Readings for Epiphany /A:
Psalm 72; Matthew 2:1-12
January 6, 2008
The Rev. Karen Faye Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino, CA
And the Magi asked Herod: “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” [Mt. 2]
Kings, nations, wise men, camels, gifts, gold, frankincense, myrrh, Bethlehem, a baby, a shining star. These are all images found in today’s readings for Epiphany. The story of foreign astrologists bearing gifts to a Jewish baby in Bethlehem is a favorite one; one that is often acted out in Christmas pageants. Here at St. Jude’s, we wait until the feast of the Epiphany to tell the story. Sometimes, we can sentimentalize this story or make it more historical than it actually is. When taken this way, we end up focusing on some distant legend from the past instead of hearing the story as a motivation for seeking the Light in our lives today. For me, this is a story of hope: a revelation of God to the world in the person of Jesus Christ. It is a story that emphasizes generous stewardship, the offering of our gifts (time, talent, and treasure) in service to God.
During the season of Epiphany, the church encourages us to become aware of Christ as a kind of star, a shining light from God leading us on a journey to the source of grace and truth. It is this journey toward the Light that I would like to address in today’s sermon. I will use the psalm and the gospel as my texts.
In Psalm 72, the psalmist prays for the gift of justice for the newly crowned king. The hope is, that having received this gift, the new king will use it to rule the people righteously and deliver the poor from their distress. Whenever a new head of state takes office, it is quite normal to hear that person make certain promises. Those promises will always have certain constant themes. The new ruler will promise to be a person of integrity and to be concerned for all people within the society. However, actualizing these promises seem to be quite a challenge for most politicians once installed in office. It is hard to journey toward the Light while functioning as a politician in today’s political network.
Psalm 72 brings to my mind the hopeful voters in the recent Iowa primary. Much to the surprise of the old-boy political establishment, a Baptist preacher, an African-American, a woman, and a Mormon are among the top contenders for president. When voters were asked what mattered most to them, 51% of Iowan democrats said that they were looking for a candidate that could bring about needed change. 43% of republicans were looking for a candidate who shared their values. Perhaps these voters are tired of unmet promises from the establishment and are seeking something more. Perhaps they are seeking justice, grace, and truth within our political structures.
The journey toward the Light includes all of what we do, especially how we run our society. Since all of these presidential candidates purport to be Christian, I suggest that they include Psalm 72 as an integral part of their inauguration speech. Who knows, maybe justice, righteousness, and concern for the poor will characterize the next administration.
Today’s gospel story from Matthew introduces King Herod and his request to know where the Messiah is residing. Herod the Great was a tyrant, backed by Rome, who became king through military conquest. He was a king who journeyed in the darkness. He had two of his sons strangled on suspicion of conspiracy and also killed one of his wives. His reign of terror extended to anyone who tried to thwart his power and rule. It was into this atmosphere of terror and repression that Jesus was born.
The magi (probably astrologers from Iran or Iraq) came to Jerusalem to inquire the exact residence of this newly born “King of the Jews”, a much-awaited messiah who was to save the people. Fearful of being overthrown by another king, Herod called together the scribes (i.e. biblical scholars) to find out where the messiah was to be born. Unperturbed by the Magi’s good news of a star and the birth of a baby, the scribes did not accompany them to seek out this possible messiah. Imagine being a biblical scholar, spending your whole life studying the scriptures, and then doing absolutely nothing to discover a potential new light that has come into the world? I find it amazing that the wise men traveled a far distance based on a rumor, a new star in the horizon, while the scribes sat by complacent.
Sometimes, we Christians are like the scribes, desiring to know and experience Christ in our lives and yet doing nothing to make that happen. Our journey toward the Light is often sidetracked by many things. For some of us, it is the busyness of life. Instead of making our lives more simple so we have more time to seek the Light, we add more and more tasks to our routines, traveling more, working more, playing harder, or upgrading our standard of living. One of the most interesting things about the magi is not that they got a sign from God, but that they did something about it. I wonder what it is about people like the magi that motivates them to pick up and leave what they have behind, to search for truth and grace, even at great risk to their own lives.
Another thing that sometimes sidetracks us from seeking the Light is complacency. When we are comfortable, there seems to be no motivation to change or to seek further insight. I think this is what happened to the scribes. These biblical scholars got so comfortable in their positions that they didn’t want to risk their standard of living or become suspect in Herod’s eyes. After all (they thought), a bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush. For many Christians, especially those in America, safety and prosperity have become more important than justice, truth, and liberty. But as Ben Franklin once said: “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Intellectualism is another factor that can sidetrack us from seeking the Light. While “thinking the faith” is an integral part of our search for truth, those who wait to fully understand Jesus are going to miss out on a lot of grace. If you are spending your time deconstructing and demythologizing today’s gospel story, then you are probably not spending enough time listening to the spirit of God that speaks through these Holy Scriptures. Humility, openness, compassion, wonder, and receptivity are the kind of postures a person journeying to the Light needs to have- not necessarily more knowledge.
Finally, being wounded and focusing on self-centered grief can also sidetrack us from seeking the Light. Unfortunately, life is not fair and the world is not just. That is why the journey toward the Light demands forgiveness and reconciliation. When I look at the turmoil in the Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and throughout the Middle East, I realize that this turmoil that has existed for over 3000 years. So many people have been wounded. So many people have built up resentment. So many people have acted out this resentment by continuing the cycle of violence. A journey toward the Light requires us to put the past behind, to seek God’s grace and truth in the present, and to make a commitment to do things differently so that a better future is possible.
The Magi asked Herod: “Where is the child who has been born King of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage … On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” [Mt. 2] That is the story from 2000 years ago! But what might the spirit of God be saying to us today through this story? Maybe it has to do with honoring children everywhere. Maybe it has to do with sharing our resources so that many children may live. While Jesus survived the atmosphere of terror and repression during the time of Herod, many young Jewish boys did not. Unfortunately, many young lives continue to be in danger today.
For instance, “every three seconds, a child under the age of five dies. A disproportionate number of these children live in developing countries, without access to clean water or basic medical care. A child in sub-Saharan Africa is 500 times more likely to die from diarrhea than an American child. The majority of these tragic deaths are easily preventable through a combination of clean water, sanitation, improved nutrition, and medical treatment.”
“Ramon lives in the small village of Copan in western Honduras, where he barely earns enough money as a farmer to support his large family of 15. A nearby river is the only source of clean water, and it takes hours of difficult labor to bring the water to his home. Ramon’s village has no latrines either, which means the bushes serve as bathrooms. Because of these unsanitary living conditions, his children often become sick with diarrhea and parasites. Ramon worries constantly about their health. Episcopal Relief and Development has recently begun implementing a comprehensive sanitation and health project in Copan with the Diocese of Honduras.” {www.er-d.org/programs}
Reducing child mortality is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals that the Episcopal Church has committed itself too. During the seasons of Epiphany and Lent, it is encouraging all churches to become aware of the world’s poor and act out with justice, grace, and truth.
“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” {Jn. 1} The magi laid down gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and offered them to the Christ child. As you journey toward the Light, what gifts might God be calling you to lay down in order to reduce child mortality in the world today?
| Updated January 7, 2008 |
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