January 6, 2008 Epiphany of the Lord
Sermon Title: “Where is the Child?”
Series: None
Text: Mathew 2:1-12
Dr.
Delivered on January 6, 2008
“…wise men came to
Matthew 2:2
Where is the Child?
Well, Christmas is
over for another year. I don’t know about your house, but at ours the tree has
been taken down and been hauled off to be recycled, all our returns and
exchanges have been take care of at the store for all the things that didn’t
fit, or that we didn’t like, or that didn’t work (none of your gifts, of
course!). And all the outside lights and decorations have been taken down and are
safely stored away for another year. As we were “undecorating” our home I was
reminded how empty and sad this time of year can be; especially when you
contrast it to the time just before the holidays when you broke out all those
very same boxes and put up all the festive decorations. I found myself asking, “What
music do you put on to take all your Christmas stuff down?” I know when we
decorate our house and tree for Christmas each year we’ve got The Carpenters
and the Ray Conniff Singers, and
And speaking of
the sadness and emptiness of the days immediately following the holidays, I
personally worry about all the Christmas trees that got chopped down for
Christmas that didn’t get bought by anyone. Is there anything sadder? We drove
out Hwy. 20 last week and just over the river in
Now…do you feel better about Christmas and these days immediately following it? Let me ask you, do we have anything to look forward to for the next 90 days besides credit card bills, dry skin, and freezing cold weather? Do I have a way of making you feel better about Christmas and your New Year, or not? I think I’ve found my gift!
Seriously – what are we to do with the days immediately following Christmas – especially concerning our faith life? Well, actually we do have something great to look forward to now that Christmas is over. And this morning I want us to look at one more Christmas text to talk what to do about the days after Christmas. This tale about strange men from a faraway land who came following a star and bearing gifts to the baby Jesus is one of the most beloved Christmas stories and it is always read today, on Epiphany. Besides conjuring up images of children’s musicals in churches with kids wearing bathrobes and crowns, the story also contains some wonderful clues about how to carry on in the days beyond Christmas.
Truth is, that’s when the Wise Men arrived, but you probably already know that. Most scholars believe the visit of the Magi probably happened about two years after Jesus’ actual birth, despite their frequent portrayal as standing there right alongside the shepherds that first night of His birth.
Yes, the journey of the Wise Men has a lot to teach us about how to handle the
days after Christmas, and their story centers around a question which I believe
is our question as well as theirs, namely, “Where is the child?” Where
is Jesus now that Christmas is over? What are we going to do about Him? Will we
put him up with the Christmas decorations for another year or will He continue
to impact our lives? Has anything really changed in your life or mine because
of his arrival at Christmas?
This morning I’m going to give you a list of seven things to notice about the story of the Wise Men that help us know what to think and do about our own quest for the Christ Child in these days immediately following Christmas. All seven center around the question: “Where is the child?” Let’s jump right in.
It’s a
The first thing
that the Wise Men teach us is that as far as the days after Christmas are
concerned, it’s a
I read a book recently about Captain Robert F. Scott's mission in 1910 to be the first man to reach the South Pole. After a series of setbacks, Scott arrived at the South Pole on January 17, 1912, only to discover that another explorer (Norwegian Roald Amundsen) had beaten him there by a month. On the return journey Scott and all four of his colleagues died. After one of his earlier expeditions through the frozen continent Scott commented in a letter: “How much better this ordeal has been than lounging in too great comfort at home.”
As I rise early
for my quiet times in the dead of winter, or when I trek across the heated
plains of
Eugene Peterson, in his masterful book, “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction” points out that there are two biblical designations for people of faith, “disciple” and “pilgrim.” Calling us “disciples” (mathetes) means we are people who spend our lives apprenticed to our master, Jesus Christ. We are in a growing-learning relationship with Him and our goal is to “grow to be like Jesus.” The second designation, “pilgrim” (parepidemos) tells us we are a people who live our lives always going someplace, headed toward God. We’re on a journey…a mission, just like the Wise Men.
