O Lord, we pray, speak in this place, in the calming of our minds and in the longing of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen.
When Christ called the first disciples he set himself a task - the task of making them into fishermen.
"As he walked by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea - for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "follow me, I will make you fish for people."
That is what God wants us all to do. It is what Jesus did - in Galilee and in Samaria and in Jordan and Judea and Jerusalem, and it's what we are supposed to do - in Kowloon, in the Outlying Islands and on Hong Kong Island.
We are supposed to fish for people, to seek to bring them into that great net known as the Kingdom of God - into that creel known as salvation, as redemption, as everlasting peace.
But are we? Are we fishing that is? And if we are fishing - who are we fishing for? For God and God's glory? For the sake of those we talk to each day? Or for ourselves and for the sake of those people to whom we are loyal - albeit in a worldly way?
There is so much power that flows when you witness to the love of God - when you share with others what it does for you and what it can do for them - when you have a chance to engage someone who is troubled, or curious, or hungry, and bring them before the one who can sooth their pain, satisfy their yearnings, and feed their soul.
I was talking to someone some time ago whose father is an alcoholic. She was sharing with me how her family coped with the problem - and naturally Alcoholics Anonymous came up in the conversation. From that it was but a short step to the concept of the Higher Power which is at the heart of that program - and then to the concept of believing that the Higher Power can help you with your problem and that one should surrender to that Power - to "Let go and let God."
What a prescription for life that is - and how wonderful it was to be able to share it - as any believing person is able to share it - whether or not they have read through the AA program.
It was wonderful to be able to share with someone that God is ready and able to help them.
There is power in witnessing - in sharing one's faith - in being a person who fishes for people, because there is power in the message and power in the God the message is about.
But sometimes we don't experience that - most often - perhaps - we don't experience that.
We don't experience the power and we don't succeed at the task of fishing for people - indeed most often we don't even begin that task, because we are involved with and committed to the wrong things.
Although every one of us believes in God - our energy - our focus - is all too often fixed elsewhere.
It is as if we belonged to another - and indeed we often do. We often belong to other things - to other people - to other teams - and God gets the short end.
But my friends, when God gets the short end from us, so do the people around us, so do our families, so does our church, and so do we ourselves.
When Paul wrote his First Letter to the Corinthians there were a lot of problems in the congregation.
There was arrogance, there was pride, there was indifference. There was gluttony and laziness and intolerance, and there was depression, and anger, and despair. And it all tracked itself down to one simple fact - the people in the congregation at Corinth had fixed their focus on themselves and on one another instead of fixing it on Christ and on the power of his cross.
That's not to suggest that the Corinthians never paid attention to God - or that they totally ignored Jesus. Far from it. It's simply to say that most of their attention went elsewhere.
Instead of using the Gospel as a filter by which to see the world around them and of asking God at each moment of decision to direct their words and their actions - they fell into their old routines, routines that are programmed into us by our genes and by the expectations that others have of us and by our own reluctance to really trust God for everything.
They relied upon the teachings of others for their own understanding of the Gospel. They formed loyalties with those who first showed them the love of God and quite naturally they defended those teachers when questioned about them. And because there was a contrary spirit in Corinth, they soon began to quarrel about who was better and who was worse - some saying Paul, others Apollos, and still others Cephas, and even some entered the fray saying that they belong to the party Christ and that he was, and therefore they were, better.
In short the Corinthians missed the point of what the Gospel is all about and instead of knowing the joy and the peace that comes with the fellowship of the faithful - instead of being powerful in their witness and being able to catch people for God - their congregational life collapsed and their sense of well being evaporated.
People complained about each other and about their leadership, they became confused about what was right and wrong, and they bickered about issues that made no sense then and even less now.
The King James Version of the Bible says that problems at Corinth could be traced to the believers there having a party spirit.
When I was younger I used to joke around a bit and say that this meant that the Corinthians stayed up too late and drank and danced a bit too much - that they played even more than they worked - but really it is no joking matter.
The Corinthians placed their loyalty in things other than the things of God - in persons other than the person of Jesus Christ, and they suffered because of it - they suffered a loss of power - they suffered a loss of love - they suffered a loss of joy in believing and in sharing.
The Corinthians did this
- they misplaced their loyalty
- they missed the point of the Gospel
- they formed up into party, cliques, and factions, not because they were wicked or mean or stupid, but because they looked elsewhere and forgot what they were to be about, because, most of all, they forgot who they believed in and what who they believed in was, and is, about.
The effective Christian life is based on three simple facts - the fact that God loves us unconditionally - the fact that apart from God we can do nothing that is worthwhile - and the fact that God is pleased to work through us if we allow him to, and around us if we will not.
Sometimes we look out upon our families, upon our congregation, or upon our club or lodge, or upon our place of employment and we say to ourselves - "things would be better if only Joe would cut x and y out", or "if only Nancy would do this or that everything would be fine".
