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December 24, 2006
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Christmas
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Pastor Brian Shimer
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"The Story of Jesus: Do you see what I see?"
Matthew 2:1-12
- We enact the story, we tell and tell again the story each year, we put up crèche scenes around our homes and in the sanctuary to remind us of the story, we put up lights and decorations because of the story, all because of this one, incredible story, called the Greatest Story ever told. And really could there be any greater story to tell than the fact that God took on human flesh, became man so he could bleed and shed his own blood for our sin.
It is the story of Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world-and in this One is placed the hope of the world.
So last week we told the whole story from the annunciation to the arrival and worship of the "four" kings (yes, we had four last week, for I told them, we can have as many kings as are needed in order to give every child a chance to have a part). And actually we assume there were three kings because of the three gifts they brought not because the number is ever named.
But last week, we had a wonderful time with Joseph doing a dance by the manger and Mary looking oh so much like she wished this whole thing would end. We had angels with hands upraised and hands on hips. We had shepherds not certain which direction to look to see the angels. We had everything we needed to bring tears of joy to our eyes and a laugh to our hearts as we experienced the wonder of the story told once again.
In the crèche scenes and most depictions of this story, even the recently released and excellently made Nativity Story in the movie theaters, the wise men arrive to worship at the manger, but Scripture has always declared something different.
The wise men traveled to see the child when the star appeared, which signaled he had been born. They followed the star which appeared for they knew how to interpret what they saw in the heavens and the heavens were declaring that a great king of the Jews had been born.
Can you imagine such hearts that would leave family and home to travel months, across hot deserts, with no means to email ahead and check on lodging or whether a king had been born? They did not know what could happen, whether they would be able to return home again, or anything. They came because they knew what they had seen, they knew the Truth of what God declared in the heavens. They were studiers of the stars and what they saw told them the thing had happened they had waited a lifetime to see. Much like Simeon was told he would not die until he had seen the Lord's salvation, so these men carried in their hearts a hunger for truth that would not be satisfied by just observation of a light in the sky but had to come and be expressed in worship at a manger.
- These men were truth seekers. And they traveled to see this one born King of the Jews. So, how did they know all this from the stars? They knew it because they had studied the heavens.
In the Psalm 19:1-4 we read: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech, night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."
God speaks through natural creation and these men were looking for a message.
A possible explanation happened June 17th in 2 BC. It was common knowledge in that era that a constellation called Leo the Lion was associated with the Jewish people. There was a star in that constellation called Regulus, which meant king. Regulus lined up with two planets, Jupiter, also associated with father or kings and Venus, associated with fertility creating a brilliant light-unlike any star. This convergence created a single, brightly shining wonder in the heavens. There has not been a brighter, closer conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in Leo so near to Regulus in the 2,000 years since. But what the wise men saw was not just the conjunction of planets with a star, but a conjunction that meant something to them. They knew the conjunction signaled a birth of a great king, greater than any other king, born in Judea for the Jews who would mean something to the world. (http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/1203.html)
Perhaps the "appearance" of this star was the moment the conjunction was moving to where they foresaw it would happen and they knew based upon that, the approximate time of the birth of this child. This could be why they "rejoiced" to see the star, as the conjunction finally happened fully over Bethlehem as they were just leaving Jerusalem to travel there on June 17th in 2 BC. The Bible says, "they rejoiced when they saw the star as it stopped over Bethlehem".
However it happened we know these men studied the heavens and saw and followed a star from their land to Israel.
One little boy wanting to be in a Nativity play at his school begged his teacher, please, don't let me play Joseph, I will never get his lines right, and not the innkeeper either, for he is too gruff for me, nor the shepherds for I don't think I could act excited enough for them, nor one of the wise men, for they too have lines to speak, rather, I would prefer, if you please, Ma'am, to be the star.
Clearly these Magi did not want to be the stars, they knew clearly they were following the leading of God and their purpose was to humble their lives before the newborn king.
Unlike our crèche scenes, the little production we put on last week, and even the recently released movie The Nativity Story, these Magi did not arrive to see Jesus in the manger surrounded by the shepherds but instead arrived when he was a toddler, they came to the "house" finding Jesus with his mom living in Bethlehem where Joseph had apparently taken up employment. There they presented him with their gifts and knelt down and worshiped him. If you notice the word used to describe the baby is not "baby" but "child" or actually the word for a toddler.
- The wise men themselves still linger in our memories as the ones who were open to God's voice through a light in the heavens and followed the light day after day until they could kneel before the King of Kings, a toddler.
Again, they heard God for their saw meaning in the stars.
Our brother Trace Thornberry a leader at Gracehill Fellowship congregation was raised in the Lutheran church surrounded by all the symbols of the faith week after week.
