Here is my sermon from today, based on the readings for the Epiphany especially Matthew 2:1-12:
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| The APc-16, my father's ship in World War II |
My father served in the U.S. Navy in
World War II as the navigator on a small ship in the South Pacific. In those
days, ships navigated by star and chart.
He used a sextant to pinpoint the
position of stars against the horizon, and from that he could calculate the
position of his ship on the sea.
The lives of his shipmates depended not
only on the accuracy of his calculations, but also on the accuracy of his identification
of the stars. He got very skilled at picking out stars
– and could even identify stars through the breaks in the clouds.
When I was a small boy, my dad
delighted in teaching me the names of the stars. I also learned from him that not all
stars are in the sky.
Some stars shine deep within us.
This morning, in the Gospel of Matthew,
we meet once again the magi – the “wise men” – as they follow a star to the
crib of Jesus.
Let me point out a few details you
might not have noticed in the story of the magi – or details that are missing: Nowhere in the biblical story does it
say how many magi there were. Legend says three, and legend even gives them
names: Melchoir, Casper and Balthazar.
But the Gospel of Matthew gives us no
clue about how many magi there were – it could have been two or two hundred.
Nor does the gospel give us their names.
Legend calls them kings – “We three kings
of orient are.” But Matthew makes no such claim about
their status or national origins.
And especially note this: No one other
than the magi see the star. No one else.
There is nothing in the story to indicate
that the star is brightly flying across the sky like the star depicted on Christmas
cards. If it were, then King Herod and everyone else would have had no problem
seeing it.
But only the magi see it.
The star is not mentioned anywhere else
in the Bible except in the Gospel of Matthew. There are no other historical
accounts of this star except here.
I don’t tell you this to explode myths.
Rather, maybe we should consider that the star wasn’t in the sky at all. Maybe the star was inside the magi, burning
so brightly inside them that they just had to follow wherever it led.
They followed this star by faith and
faith alone. The magi did not know where they were
going, or how the journey would come out.
But they went anyway.
This is the definition of faith –
following a star wherever it leads, and acting without being certain of the
final destination or outcome.This star brought the magi a very long
distance from their homes. They would not be the first to follow a star, nor
the last.
These wise men – the Magi – follow
their star to the infant Jesus. They come to behold and honor the newborn king. They discover that this king is like no
other king before or since. He will grow to become a king with no
throne, no scepter, no armies, no political power. He will wash the feet of his followers,
heal the sick, feed the hungry, and share meals with outcasts, tax collectors,
saints and sinners, and all who come to his table.
He will teach, he will pray, he will get frustrated and angry at times, and he will ultimately go to the Cross to show us that there is
more to life than death. He will define his kingship by being a
servant to all.
This servant king brings not revenge and
hatred, but reconciliation and healing. He brings what is called in Hebrew, shalom.
As we hear the biblical stories unfold
for us Sunday after Sunday this year, we will hear once again about people who
follow stars. They will have strengths and flaws,
courage and cowardice, and sometimes a mix of both.
We will hear of a few people who get it
right, and a lot more people who don’t. In short, most will be people like us.
We too are called to follow the star
inside us. We too are asked to follow by faith. I’ve
been with you now almost six months. I’d like to offer a few observations about
the star we are following by faith.
First,
this is a resilient congregation, and yes, a faithful congregation; this has
always been so for more than a century. This
congregation has a deep well of faith that has brought it through every trial
and challenge that has come our way.
Yet
there is not always a shared understanding of how to follow this star. Do we follow this star primarily through outreach
to the community with ministries like Open Table and the Living Room? Or do we
follow this star primarily through music and arts like with Numina?
Or
do we follow this star with education and formation for children and adults? Or
follow with social events and hospitality? Or pastoral care for the sick and
aged?
All
of these are important, but how do they fit together?
Let
me suggest that all we do connects by following the star of Christ’s gospel of shalom. If
we begin in this place of reconciliation and healing – shalom – then all else will follow. This is where you will see the
star.
I’ve
heard much in the last few months that we have difficulty with communication.
But
communication is not just about the transmission of events in newsletters and
emails. We actually do that quite well.
Rather,
our challenge is to connect with each other, to hear each other, to truly communicate
about those things that really matter. This
is why we need more opportunities to honestly share our stories and our
perspectives so that we might trust each other more deeply.
We’ve
been doing this in a series of congregational meetings, and we will be doing
more in the new year. Please use these opportunities fully, and feel free to
create opportunities for smaller conversations on your own.
We
don’t need a sextant or chart to find this star. Our star is right here in
front of us. We
will see this star in sharing our worship and sacraments – in our common prayer
and Holy Eucharist – Sunday after Sunday, week after week.
This
is why it is so crucial for us to be here every Sunday, to worship fully
together, to see this common star together. Jesus teaches us one thing counts above
all else – that we should love God and love each other as God loves us. The first and great commandment is to
love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.
The second great commandment is like unto
it: to love our neighbor – each other – as we love ourselves, and not just when
it is easy, but especially when it is hard.
It
comes to us to bring God’s shalom
alive for each other and alive for everyone who walks through these doors.
So let us go forth once again, as the
Letter to the Ephesians proclaims, “in boldness and confidence through faith in
him,” and let us follow this star wherever it may lead. Shalom, peace. AMEN