Who hasn't heard the old song that is sung by close to everyone:
if only my father hadn't been so stern,
if only my parents hadn't gotten divorced
if only my mother had been more affectionate,
if only my high school had a better program
if only my boss wasn't such a boob.
Who do we belong to? What holds onto us because we hold on to it?
Do you look out and assign blame for what problems exist upon some people - and apportion credit for what good is happening to still others instead of alternately - either asking God to work through you to make things better or thanking God for making things as fine as they are.
Too many judge things, too many judge people just as they always used to instead of judging them by the standard show them by Christ when he went to the cross for them.
We prefer our friends to our enemies quite naturally. We prefer our comfort to our discomfort quite naturally. We would rather fit in than stand out. We would rather be praised than be criticized, and we would rather be served than serve - all quite naturally.
But we are not meant to be natural people any longer - we are meant to be the children of God - to be a spiritual people who live by spiritual principles, to be a people who live by the power of the cross of Christ rather than a people who live by the ways of the world.
Do you recall what it is like to wake up in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar place?
Sometimes a night light in the hall, providing a small amount of light, of security, against the darkness of the night. Sometimes a light has been left on in the hallway and its steady glow allows you to navigate safely when you have rise to raid the fridge or do what is necessary. And that's great.
But what foolishness it would be if you got up, as you do when you are at home, and, ignoring the fact of whether there is any light on or not, you try to navigate your way to the kitchen or the bathroom by making all the usual twist and turns. It's a sure fire way to experience some form of pain - I mean think of what happens if someone simply moves something in your home without telling you about it, if for some reason they leave the seat up instead of down, or some other unexpected thing...
But we do this all the time - in a metaphorical sense at least.
We forget that we have been called to a new way of living, and that we are meant to navigate our way through our new life by the light that God provides rather than by our old channel markers.
Do you have a problem - don't worry about fixing blame - check out the possible solutions in the word of God. Do we have something that is hampering our life together
- let not accuse one another
- lets pray together and then let's work the works that God calls us to, both individually and collectively.
The church at Corinth was a weak church.
It was weak because the people there forgot that they were called to a new way of life. It was weak because they forgot that the true and only real source of transforming and healing power comes from the cross of Jesus Christ.
And it was weak because they forgot that their sole and only task as his followers was to show his love to others - that they were to live in such a manner and to speak in such a manner that others might be touched by God - that others might know the lure - the attraction - the wonder of God through us -and so be moved to claim Christ as their own.
I started this message today by saying we are supposed to fish for people, to seek to bring them into that great net known as the Kingdom of God, into that creel known as salvation, as redemption - as everlasting peace.
That is, my friends, the central calling of every disciple and every apostle, and every teacher, and every evangelist, and indeed of everyone who bears the name of Christ.
And it is a wonderful calling - a calling in which we have the privilege of witnessing God at work - a calling in which we are shown a portion of the love and the joy that exists in heaven.
Turn to Christ and place your allegiance in his person your focus on his cross, your energy on his work, and all that God has in mind for you will be yours in this life as well as in the next.
Blessed Be God, Day by Day, Amen
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Isaiah 42:1-9 and Matthew 3:13-17
Let us Pray: Bless O God, the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts that they be of profit to us and acceptable to thee, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
We started off the service with a call to worship in which we recalled the essential message of God to us - the story of Jesus and how forgiveness and salvation come through his name.
It is the message of the cross that we proclaim - of the cross and the resurrection; yet for many of us proclaiming the message is difficult.
We know what the message is - but we find it difficult to express it to others - to get others to really feel and sense the importance of it, sometimes, even to get others to listen to us.
It is about this last - about getting others to listen to us, that I want to speak of today and I want to do so by looking at one of the great riddles of Jesus' life - the riddle of his baptism.
Theologians, scholars, and just ordinary people like you and I are puzzled as to why Jesus was baptized.
Jesus himself tells us that he was baptized to "fulfil all righteousness", but that term is never explained by him, and there is nothing else in the passage to help us understand why Jesus, who was sinless, received, at John's hands, a baptism for the repentance of sins.
What theologians and bible scholars are all agreed on however, is the fact that the baptism of Jesus by John at the Jordan marked the beginning of his ministry - it was his debut as it were - his coming out ceremony - and that at the end of it he received the approval of God, who speaks from heaven, and says: "this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
There is no question that the baptism of Jesus was a significant event, a turning point in his life and through him - a turning point in our own lives.
So what does the baptism of Jesus show us? How does understanding it lead us to being more able to communicate the Gospel to others - to be able to get others to listen to us?
The answer is contained in the reason that Jesus gave for his baptism when John says to him - in verse 14 of today's reading:
"I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
and Jesus responds
"let it be so, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness."
Righteousness is an interesting word.
It is found 232 times in the bible - and in close to half of these occurrences it refers to the righteousness of God - to his love and his justice, to his saving activities and purposes.