There were the Acolytes carrying in the light each week, the cross carried in each Sunday, the Word of God uplifted, the Scriptures read, the stained glass windows filled with scenes from Scripture, even the architecture had crosses and symbols of the faith in it. But as a young man and teen he missed all this. To him the worship there was only boring and offered him little. It was not until he made a commitment to Jesus and returned home for worship, that he walked in and could "see" meaning in all the symbols. Suddenly worship came to life, the liturgy meant something for he understood why they did what they did, how all the prayers and readings were based upon the Word, how the cross and resurrection were even embedded in the architecture.
Sometimes we can be like Trace in this season.
We can get caught in all the motions, expectations and activities and miss the meaning.
But the wise men remind us to allow all we see to have meaning. Let the symbols around us take on the life of the meaning which they represent - the tree being a symbol of eternal life, the lights a symbol of hope and life, the decorations the adornments brought to our lives through Jesus, the presents for the best gift of all, Jesus.
We find that all seekers of Truth will end up at the person of Truth, end up at Jesus. When hungry hearts come to Jesus, they will not simply find truth, they will find the Truth for all existence. When the wise men found the One for whom they sought, they worshiped Him, falling on their knees and presenting Him with gifts. The response of all seekers of truth who find Him will be worship and adoration.
- One of the Christmas traditions in our home is the watching of favorite movies that capture aspects of the wonder and magic and joy of this season. One of the movies grudgingly watched by the others, or sometimes only enjoyed by me and perhaps Gabrielle who is the one who most often takes pity upon me and sits to watch it with me, is an operetta called Amahl and the Night Visitors
It is a movie that means something to me, perhaps because when I was 4 years old my dad and mom were in a production of this story in our local church with my dad singing the part of King Balthazar. In addition all through life, mom and dad regularly sang lines from this production.
Even as a teenager, I would awaken in midmorning, stumble into the kitchen and mom would begin to sing from this story the lines: "He walks, he walks, he walks…"
And on other occasions my father would frequently launch into the song sung by King Casper: "This is my box, this is my box, I never travel without my box…"
The story is of a widow and her crippled son who live in a poor village. As the three wise men journey from the East to see the "king who has been born", they pass through this widow's village and stop to spend the night at her home. The story centers around what happens that night.
The widow sees all the gold the kings have brought to give this child and she desires some for her own son and is caught trying to take some, but the kings tell her she may keep the gold she has taken and then begin to sing of who this child is. They sing of the child being God eternal who created all things the stars in the heavens, the earth and the sea. This child is born to change the course of history, change every life, born to bring hope.
The woman is so caught by their words she desires to give back the gold for it will do more good through such a king then in her hands and then her son too desires to send a gift and impulsively stands up, holds out his crutch and walks toward the kings saying, "I would like to give him my crutch." As he takes a second step he suddenly realizes his crippled feet and leg have been healed and he can walk.
You might guess that here is where the kings respond: "He walks… he walks… he walks…" and then the boy not only walks but jumps and dances as well, while he sings, "Look mother I can walk, I can run, I can dance…" And the kings and all realize that Amahl has been healed by the child they are going to worship. The place explodes with music and joy and wonder and then the boy asks if he can travel with the kings to worship the child who has healed him and take his crutch to the child himself.
This scene, when Amahl is healed, is when I start crying. I have watched this many, many times and still the tears come at this point as he walks holding out his crutch and then erupts into joyous dance.
My heart is always moved. I know the story, I know what is going to happen, I can almost sing all the songs, but still I cry. Beyond the connection to my family, I think the reason I do is because in this story I encounter the reality of this season anew- that it is a time of great hope, great joy, great healing and redemption… Not because of all the events, parties, lights, trees and presents, but because of the reality around which all of that centers: Jesus. That is the reality sought by the kings and by us day by day as we are truth seekers who kneel and worship before Jesus.
When I was shopping at Target a day about two weeks ago, I began to study the faces of those around me. I was on a "hunting trip" so did not have to search every aisle for what I sought, and instead could just pay attention to what I saw around me. There was anger, frustration, fear, hopelessness, despair written on those faces. I saw utter exhaustion pushing a cart around getting yet one more thing. I saw people stressed with their shopping adventure, arguing with one another over the gift for this person or that. I saw and began to pray for them.
Once I had my one item, I made my way to the check out and met in the clerk a woman who loved Jesus. She was immersed in the joy of the Lord, clearly there as a beacon of light to those who would come through her line.
As a truth seeker we are truth bearers as well, and have the opportunity to bless those around us even by praying for them that they will encounter the One who was born more than 2000 years ago and yet lives.
Grace, our second daughter, works at the customer service booth in a mall in the Fort Worth area and is constantly met with angry folk who are frustrated with things and blame her. Her response is, "Wow, are you having a hard day?" and usually has an opportunity to help diffuse some of their anger in the conversation.
Seekers after truth know that the One who was born 2,000 years ago is still alive. That truth has not left and hope is not dead. There is no cause for despair for Jesus truly lives. If we know this, in this season what can be so dark for so many, then perhaps we can allow the symbols of the season, the music, the lights, the presents all be reminders
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