They were on a mission; there was a definite purpose to their activity. How about you? How much form and purpose does your Christian life have? In order to find the newborn King – it’s going to take some effort in these days after Christmas. Remember, effort is not opposed to grace; it’s earning that’s opposed to grace. We don’t earn God’s grace, but sometimes we have to get out of our cozy beds and hit the road on a mission to God. Are you on that journey this morning? Are you on a pilgrimage? Are you on a mission?
It’s about
giving GLORY to God
The second thing
to notice that the Wise Men did on their journey in the days after Christmas
was to Give GLORY to God.
The text informs us that the main reason the three Wise Men journeyed so
far to find Jesus was because they wanted to “pay him homage.” Another
way to say this is to say that the journey is not an end unto itself. The
second element in our
Last week in her message Vicki spoke about a very historic text of the Christian faith, the Westminster Shorter Catechism which was written back in the 1649. Item number one from that catechism, the item Vicki mentioned, asks, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer in the catechism is “To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”
Is it your chief end to give glory to God and to enjoy him forever? I’m not asking if that your only goal in life – heavens, I personally have dozens of goals in my life. What I’m asking is if that is your primary goal in life. How do you know if it is or not? The best way is to ask yourself a few questions. Why did you come here today? Why do you study your Bible? Why do you go on mission trips? Why do you give to the church? Asking and then answering these kinds of questions will quickly tell you if your goal is to give glory to God, or if it’s some other reason.
It’s about
the BIBLE
The next thing
to learn from this story about how to handle the days after Christmas and your
search for the Christ Child is to understand that it’s about the BIBLE.
That comes from that somewhat odd part of the story where the wise men stopped
off in
The Bible, you see, is our roadmap for the days following Christmas. Better yet, it’s our GPS, our internal navigation system. Back in September when I drove Amy out to LA we had a GPS device with us. I must admit I became very dependent on that device and the warm, assuring words of our “guide.” I didn’t realize how dependent I had become until we began having trouble getting a clear signal to a satellite out in the mountains. Suddenly, when the device would say, “Lost satellite signal” I’d panic. I practically wanted to stop the car until the nice lady came back on and said it was okay to drive on.
Thinking about this point in today’s message I realized I – we – should be as dependent on God’s Word to guide us as I was on that GPS. How about you? In these days after Christmas, in these earliest days of the New Year, are you spending time in God’s word to discover the Way, the Truth, and the Life contained in it?
It has to do
with following God’s GUIDANCE
The fourth thing this story teaches us about the days following Christmas and our search for Christ has to do with following God’s GUIDANCE. That point, of course, comes from the star, sent by God himself to guide the Wise Men. Our passage says “they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising.” It’s also a reminder that God not only guides us with the Bible as we said just a moment ago, he also uses other ways to guide us.
I believe God guides us in multiple ways; it may not be through stars that journey across the heavens, or some other kind of supernatural signs and wonders, but it might be through circumstances, through the words and actions of other people, through open and closed doors, and, I believe, even hearing God’s voice speaking to us at times.
This is such wonderful news – God not only calls us to set out on a journey to find Him, he guides us along, every step of the way. And so I ask, in these days after Christmas are you following God’s guidance? When was the last time you heard a word from God? When was the last time He communicated to you in a way that you were absolutely certain it was God communicating to you? Has it ever happened? Do you believe it can happen? Are you following His guiding star? Are you seeing signs all along the way? That the path will be clearly marked for us is a promise found throughout the Bible.
It’s about
JOY
The fifth thing to note about the days following Christmas and the journey itself is that It’s about JOY. Matthew tells us that when the Wise Men saw the star had stopped they were “overwhelmed with joy.” I’ve got to admit, this one is a bit of a struggle for me as you could tell by the uplifting introduction to this message. I don’t often feel “overwhelmed by joy,” but according to our text, that should be our primary response at finding Christ and at having him at the center of our lives.