In other words, contrary to the popular understanding, the word "righteousness" does not primarily refer to someone who is living a good life, rather it refers to a state in which the way of redemption is actively offered or illustrated by someone.
To be righteous is not just to be good - it is to be in the right kind of relationship with God and with others - to be a relationship which brings salvation, which brings wholeness, which brings the good news of God's love, to others.
Righteousness is something active - not simply a description of one's moral state.
Proverbs 11:4 says - "Righteousness delivers from death."
and again in Proverbs 15:9 we read - "God loves the one who pursues righteousness"
and in Proverbs 21:3 we see these words - "To do righteousness and justice, is more acceptable to God than sacrifice."
So when Jesus says to John: "let it be so, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness"
what he is saying is - "do it, it is a good thing to do - because in this way we will go further towards saving others, we will deliver them from death, we will make God's loving purpose more evident, more accessible to others."
And indeed the baptism of Jesus does help bring the healing word of God to others; and it shows us, as well, how the saving message of Jesus is best delivered.
There are three points I would like make to today. Yes - I do occasionally give an old fashioned three point sermon.
First - the baptism of Jesus shows us that Jesus truly did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped - to be held on to. His baptism, there in the muddy old Jordan - shows that he identifies with us and with our sins - and not only with God and God's perfection.
Jesus did not need to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins - all agree about this - but he chose this path - he chose to be seen with us - as one of us - because in this way - so Jesus says - righteousness is fulfilled.
Pause for a moment and think about this with me.
Each one of us here has had pronounced upon us the forgiveness and acceptance of God, we need not have anything more to do with thinking about ourselves as sinners.
In fact, according to the Bible, we can think of ourselves as chosen by God, as being selected by him for glory. Yet, think some more with me - in our communication with others - with those who have not yet really listened to the word of God's love - would this be helpful?
Who gets the better hearing? The perfect person, the one who has never made a mistake? Or the one who can stand and say - I know where you have been, let me help you. I know how difficult it is.
In his baptism Jesus identifies with us. He shows us the way of righteousness, the way of saving others, is a way of empathy and understanding - of putting ourselves in someone else's shoes.
Jesus does not "lord" his superior knowledge or virtue over others.
Instead he sits with them in their homes, he eats their food, he answers their questions, he laughs with them in their joy, and he cries with them in their grief. And with them, and with us, he descends to the Jordan and is washed for the forgiveness of sins.
Do you want to proclaim the message and be heard in it as was Jesus?
Then you need to identify with the people you are speaking to. You need to remember how you have "been there" before, and if you have not actually been there - well, you still need to try to put yourself in the other persons shoes, and try to really understand what it going on in their hearts as well as in their heads.
True communication can't be done in an atmosphere of judgement, it requires understanding, acceptance, and the willingness to link hearts and minds together.
Second - Jesus shows us in his baptism that it is important to go beyond ourselves when seeking to do the work of God - he shows us that we should turn to God and seek God's help when we are trying to point the way to God to others.
Jesus seeks John out at the Jordan river - it is no accident that he is there.
Jesus deliberately goes to a place where God's power and love were being proclaimed and he asks for that power and that love to be poured out upon him in a special act - an act performed by a special man - a man who was filled with God's spirit.
It is then, and only then, after this has been done, that Jesus goes on to help others.
We often forget this in our attempt to communicate to others the love of God.
We want to tell the story of Jesus, we want to share the salvation of God, but we ignore, neglect, or just plain downgrade the resources of our faith.
We speak to others - but we do not prepare ourselves to speak: we do not pray for God's help - we do not pause to ask ourselves what Jesus would have said or done in this circumstance - we do not call upon God's power to assist us in touching their hearts.
Further, when we speak with others we all too often do not offer them anything special; we do not show them anything different than that which they already have. We do not offer anything that they have not already been offered.
Too often we offer common sense, pop psychology, and the wisdom we receive from self- help books - instead of the way of God that is found in the Bible and in our different traditions.
My friends, the gospel we seek to communicate, the saving message we want to share, the righteousness we are called to fulfil with Jesus, is not something that is based on a "self help" model.
Salvation is something that ultimately comes from beyond us. Righteousness is something that is given to us by God, given as gift through the very Jesus whose baptism we are looking at today.
When Jesus wanted to make a beginning, he turned to a spiritual resource.
When he wanted to fulfil all righteousness, he turned to a spiritual man speaking spiritual words. When he wanted to communicate a spiritual message he was first baptized in a spiritual river - the river Jordan through which Israel had passed to enter the Holy Land.
Jesus turned to these things, and he also pointed them out to others - which leads me to the last point.
Third - Jesus in his baptism reminds us that we need to set the example.
Jesus was, above all things, authentic in his communications.
When he spoke of being able to help us carry our burdens - he had already experienced the same trials and tribulations as we do. When he spoke of how trusting in God could help one overcome anxiety - he had already trusted in God for his daily bread, his physical safety, and his spiritual power.
