dozens of Christmas pageants with ten-year-old boys dressed up as kings, wearing royal crowns made out of cardboard and royal robes made out of their fathers' bathrobes.
Actually scripture doesn't say anywhere that they were kings, does it? More likely they were court astrologers from ancient Persia, which is modern-day Iraq. Scripture doesn't even say there were three of them, does it? We get the idea of three from the mention of three gifts.
But whoever they are, and however many they were, they were persons of importance. In the story when they arrive at Jerusalem, King Herod sees them right away. And there's another thing about them. They were honest seekers. Think about what they went through to get closer to God!
Inspired by the star in the sky, they left their homes and families and set off on a difficult and dangerous journey. They didn't know exactly where they were going. Can you imagine planning for such a journey? If you didn't know where you were going, how would you know what to pack? And how could you tell your family how long you'd be away?
Then there were the rigors of the journey itself. Through the burning sands and freezing nights of the Arabian Desert, rocking back and forth on their camels, through sandstorms and windstorms, under threat of robbers, they pushed on.
They finally arrived in Jerusalem, thinking their long journey was ended. They expected a big celebration, torches lit, trumpets blowing, people dancing in the streets, rejoicing in the birthday of a King. But not a soul was stirring. So, after a brief visit with Herod, they pushed on.
They pushed on to Bethlehem, following the star, seeking enlightenment. And what did they find there at the end of their trip? No royal robes or royal entourage or palace, but just a peasant baby, born of poor parents, cradled in a manger in a smelly shack. The whole experience of seeking and encountering the Christ Child must have been confusing for the Wise Men. But notice how they kept at it. In faith, they completed their mission, laying out their expensive treasures at the poor baby's feet.
The Wise Men represent men and women from every age who are seekers: sincere folks who long to know God, who will sacrifice to try to understand God, who are serious about growing in devotion and faith. The Wise Men were seekers. And I'm sure that at one level or another, all of us here this morning are seekers too. Isn't that what has brought us to worship: a desire to know more about God, a hope to draw closer to God?
And aren't we fortunate! We don't have to travel across a desert, following a star, risking our lives, to make contact with Jesus. We can find fellowship with Jesus, we can worship Jesus, and we can receive Jesus into ourselves by sharing this morning in the Supper of our Lord. For the Child of Bethlehem, the Man of Jerusalem, the DayStar, the Risen Jesus is here with us in the bread and the cup. Led on by the star, the Wise Men sought Jesus; the Wise Men went to Jesus. Now Jesus comes to us in communion. Wise men and women seek him here.
Here we see God, God's sacrifice for our sins represented in a broken body; God's love and forgiveness for us poured out in Christ's blood. Here we are invited to take God's strength and goodness into ourselves. Here our differences and divisions are overcome and healed. Here we can forgive each other, make up with each other, and are reunited with each other. Here, in some special way, we draw close to God.
Wise men and women seek Jesus in communion. In this sacrament we are offered what sent the Wise Men on their journey, the kind of closeness to God, the understanding of God, the vision of God that men and women, down through the ages, have longed for and sought.
What are you searching for? Could it be the same thing the Wise Men were searching for: closeness to God? I believe we can find both strength for our journey and the fulfillment of our journey in a relationship with Jesus, through the Sacrament of Communion -- here.
