The Epiphany of our Lord, 01/06/2018

Sermon on Matthew 2:1-12, by Beth A. Schlegel

Isaiah 60:1-6 and Matthew 2:1-12

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men^[^a^] from the east came to Jerusalem, ²saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose^[^b^] and have come to worship him.” ³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

⁶“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”⁹After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹²And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

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Of all that can be said of the Epiphany, it is certainly an undoing -- an undoing of the human division brought about at the Tower of Babel as an icon of human ambition.

If there was anything King Herod wanted, it was for the whole world to bow down and worship him.

Or at the very least, to preserve the homage paid him by his own realm.

This was the aim of every king’s domestic and foreign policy, military strategy, and political presence.

Is it not still the case?

Is it not this ambition, at least in part, that drives American politics and culture to maintain its reputation as a superpower? as an economic standard for the global economy?
Is it not this ambition that keeps international conflict brewing at numerous borders? The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for example, or the conflict in Myanmar or Syria? Is it not this that has led to border tension between India & Pakistan, between ethnic groups in Bosnia and Croatia?
And is it not what drives the aims of militants and dictators of days past and our own time, such as Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin?And, more personally, is it not at the heart of human nature that we desire to be right, to have the last word, to be better and superior than everybody else?To Herod’s cushy palace, where he was fawned over and pampered, came foreign ambassadors from other empires. Perhaps he thought about the possibility of negotiating imperial expansion, or an economic union (they could call the new currency the “Asio”). Or -- since they were bearing gifts -- perhaps their rulers wanted to ask for his supreme assistance. -- One might imagine Herod sputtering in disbelief (surely they are joking, mistaken, got a wrong number somewhere) -- until their utterly straight faces and candid manner made him realize that they spoke truth. Now what? his security and ambition were pulled out from under him in one fell swoop. He could not know that the authority of Jesus would not unseat him as political leader of a portion of the Roman Empire, but would establish a still higher throne -- a sovereignty that would unite Jews and Gentiles, Romans and Greeks, West and East, North and South, fair and dark, rich and poor.But God’s will cannot be thwarted. The resurrection of Jesus has sealed the triumph of God once -- and for all. What is left until the day of fulfillment is the Word, the signs, the Child, and the witnesses:
The word of the prophets, the sign of the star, the son of Mary, and the magi who believed them.
Even the most horrific of human actions to oppose the love of God for all creation cannot, finally, undo it.
He knew only the threat this news meant to his egotistical ambition. So with the shrewdness of a fox, he enlisted his intelligence network and pretended goodwill toward this purported king, only for the purpose of doing whatever it would take to eliminate the threat.
He could not know that this child’s kingship would not be exactly the political threat he imagined.
Then, Matthew tells us, Herod became afraid -- threatened -- nervous -- and all Jerusalem with him.
Herod was simply not prepared for what these foreign emissaries wanted: to see the king -- the king of all Judea-- the real king -- -- the one the cosmos changed course to declare by the rising of his special star.
Those who have been around toddlers know that somewhere between 12 and 24 months, children acquire the mightiest weapons available: the words “No” and “mine”.
In welcoming the representatives of the whole world, Jesus unites under one roof those who otherwise would make strange bedfellows;
Jesus unites at one table those who otherwise would not break bread together;
Jesus unites in one body those who otherwise would be scattered as lost sheep, to their destruction. The good News of Jesus’ Epiphany is the salvation of God not only for Jews, the people of God’s covenant promise, but for non-Jewish believers. For people like you and me.I wonder if we are not sometimes too comfortable with division. As a new pastor in a former parish, I remember organizing a neighborhood canvas to invite people to worship at our church. Not only was the blatant racism troubling, and my own complicity in it, but so also was the ease with which a whole group of people could be excluded from hearing the Good News from us. I know how easy it is to think: let them keep their religions -- let someone else bring them to faith -- just let me stay in my comfort zone with people just like me.The Lord’s Epiphany unsettles such division and exposes it as being opposed to God’s will.It is a form of tyrannical ambition that elevates the self by putting others down.The Good tidings of great joy are for all people -- The Gospel will convert all who hear it. We all were once unbelievers --destined for the fate of all that opposes God -- except that we heard the Word, saw the signs, and trusted the witnesses who told us that life is given by Jesus the Lord.And therefore, we are restless for those who do not yet know this good news.
So we are united by him -- united in his body -- united at his table -- united to all who hear and believe, and united to his Spirit. What joy and peace there is from the blessing of this Lord!
Like the wise men, we were all drawn to the Lord Jesus by the Word, the signs, and the witnesses who brought us to the Church, who told us the stories, preached to us the Good News of Jesus, prayed with us and over us, who gave us the signs of water and laying on of hands, anointing, bread and cup.
The Epiphany is a good reminder to us -- that we all are converts. There was a time for each of us -- whether we remember it or not -- when we did not know Jesus as Lord or believe in him as our Savior, when his word did not ring in our ears.
It denies the love of God for all people that Jesus makes known.
Racism in all its forms is sin.
I could just as easily substitute other groups -- Muslims, Native Americans, Hindus, the mentally challenged, the poor, to name a few --
We drew a 1-mile circle around the church and blocked out neighborhoods for pairs of visitors to call upon. When we came to a particular neighborhood, the other organizers said, “Oh, we don’t need to go there, Pastor. That’s where the black people live and they are all Baptist.”
I ask this question because of reflecting on a personal experience.
The Epiphany undoes the human division wrought by human ambition.

we are not content in maintaining our comfort zone to the exclusion of those whose salvation may depend upon hearing of Jesus from us. We are not content to be divided from fellow Christians, just because they have a different label. Christians cannot sit by quietly while others are hated or ridiculed or excluded just because they are different. As the living body of Christ, we do all we can in the community we live to extend the message of salvation in Jesus Christ and the love of God for all people. In the coming weeks, we’ll have plenty to do, as hate groups and protesters alike make their way among us. By our witness to the Lord Jesus, by our love for one another, the way for others to come to faith is illumined and made clear. With them, we offer our selves, our time, and our possessions -- the best we have to give -- since Jesus is God in our midst.We put away our selfish ambitions and arise to live as those filled and spilling over with joy in knowing God.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
And kneeling down before the Lord Jesus,
In this we share the joy of the wise men in worshipping the King of Kings.
By his Epiphany, the Lord Jesus unites all peoples in his love;
Our neighbors are not hostile tyrants whom God has commanded us to avoid, but rather are precisely the magi -- seekers of truth -- whom God is leading to the dwelling of Jesus the Lord.

The Rev. Beth A. Schlegel
York PA 17404
E-Mail: pastorschlegel@live.com

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