People listened to Jesus - not just because he understood and identified with him - and not just because he pointed out the way to God but also because he lived his own message.
He didn't just tell others to turn to God - he himself sought out God blessings: at the Jordan and in lonely places away from others - and regularly in places of worship - the synagogues on the Sabbath each week and at the temple at Passover Time.
He didn't just tell others to pray for people - he himself prayed for them - as he did for the disciples before going out to the Garden of Gethesame.
He didn't just tell others to forgive each other - he himself forgave them - even from the cross when he was in the midst of his agony.
He didn't just tell others how important it was to heal others - he himself did healings. He spat on the clay and anointed a beggars eyes. He reached out and touched the lepers. He laid his hands upon the sick and anointed them with his prayers.
Jesus did everything he asked others to do, and he was respected for this, and he was heard by many because of it.
My friends - not everyone will listen to us.
No matter how good we are, how righteous we are, there will be some who will take offense at us - as they did at Jesus. But the message of Jesus to us is that we ought to be trying as he did.
And when we do, when we humble ourselves - like Jesus - and identify with others, when we tell others about the source of saving power and go to it and accept it for ourselves then God will be well pleased with us. And his Spirit will indeed be seen to rest upon us as it did upon Jesus.
Thanks be to God - for his living word - Jesus Christ our Saviour, and for his Spirit - which gives up power day by day. Amen.
We started off the service with a call to worship in which we recalled the essential message of God to us - the story of Jesus and how forgiveness and salvation come through his name.
It is the message of the cross that we proclaim - of the cross and the resurrection; yet for many of us proclaiming the message is difficult.
We know what the message is - but we find it difficult to express it to others - to get others to really feel and sense the importance of it, sometimes, even to get others to listen to us.
It is about this last - about getting others to listen to us, that I want to speak of today and I want to do so by looking at one of the great riddles of Jesus' life - the riddle of his baptism.
Theologians, scholars, and just ordinary people like you and I are puzzled as to why Jesus was baptized.
Jesus himself tells us that he was baptized to "fulfil all righteousness", but that term is never explained by him, and there is nothing else in the passage to help us understand why Jesus, who was sinless, received, at John's hands, a baptism for the repentance of sins.
What theologians and bible scholars are all agreed on however, is the fact that the baptism of Jesus by John at the Jordan marked the beginning of his ministry - it was his debut as it were - his coming out ceremony - and that at the end of it he received the approval of God, who speaks from heaven, and says: "this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
There is no question that the baptism of Jesus was a significant event, a turning point in his life and through him - a turning point in our own lives.
So what does the baptism of Jesus show us? How does understanding it lead us to being more able to communicate the Gospel to others - to be able to get others to listen to us?
The answer is contained in the reason that Jesus gave for his baptism when John says to him - in verse 14 of today's reading:
"I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
and Jesus responds
"let it be so, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness."
Righteousness is an interesting word.
It is found 232 times in the bible - and in close to half of these occurrences it refers to the righteousness of God - to his love and his justice, to his saving activities and purposes.
In other words, contrary to the popular understanding, the word "righteousness" does not primarily refer to someone who is living a good life, rather it refers to a state in which the way of redemption is actively offered or illustrated by someone.
To be righteous is not just to be good - it is to be in the right kind of relationship with God and with others - to be a relationship which brings salvation, which brings wholeness, which brings the good news of God's love, to others.
Righteousness is something active - not simply a description of one's moral state.
Proverbs 11:4 says - "Righteousness delivers from death."
and again in Proverbs 15:9 we read - "God loves the one who pursues righteousness"
and in Proverbs 21:3 we see these words - "To do righteousness and justice, is more acceptable to God than sacrifice."
So when Jesus says to John: "let it be so, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness"
what he is saying is - "do it, it is a good thing to do - because in this way we will go further towards saving others, we will deliver them from death, we will make God's loving purpose more evident, more accessible to others."
And indeed the baptism of Jesus does help bring the healing word of God to others; and it shows us, as well, how the saving message of Jesus is best delivered.
There are three points I would like make to today. Yes - I do occasionally give an old fashioned three point sermon.
First - the baptism of Jesus shows us that Jesus truly did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped - to be held on to. His baptism, there in the muddy old Jordan - shows that he identifies with us and with our sins - and not only with God and God's perfection.
Jesus did not need to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins - all agree about this - but he chose this path - he chose to be seen with us - as one of us - because in this way - so Jesus says - righteousness is fulfilled.
Pause for a moment and think about this with me.
Each one of us here has had pronounced upon us the forgiveness and acceptance of God, we need not have anything more to do with thinking about ourselves as sinners.
In fact, according to the Bible, we can think of ourselves as chosen by God, as being selected by him for glory. Yet, think some more with me - in our communication with others - with those who have not yet really listened to the word of God's love - would this be helpful?
