A sermon preached at Kowloon
Union Church on Sunday 11 January 2015, First
Sunday after the Epiphany, by
the Rev. Dr. John LeMond. The
scripture readings that day were Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians
3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12.
One of the most interesting aspects of this story
Is something that is unstated but is assumed
The scripture says there were three magi
Or kings; or wise men
They were the people of their civilization
Who looked into the mysteries of the universe.
They may have been considered philosophers
But philosophy during this period was not alienated/separated from
religion
In fact, it was very much a part of religion
There was no distinction between religion and philosophy
Seeking after the mysteries of the universe assumed the role of the gods
We don’t know where these people came from
But it is very likely from Persia (what is now Iran)
And that they were priests of the Zoroastrian religion
But it is not especially important that we know exactly who they were
It is important for us to know
that they were religious people
To know that they were neither Jews nor Romans
And that they had traveled a very long way to follow this important star
It was believed by many ancient peoples that a bright new star in the
sky
Was a sign of the birth of a great leader.
And so it was with the birth of Jesus
The one who the wise men indicated was to be king of the Jews
The shepherd of his people.
The thing that is assumed in
this passage is that
The religious leaders from the East had some important information
Some very important information
Information that had not yet been fully recognized
By the people to whom the new king had come.
The people of Palestine had either ignored this information
Or it had been interpreted as a threat to them.
But now, people from a different culture, from a different religion
Were saying to them: God has done something very special among you.
Something amazing.
And we have traveled a great distance, risking life and fortune
To acknowledge this divine work.
Here, in the three magi, we have the first evangelists
They were the first, after the shepherds, to recognize this marvelous
new thing
And they were neither Jews,
And they certainly were not Christians
They were, most likely, Zoroastrians.
And perhaps surprisingly, the writer of Matthew does not question this
possibility
In fact, the writer uses this as an interesting way of proclaiming a new
reality
Look!, he says
This is not only something amazing that has happened for our people
It is something that has happened for the world
For the people of all places and all times
The greatness of God has been revealed to us and among us
Not just a revelation to a small group of people in the eastern
Mediterranean
But a revelation to all of humanity
In fact, not a revelation restricted to one religion
But to the people of all religions
Who is it who has proclaimed this amazing thing to us?
Who is it who has brought this good news of an amazing birth?
Who is it who has announced this epiphany,
this revelation to us?
Foreign priests.
Priests of a foreign god.
That is amazing.
And yet, in the Gospel of Matthew
It is taken for granted that this could be so.
And we take it for granted as well.
Yes, the three wise men
How beautiful, how perfect, how natural
How many manger scenes, or crèches, are put up every Christmas?
In home and churches and even in public places
And in nearly every one of them…there in the front row
Are the three wise men
And that is how we think of them
The three wise men of our
religion.
Not three foreign priests
Not the priests of Zoroaster
Not the priests of the religion of fire
But as our three wise men
They are so naturally a part
Of the traditional scene with Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus
The shepherds and the animals
Naturally…just the way it should to be
But, in fact, they don’t really belong there naturally
They are not part of culture of Palestine
They are outsiders, strangers
They are the most foreign element that could possibly have been added to
this scene
On the children’s television program Sesame Street
There is a segment in which several pictures are shown to the children
For instance a car, a bicycle, a skateboard and a cat
And the children are asked, “Which one of these is not like the others?”
“Which one of these doesn’t belong?”
(The answer is cat.)
That is what should immediately come to mind
When we see the Christmas scene of the people around the manger with the
baby Jesus.
Which one of these doesn’t belong?
The writer of the Gospel of Matthew knew
The priests from the East
Their presence signals to us that something new has happened
Something unexpected
Something very unexpected
We did not expect foreigners,
Priests of a foreign god
To be the one’s to announce the arrival of the king.
That isn’t the way it was supposed to happen
The insiders, Jesus’ own people, were supposed to recognize the king’s
arrival
But, in fact, the presence of the foreign priests
Is an indication to us that nearly everything
that we expected
Has turned out to be different.
These strangers announce not only the birth of a king
But a new reality for the world.
We didn’t expect to be informed of the Savior's birth by the followers
of a foreign religion
But we also did not expect the Messiah to be born to a simple, ordinary
couple
We did not expect the Christ to be born into such humble beginnings.
And we certainly did not expect this baby to grow up
And to be arrested, beaten and executed.
We expect to meet God in the usual places
We expect our religion to comfort us with the expected answers
But right from the beginning the three wise men tell us
This is not going to happen
God breaks all the rules
The king is humble and poor
The liberator is peaceful and meek
The savior does not save himself…he dies
That is what the three wise men represent
The unexpected, wrong side up, upside down presence of God among us.
They shouldn't be there, but they are.
God shouldn't be a baby in a manger, but God is!
And the wise men stand next to the others in the manger
And in manger scenes in churches and homes around the world
Shouting out: Something new has happened
Something so new and unexpected that it may frighten us
Frighten us as it did Herod.
Or…it may set us on a path of discovery, as it did the wise men.
Today, is the first Sunday after the Epiphany
The star of the Christ child
lights up the sky.
Where will God's star lead us?
Amen.
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, January 11, 2015