Since I am so weak at this aspect of the faith, let me just mention some things I’ve learned about it – learned, certainly not mastered. First, discontentment, or lack of joy is a root cause for many (most?) of life’s problems. Imagine, for instance, if Satan had been content being an angel and he didn’t want “more.” Imagine if Adam and Eve had been content with all the trees in the Garden of Eden except for that one. Imagine what this world would be like if everyone just learned to be content with what we have.
Closer to home, imagine the joy you and I could share if we choose to be content, knowing that God will never leave us and never forsake us, that He will provide everything we need; and that we can totally trust him. This joy in the security of God’s provision, joy in being able to rest and not struggle to survive, joy in his acceptance of us is what we need to keep in mind in order to share the joy of the Wise Men at the discovery of the Christ Child.
Okay, I’ve been honest with you, now let me ask you – would you describe your faith life as one that is “overwhelmed with joy?” Is there any joy at all for you?
It’s about
offering God our BEST
The sixth item to notice from this story concerning the days after Christmas is that it’s all about offering God our BEST. The wise men came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These were three very expensive gifts, even for wealthy philosophers or kings to afford. Simply put they were some of the most precious things available in their day.
Would you say that you typically offer God your best? The best of your time, your talents, and your treasure? Or is God’s share of who you are and what you have often relegated to the leftovers of your life?
Here’s a secret – actually it’s not a secret. Even God doesn’t like leftovers. I think about that a lot. In our household I have the reputation of being someone who simply does not like to eat leftovers, no matter how good the meal was the first time around. Do you know what leftovers are? Leftovers are the remains of what has already been picked over; it’s what’s left after everyone has eaten the good stuff. Sometimes when I get criticized about not wanting to eat leftovers I think about this: Even God doesn’t like leftovers, why should I? I never say that, mind you, because I’d get in a heap of trouble. But I do often think it.
But back to my
point – it’s important for everyone to give their best to God, just like the
Wise Men did, and not give him the leftovers of your life. Don’t believe me? The
very first commandment of the Ten is “You shall have no other Gods but
In my reading
through the Bible this year I’ve started back at Genesis and I just read the
story of Cain and Abel where Abel gave God the first of his income while Cain, on the other hand, harvested his
crops and as an afterthought, gave God his leftovers. God was pleased with
Abel's offering, but he was displeased with Cain's offering. Why? Because Cain
gave God his leftovers. Cain didn't trust God enough to give God the first of
his income for fear that there wouldn't be anything left for him.
In these days after Christmas, let’s all be wise men and give God our best, not the leftovers of our time, our talents, and our treasure.
It’s all
about JESUS
Finally, please notice a seventh thought about how to live in these days following Christmas as we journey on towards God. And that is that from beginning to end it’s all about JESUS. Ultimately this story, and the Christian life as a whole, is all about Jesus.
This is such a great gift of God – to send His Son to earth to show us the way. Whatever we come across in life we can simply come back to the source of life, Christ Himself, and ask “What would Jesus do in this situation?” “Would He be here?” “What would He say?” We don’t have to wonder.
As every American knows by now we are nearing a presidential election this November. I’ve been impressed already with the coverage in Newsweek and a few other publications, that have taken each major candidate and given their “position” on a number of key issues: foreign policy, immigration, crime, education, tax reform, the environment, etc… There are even some web sites with charts that show each candidate’s position. Looking at these charts the first thing you notice is that there are so many different positions on these key issues.
We don’t have to have a chart like this to know how to live our lives. As Christians we have a living guide, Christ Himself, through the power of His Spirit, that tells us “this is the way, walk in it.”
It’s all about Jesus…who He was, what He did, and how He loves us.
How are you going to live in these days following Christmas? Will you let the story of the Wise Men guide you? Will you allow these seven principles/teachings to go deep into your soul? My prayer is that you will and that I will…Let’s Pray.