Who gets the better hearing? The perfect person, the one who has never made a mistake? Or the one who can stand and say - I know where you have been, let me help you. I know how difficult it is.
In his baptism Jesus identifies with us. He shows us the way of righteousness, the way of saving others, is a way of empathy and understanding - of putting ourselves in someone else's shoes.
Jesus does not "lord" his superior knowledge or virtue over others.
Instead he sits with them in their homes, he eats their food, he answers their questions, he laughs with them in their joy, and he cries with them in their grief. And with them, and with us, he descends to the Jordan and is washed for the forgiveness of sins.
Do you want to proclaim the message and be heard in it as was Jesus?
Then you need to identify with the people you are speaking to. You need to remember how you have "been there" before, and if you have not actually been there - well, you still need to try to put yourself in the other persons shoes, and try to really understand what it going on in their hearts as well as in their heads.
True communication can't be done in an atmosphere of judgement, it requires understanding, acceptance, and the willingness to link hearts and minds together.
Second - Jesus shows us in his baptism that it is important to go beyond ourselves when seeking to do the work of God - he shows us that we should turn to God and seek God's help when we are trying to point the way to God to others.
Jesus seeks John out at the Jordan river - it is no accident that he is there.
Jesus deliberately goes to a place where God's power and love were being proclaimed and he asks for that power and that love to be poured out upon him in a special act - an act performed by a special man - a man who was filled with God's spirit.
It is then, and only then, after this has been done, that Jesus goes on to help others.
We often forget this in our attempt to communicate to others the love of God.
We want to tell the story of Jesus, we want to share the salvation of God, but we ignore, neglect, or just plain downgrade the resources of our faith.
We speak to others - but we do not prepare ourselves to speak: we do not pray for God's help - we do not pause to ask ourselves what Jesus would have said or done in this circumstance - we do not call upon God's power to assist us in touching their hearts.
Further, when we speak with others we all too often do not offer them anything special; we do not show them anything different than that which they already have. We do not offer anything that they have not already been offered.
Too often we offer common sense, pop psychology, and the wisdom we receive from self- help books - instead of the way of God that is found in the Bible and in our different traditions.
My friends, the gospel we seek to communicate, the saving message we want to share, the righteousness we are called to fulfil with Jesus, is not something that is based on a "self help" model.
Salvation is something that ultimately comes from beyond us. Righteousness is something that is given to us by God, given as gift through the very Jesus whose baptism we are looking at today.
When Jesus wanted to make a beginning, he turned to a spiritual resource.
When he wanted to fulfil all righteousness, he turned to a spiritual man speaking spiritual words. When he wanted to communicate a spiritual message he was first baptized in a spiritual river - the river Jordan through which Israel had passed to enter the Holy Land.
Jesus turned to these things, and he also pointed them out to others - which leads me to the last point.
Third - Jesus in his baptism reminds us that we need to set the example.
Jesus was, above all things, authentic in his communications.
When he spoke of being able to help us carry our burdens - he had already experienced the same trials and tribulations as we do. When he spoke of how trusting in God could help one overcome anxiety - he had already trusted in God for his daily bread, his physical safety, and his spiritual power.
People listened to Jesus - not just because he understood and identified with him - and not just because he pointed out the way to God but also because he lived his own message.
He didn't just tell others to turn to God - he himself sought out God blessings: at the Jordan and in lonely places away from others - and regularly in places of worship - the synagogues on the Sabbath each week and at the temple at Passover Time.
He didn't just tell others to pray for people - he himself prayed for them - as he did for the disciples before going out to the Garden of Gethesame.
He didn't just tell others to forgive each other - he himself forgave them - even from the cross when he was in the midst of his agony.
He didn't just tell others how important it was to heal others - he himself did healings. He spat on the clay and anointed a beggars eyes. He reached out and touched the lepers. He laid his hands upon the sick and anointed them with his prayers.
Jesus did everything he asked others to do, and he was respected for this, and he was heard by many because of it.
My friends - not everyone will listen to us.
No matter how good we are, how righteous we are, there will be some who will take offense at us - as they did at Jesus. But the message of Jesus to us is that we ought to be trying as he did.
And when we do, when we humble ourselves - like Jesus - and identify with others, when we tell others about the source of saving power and go to it and accept it for ourselves then God will be well pleased with us. And his Spirit will indeed be seen to rest upon us as it did upon Jesus.
Thanks be to God - for his living word - Jesus Christ our Saviour, and for his Spirit - which gives up power day by day. Amen.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Ephesians 3:1-12 and Matthew 2:1-12
Let us Pray: Loving and Gracious God, bless thou the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts, we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
More than any other characters in the Christmas story the three wise men have been the subject of much good humour - like in the story of the little boy who was setting up a manger scene in the corner of the school room and, puzzled for a moment about what to do, he calls out to the teacher - "And where shall I put the three wise guys..."
