The Sermon Text — MATTHEW 2:1-12

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.

There once was poor man who grew weary of the corruption, hatred and injustice that he and his family experienced every day. His friends listened quietly as he passionately spoke of his desire to live in a city where justice was honored and peace experienced, a city where heaven touched earth.

One day he announced that he could wait no longer. He packed some food in a sack, kissed his family good bye, and set out in search for the heavenly city of his dreams. He walked all day, and before the sun set, found a place to sleep just off the road, in a forest. He ate most of the food in his bag, said his prayers and smoothed a place to sleep on the ground.

Just before he went to sleep he placed his shoes next to the road pointing them in the direction that he would go in the morning.

That night, as he slept, a man walking the same road saw the traveler’s shoes and, as a practical joke, turned the shoes pointing them in the direction the man had come.

The next morning the traveler arose, said his prayers, ate the rest of his food, and continued his journey walking in the direction the shoes now pointed. He walked all day and just before the sun set saw the heavenly city off in the distance. It wasn’t as large as he expected and it looked strangely familiar. He walked down a familiar street, knocked on a familiar door, was greeted by the family who lived there, and lived happily ever after in the heavenly city of his dreams.

Though we travel long distances, though we move far from home, most of us never find a heavenly city. Though we travel long distances we often end up back where we started. But travel we must. Explore we must. We have to see for ourselves what lies in other cities.

Though St. Matthew fails to tell us their names, or even how many traveled (he only says that there were three gifts), we are fascinated with the wise men from the east who came to Jerusalem in search of the one born king of the Jews.

Raymond Brown, the great Catholic scholar who has written the definitive book on the early chapters in Matthew and Luke called, "The Birth of the Messiah," concludes that the magi who come from the east were Zoroastrian priests who traveled from ancient Persia, a country we now call Iran. Magi, according to Brown, was a collective term that included astrologers, fortune-tellers and magicians of varying degrees of plausibility and quackery. Brown expresses surprise that Matthew would even include this story in his gospel, which is directed largely to a Jewish audience because stargazing was condemned by Jewish leaders. The magi, in the eyes of the Jews, were idolaters.

Yet Matthew treats them very well, impressed that they would take such a journey across forbidding territory. They announce that they discovered the pending birth of the new king by looking at the sky. As the psalmist said, "The heavens declare the glory of God." By looking at the sky we learn about the grandeur of creation and the creator.

We hear the same thing today when people return from a trip to the Rockies, or after they spend time at the ocean or in one of our breathtaking locations in Wisconsin. From nature we gain a sense of God’s awesomeness and beauty.

But we also know that there are limits to what we learn from God in nature. The God we know in nature is, in the words of Martin Luther, a "hidden God." In addition to beauty we experience floods, tornadoes and terrible devastation from Nature’s hand. There is a dark side to the created world.

The Magi made an assumption, one that most of us make, that if you are looking for a new king you start in a palace. At the palace they ask their key question: Where is the one born king of the Jews, for we have seen his star in the east and have come to pay him homage?

The answer to their question was: in Bethlehem. Unless you go to Bethlehem you will never know the love, forgiveness and grace of God. What you can’t know by looking at the created order, you begin to know by looking at the baby Jesus. The Magi learn that it is not enough to look up to find God. We also have to look down.

To most people the birth of a new king is good news. Years ago in happier days, the news that Prince Charles and Princess Diana had a son was met with wild celebration. Not so in Jerusalem. When King Herod heard of the pending birth of a new king he was terrified and most of Jerusalem also. Why fear? Why not celebration? The answer is: Herod is terrified because he is not the real king. He is a fraud, an usurper.

If you are wearing a fake diamond and someone flashes a real one, you hide yours. The real will expose the fake every time.

Herod is a fake.

Herod rules for himself.

Jesus rules for the people

Herod came to be served.

Jesus came to serve.

Herod lived to be honored.

Jesus died to honor others.

Today, real kings, real heads of government welcome and praise God. The fake ones repress expressions of religion.

When the Magi followed the star they finally found the one born king of the Jews. Then they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Some have suggested that gold symbolized virtue, incense stood for prayer and myrrh, suffering.

Raymond Brown writes that all Magi carried gold, frankincense and myrrh to be used in their religious rituals and prayer life. If this is true the gifts they offered were not the result of shopping, but were simply the tools of their trade. The best gifts, like the drum of the little boy, are the tools of our trade. That means that we offer our time and talents as well as our treasures. We offer the fruit of our work and our leisure.

Each time I read a Biblical story I find something new. This week the thing that struck me most as I studied this story was something that didn’t take place. I discovered what the scholars in the palace of King Herod didn’t do.

The Magi were not the kind of scholars whose life work was conducted in laboratories and libraries. "We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him," they announced. Worship was the ultimate end of scholarship. They studied to enhance their experience of God.

Not so with some of the religious scholars of our day. We have hundreds of people with PhDs in religion who are not actively involved in a church or faith community. Christianity for them is a source for study, not a life style. They approach Christianity through their heads, not their hearts.

When the wise men approach the king with the question, "Where is the one born King of the Jews?" he immediately called for his scholars, who immediately knew the answer to the question. "In Bethlehem in the land of Judah," they said. Then something amazing happens, or doesn’t happen. Not a single Jewish scholar, not a single man who knew all the answers to all the religious questions, accompanied the wise men. They were content to read about it. Not one decided to see for himself. Not one cared enough to make the short, six mile trip.

How many of us approach religion, Christianity, in a similar way? How many want to know about the Messiah, the new king, but they don’t necessarily want to meet the king? How many are willing to read about him, maybe even attend a lecture about him, but are not interested in making the trip to Bethlehem?

How about you? Do you only want to read about Jesus? Do you want God, but at arms length? The Magi are our models. They will do anything, and go anywhere to have a first hand experience. They will expend all their effort to meet God face to face.

We know what the Magi didn’t know, that in order to meet God we don’t have to travel a long distance to the heavenly city of our dreams. We don’t even have to search. The Christmas story tells us that God came to earth to search for us. All we have to do is make ourselves available to be found. The place where all of this happens may not be as big and magnificent as we dreamed, but God will make a temple out of any place we live, or any place we visit. The only journey we need to make is a journey of the heart. Amen © 2008