We really know very little about the wise men despite the story we tell in plays and songs around Christmas time - you know the one - about how three kings arrived in Bethlehem - fast on the heels of the shepherds - to pay homage to the baby in a manger.
The problem is that the gospels do not confirm this often told story. In fact what we do know is a bit different:
First - the three kings were not kings at all, but rather they were magi, wise men, professional scholars in fact, schooled in the science of astrology.
Second - we do not know if there were three of them or thirty, we only know that there were three gifts given.
Third - there is no mention of the manger in the story of the wise men, in fact just the opposite. The story states that the wise men entered into a house.
Fourth - the last statement is really no surprise if you read the story found in the Gospel of Matthew carefully - because you discover in it that the wise men arrived in Bethlehem close to two years after the birth of Jesus - time enough for Mary and Joseph to have found a house and settle in.
Today, I want to look at the story of the magi - let's call it the story of the three wise men for convenience, and draw four points from it. Each of these points concern the wisdom of the wise men - a wisdom that is available to us if we want it.
First - we discover in the story that the wise men sought for truth and wisdom.
The magi knew that the star that they followed was no ordinary star. These three had apparently been searching the heavens for years for signs of something unique and significant occurring in their world. They were open to new wisdom and truth - more than this - they searched for it. They were not simply content to get along with that which they already knew. So, when they saw a new star in the heavens, they sensed in their hearts that it was a sign from God.
The Bible tells us over and again - that if we seek, we will find, if we knock, the door shall be opened to us, if we ask, we will receive. But how often do we actually seek for wisdom? For new truth? For guidance?
Think of assembling all those new toys and tools that appeared this Christmas. How many people actually looked at the directions before beginning to assemble them? How many tried to put something together relying on the knowledge they already had - only to find that it was not good enough?
The wise men gained their wisdom because they were seekers - they were looking for new things, new insights, new signs. They read their manuals, they searched the heavens for signs and wonders. And so can we.
Second - The Wisemen set forth in faith to find what the star pointed to.
Faith by definition involves the idea of making a journey - of venturing forth - of risking one's very self in a new activity. The living God cannot be found by proxy. That was Herod's mistake - he wanted the magi to go in his place and search for the Christ child. Only then would he come and worship the new born king. By contrast the magi had to travel from a foreign land in search of wisdom and truth. They did not know where the star would lead them, how long it would take, or what the end result would be for them. They only knew that it was important for them to follow that star to wherever it lead. It was a personal quest and the result was an opportunity to worship the one who would be king of kings and Lord of Lords..
This may well be the most important truth for us in the Epiphany story.
A story of faith with Jesus has to be a personal story, a personal quest.
It is not enough to know all kinds of facts about Jesus Christ. One must encounter the wonder of God's grace for sinners and then make a personal decision to receive him into our heart as Lord. One must decide to follow him and then do so. No one else can do that for us. Faith is not inherited like the family jewels - nor can it come from simply knowing what others have said about it..
Faith is like the difference between having read about how to make a cake and actually making one. One may know all there is to know about cooking, one may well have memorized the recipe for the cake that he or she wants to make - but until one actually gets out the ingredients and mixes them together and puts the results in the oven - it means absolutely nothing.
Third - The wise men sought help from other people as they tried to find the king.
We so often try to live our lives without making any demands on others. We try to be independent. To stand alone. To make it by ourselves. Sometimes this comes out of noble motives - we do not want to burden others. Other times it comes out of fear - we are afraid of looking weak or foolish.
When the magi arrived in Jerusalem it seems that they lost sight of the star. They knew they were in the right area, but they were not yet at the right spot. Kind of like us sometimes when we visit a new city to find a friend. We get into the right neighbourhood - but somehow can't quite locate the street we are looking for. Our map may be outdated or in error, whatever the reason may be, we are stuck and remain stuck until we ask someone else for help.
That is what the magi did. The bible says they consulted with the people in Jerusalem. They ask where the new born king is and how they can find him so they can pay homage to him. Because they ask - they receive. Their question is answered by people who are familiar with the Scriptures and prophecies concerning the birth of the Messiah - and they take that answer and set forth with it - and when they do so, once again they see the star going ahead of them - until it takes them to Jesus.
There are many people who can help us on our journey of faith - if we are wise enough to ask them. The question is: are we willing to ask for help when we need it? When we are in the right neighbourhood, but can't quite find our way to our destination will we stop and ask for directions as did the magi?
Fourth - The wise men accepted what God lead them to and believed in it.
In the story of the wise men often much is made of what they gave to the Christ child. But consider what they were given for a minute.
They set forth looking for a king - a king of kings in fact. After a long and hard journey they end up at a simple home in Bethlehem - and there they find a carpenter and his wife and child. There are no costly treasures in the house, no purple robes, no gold rings, nothing in fact to show that they are in the presence of person destined to be a great king. Only the star stood overhead to indicate that anything special at all was going on.
And they accept this. Although all the outward signs, save one, are telling them that they are in the wrong place, they accept that single sign - the sign of God that they have been following for so long - and ignore the rest.
So many of us have a hard time accepting what God has given in the form that he gives it. Because we are waiting for a gift from God - we look for great miracles, instant healings, signs and wonders, trumpet calls and 21 gun salutes.
We may pray to God for a special blessing - and then turn away at our door a homeless person who is looking for a meal, or a neighbour who is dropping by unannounced, or a client who shows up just when we are preparing to leave work for the day.
Louis Cassels tells a story about a man who hated Christmas.
It was late Christmas Eve, but in spite of his wife's pleas he would not accompany her to church. The whole crazy idea of God becoming a human being made no sense to his logical mind. He stood watching the heavy snow at his picture window. He thought of the birds and wondered if they would find the seeds he had put out for them. It was snowing hard enough that the seed holders were quickly covered. He turned on the backyard lights, but both the birds and the seed were lost in the falling snow. Putting on his heavy coat, he went outside and opened his big barn door. Then he spread bird seed just inside the barn, hoping that the birds would see it. They did not! Still hoping to help these little starving creatures, the man tried desperately to shoo the little birds toward the light of his open barn - but they were too frightened. Here they were only inches away from the food and water they needed, and he was helpless. "If only I were a bird", he thought to himself, "I would show them the way to that life-giving food." Just then the church bells began to ring announcing Christmas morning. Suddenly he understood why God's Son came to show us the way to eternal life in the way that he did - as one of us. From that point on he became a believer.
We have this idea fixed in our minds that God does not, or should not, appear to us in the ordinary aspects of our life. We do not expect God to show up while we are at work in our office, or sitting in a classroom, or doing dishes at the kitchen sink.
We have a hard time too considering that God's answers to our questions can be found in a 2000 something year old book, or on the lips of our employees or our friends, or that a dream we have had during a long and troubled night is, in fact, a message from God.
The wisdom of the wise men was and is simply this - they sought wisdom - they were willing to journey in faith to personally discover what God was doing - they did not hesitate to ask for help along the way and finally - they accepted what they found - even though it was plainly dressed - and believed in it.
Simple stuff really - but wisdom normally is simple stuff. Simple - but when used - as the wisemen used it, it leads us to God. May God bless us all with this kind of wisdom. Amen!
More than any other characters in the Christmas story the three wise men have been the subject of much good humour - like in the story of the little boy who was setting up a manger scene in the corner of the school room and, puzzled for a moment about what to do, he calls out to the teacher - "And where shall I put the three wise guys..."
We really know very little about the wise men despite the story we tell in plays and songs around Christmas time - you know the one - about how three kings arrived in Bethlehem - fast on the heels of the shepherds - to pay homage to the baby in a manger.
The problem is that the gospels do not confirm this often told story. In fact what we do know is a bit different:
First - the three kings were not kings at all, but rather they were magi, wise men, professional scholars in fact, schooled in the science of astrology.
Second - we do not know if there were three of them or thirty, we only know that there were three gifts given.
Third - there is no mention of the manger in the story of the wise men, in fact just the opposite. The story states that the wise men entered into a house.
Fourth - the last statement is really no surprise if you read the story found in the Gospel of Matthew carefully - because you discover in it that the wise men arrived in Bethlehem close to two years after the birth of Jesus - time enough for Mary and Joseph to have found a house and settle in.
Today, I want to look at the story of the magi - let's call it the story of the three wise men for convenience, and draw four points from it. Each of these points concern the wisdom of the wise men - a wisdom that is available to us if we want it.
First - we discover in the story that the wise men sought for truth and wisdom.
The magi knew that the star that they followed was no ordinary star. These three had apparently been searching the heavens for years for signs of something unique and significant occurring in their world. They were open to new wisdom and truth - more than this - they searched for it. They were not simply content to get along with that which they already knew. So, when they saw a new star in the heavens, they sensed in their hearts that it was a sign from God.
The Bible tells us over and again - that if we seek, we will find, if we knock, the door shall be opened to us, if we ask, we will receive. But how often do we actually seek for wisdom? For new truth? For guidance?
Think of assembling all those new toys and tools that appeared this Christmas. How many people actually looked at the directions before beginning to assemble them? How many tried to put something together relying on the knowledge they already had - only to find that it was not good enough?
The wise men gained their wisdom because they were seekers - they were looking for new things, new insights, new signs. They read their manuals, they searched the heavens for signs and wonders. And so can we.
Second - The Wisemen set forth in faith to find what the star pointed to.
Faith by definition involves the idea of making a journey - of venturing forth - of risking one's very self in a new activity. The living God cannot be found by proxy. That was Herod's mistake - he wanted the magi to go in his place and search for the Christ child. Only then would he come and worship the new born king. By contrast the magi had to travel from a foreign land in search of wisdom and truth. They did not know where the star would lead them, how long it would take, or what the end result would be for them. They only knew that it was important for them to follow that star to wherever it lead. It was a personal quest and the result was an opportunity to worship the one who would be king of kings and Lord of Lords..
This may well be the most important truth for us in the Epiphany story.
A story of faith with Jesus has to be a personal story, a personal quest.
It is not enough to know all kinds of facts about Jesus Christ. One must encounter the wonder of God's grace for sinners and then make a personal decision to receive him into our heart as Lord. One must decide to follow him and then do so. No one else can do that for us. Faith is not inherited like the family jewels - nor can it come from simply knowing what others have said about it..
Faith is like the difference between having read about how to make a cake and actually making one. One may know all there is to know about cooking, one may well have memorized the recipe for the cake that he or she wants to make - but until one actually gets out the ingredients and mixes them together and puts the results in the oven - it means absolutely nothing.
Third - The wise men sought help from other people as they tried to find the king.
We so often try to live our lives without making any demands on others. We try to be independent. To stand alone. To make it by ourselves. Sometimes this comes out of noble motives - we do not want to burden others. Other times it comes out of fear - we are afraid of looking weak or foolish.
When the magi arrived in Jerusalem it seems that they lost sight of the star. They knew they were in the right area, but they were not yet at the right spot. Kind of like us sometimes when we visit a new city to find a friend. We get into the right neighbourhood - but somehow can't quite locate the street we are looking for. Our map may be outdated or in error, whatever the reason may be, we are stuck and remain stuck until we ask someone else for help.
That is what the magi did. The bible says they consulted with the people in Jerusalem. They ask where the new born king is and how they can find him so they can pay homage to him. Because they ask - they receive. Their question is answered by people who are familiar with the Scriptures and prophecies concerning the birth of the Messiah - and they take that answer and set forth with it - and when they do so, once again they see the star going ahead of them - until it takes them to Jesus.
There are many people who can help us on our journey of faith - if we are wise enough to ask them. The question is: are we willing to ask for help when we need it? When we are in the right neighbourhood, but can't quite find our way to our destination will we stop and ask for directions as did the magi?
Fourth - The wise men accepted what God lead them to and believed in it.
In the story of the wise men often much is made of what they gave to the Christ child. But consider what they were given for a minute.
They set forth looking for a king - a king of kings in fact. After a long and hard journey they end up at a simple home in Bethlehem - and there they find a carpenter and his wife and child. There are no costly treasures in the house, no purple robes, no gold rings, nothing in fact to show that they are in the presence of person destined to be a great king. Only the star stood overhead to indicate that anything special at all was going on.
And they accept this. Although all the outward signs, save one, are telling them that they are in the wrong place, they accept that single sign - the sign of God that they have been following for so long - and ignore the rest.
So many of us have a hard time accepting what God has given in the form that he gives it. Because we are waiting for a gift from God - we look for great miracles, instant healings, signs and wonders, trumpet calls and 21 gun salutes.
We may pray to God for a special blessing - and then turn away at our door a homeless person who is looking for a meal, or a neighbour who is dropping by unannounced, or a client who shows up just when we are preparing to leave work for the day.
Louis Cassels tells a story about a man who hated Christmas.
It was late Christmas Eve, but in spite of his wife's pleas he would not accompany her to church. The whole crazy idea of God becoming a human being made no sense to his logical mind. He stood watching the heavy snow at his picture window. He thought of the birds and wondered if they would find the seeds he had put out for them. It was snowing hard enough that the seed holders were quickly covered. He turned on the backyard lights, but both the birds and the seed were lost in the falling snow. Putting on his heavy coat, he went outside and opened his big barn door. Then he spread bird seed just inside the barn, hoping that the birds would see it. They did not! Still hoping to help these little starving creatures, the man tried desperately to shoo the little birds toward the light of his open barn - but they were too frightened. Here they were only inches away from the food and water they needed, and he was helpless. "If only I were a bird", he thought to himself, "I would show them the way to that life-giving food." Just then the church bells began to ring announcing Christmas morning. Suddenly he understood why God's Son came to show us the way to eternal life in the way that he did - as one of us. From that point on he became a believer.
We have this idea fixed in our minds that God does not, or should not, appear to us in the ordinary aspects of our life. We do not expect God to show up while we are at work in our office, or sitting in a classroom, or doing dishes at the kitchen sink.
We have a hard time too considering that God's answers to our questions can be found in a 2000 something year old book, or on the lips of our employees or our friends, or that a dream we have had during a long and troubled night is, in fact, a message from God.
The wisdom of the wise men was and is simply this - they sought wisdom - they were willing to journey in faith to personally discover what God was doing - they did not hesitate to ask for help along the way and finally - they accepted what they found - even though it was plainly dressed - and believed in it.
Simple stuff really - but wisdom normally is simple stuff. Simple - but when used - as the wisemen used it, it leads us to God. May God bless us all with this kind of wisdom. Amen!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
