Sermon for St Edward’s, 5 Jan 2024 / Readings: Matthew 2:1-12; Psalm 72:1-15; Isaiah 60:1-6
Friday was my first day back at work after Christmas. I decided to get up to see the dawn at the beach. I had the beach to myself, the sky was quite dark to start with, pinky/purply light on the horizon, gradually turning to peach and orange. At this time of year the sun rises right behind the wind farm and as the sun came over the horizon it looked like the wind turbines were on fire, just a stunning bright firey orange filling that part of the sky. And I just took a moment to wonder at nature, at creation, at the beauty of a sunrise, of which I have seen hundreds in my lifetime. I thought to myself I will never get sick of seeing such natural beauty. May I always hold on to that sense of wonder at God’s creation.
Today we remember Epiphany and the wise men following the star to find the new king, Jesus. They too were drawn to creation and a rising light, in the star that rose in the sky. Matthew tells us they observed his star at its rising (v2), that the star went ahead of them (v9) until it stopped over the place Jesus was (v9-10).
Just as a little reminder, there were not 3 of them, they weren’t kings, they may not have all been men and we don’t know their names!
We refer to 3 because there were 3 gifts but actually likely to have been more of them travelling together. They are usually referred to as wise men, but there is no reason to think they were only men. Matthew does not mention their gender although it is usually translated as men, it’s actually magoi In Greek which is plural but gender neutral.
And there is some research that suggests there would have been women among them, in fact the culture from which they came valued women as leaders including as prophets and priests. Some draw a parallel with the Queen of Sheba (known for her wisdom) in 1 Kings 10 who also brought gifts of spices, gold and precious gems to the king. And wisdom itself is referred to in the Bible as female. (Research from Dominican Fr. Benedict Thomas Viviano, Professor Emeritus at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.).
The Magi are also referred to as kings – but possibly this is influenced by some verses in Psalm 72as we heard
May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him.
Psalm 72:10-11
May the kings of Sheba and Sebapresent him gifts.
May all kings bow down to himand all nations serve him.
But again Matthew doesn’t say this.
And finally their names – which we remember in our Epiphany blessing which we will pray over the church this afternoon at Garden Church and you can take home to pray over your own homes: Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, were names first cited in a 6thC mosaic in Ravenna and repeated by The Venerable Bede, an English monk of the seventh century. So, also not original.
So we’ve actually got a bunch of wise people then, highly educated people, Magi who were likely priests in Zoroastrianism, and who were seen as leaders in their own culture. They prophesied from natural events and advised kings and royalty accordingly. And when they saw this star they knew it was a sign of a new king. They were drawn to follow this star to find him this new King of the Jews.
An early source, St Ignatius of Antioch (107 AD) who knew John the apostle, Mary and was also Bishop of Antioch after St Peter, in a letter to the church in Ephesus he refers to the star, writing: “The star shone so as to surpass in brightness all that were before it. For its light was indescribable; and struck with amazement all who beheld it. For all the rest of the stars, together with the sun and moon, were a kind of chorus of audience for that star, for it surpassed them all in splendour.”
This star was something special. Out of the ordinary. The Magi spent their lives interpreting signs in nature and so they knew this was something key. And I think God used that to reveal Godself to them. We sang a few minutes ago, ‘ohh star of wonder, star of light…’
I think the Magi followed a call from nature, (not a call of nature…), a call from God’s creation, to wonder. A call to awe. A call to draw close to the Messiah, to Christ, God incarnated on earth. Emmanuel. A call to revelation. A call to worship and adoration. And they followed this call. They travelled miles and miles to find him, to honour this new king. drawn by the sense of something important, and when they finally found him they were, we read, overwhelmed with joy (v10) they paid him homage and gave him gifts.
Isaiah 60 begins:
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
It’s quite clear why this reading is chosen for today in the lectionary. The magi were drawn by the glory of the Lord, shining in the sky, nations drawn to God’s light in Christ.
As I have been preparing for this sermon I have been asking God what is our focus for this year as a church. The first year I was here our focus was vision, over the last two years I’ve talked a lot about growth – in numbers and finances but also in our own spiritual growth. So what is God calling us to this year? Undoubtedly growth is still key for us as a church and as individuals but as I walked on the beach on Friday I felt like God was drawing me to the word wonder…
Where is our sense of awe and wonder at who God is?
Isaiah goes on,
Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you…
Isaiah 60:3-5
Words spoken of this coming Messiah but also to the people, but what about us? Isaiah suggests that as the glory of the Lord appears, so the people will be set alight. The darkness that covers the earth shall be swept aside at the brightness of Christ’s dawn.
Where do you find yourself spiritually this morning? In the darkness? At the dawn? or perhaps eve at sunrise? Where is the glory of God in your life?
As I stood in wonder and awe at the sunrise last week I marvelled at the glory of God in that moment. I thought about how this beautiful sight is there every day in every corner of the world. It may be hidden from view some days and at other times it is so early we’d have to really make an effort to see it. But this sight is part of God’s creation. I found myself so thankful for that moment, thanking God for the opportunity to be there in that moment, for the beauty of creation. That moment of wonder drew me closer to God.
The Magi, we read, returned home by a different road, a different way. Of course we know this was to avoid Herod but what if it meant more than that? What if it also meant their lives were changed, so they walked a different way because they had come face to face with God? The encounter with God caused them to wonder and to question and to live differently?
I think God is calling us to wonder this year.
To wonder as in to spend time in awe of who God is. Moments of worship or reflection. Maybe in nature, but in prayer, in worship, in absolute adoration. In the OT experiencing the glory of God is referred to by Hebrew scholars as the Shekinah glory, the real presence of God. it comes from the root word for dwell. In Exodus in the pillar of cloud and fire for example, where God dwelled, the glory of the Lord on Mt Sinai, the Ark of the Covenant being brought into the temple built by Solomon, 1 Kings 8:
And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
1 Kings 8:10-11
God’s glory, God’s presence, should change us, should cause us to wonder and to awe. The Priests in the temple could not stand, they could not function because they were so affected by the presence of God. When was the last time we felt like that? Or have we ever? Over coffee why not share some of your spiritual encounters with one another?
I can count a few in my journey of faith and they have been transformative. One was a Holy Spirit encounter in a time of prayer and worship. I couldn’t stand, was bent over, God was speaking to me. Another time, less dramatic in outward experience but nonetheless powerful was in the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. As I set foot in there I was overcome by the sense of God’s presence in the place. I instantly stared crying and couldn’t stop. It was quite embarrassing there were so many tourists, no seats any where. Eventually I found a small area set aside for prayer and let go. In that space I was so convinced of God’s calling on my life in a way I never had before.
We should be changed by God’s presence.
But also to wonder means to wonder as in to want to know more, to ask questions, to deepen our faith by doing so.How about this for an example –
Do you ever think about space?
I was reading in a book about prayer this week that the universe is so vast that 2 voyager space craft are cruising towards the edge of our solar system, they have been doing so for 40 years and are travelling at a speed of 35,000miles per hour. In 40 years they have travelled more than 11 billion miles and there is no end in sight. This is just our solar system and it’s all part of God’s creation, doesn’t that just fill you with awe? But more than that it draws me in, invites me to want to know more about this God The God who is big enough and almighty enough to create something so vast is concerned about the smallness of our lives.
(Tyler Stanton, ‘Praying Like Monks, Living like Fools’)
This year I think God is calling us as a church to wonder a bit more. I’m at the stage of wondering what that means for us but at the very least perhaps it can be a challenge for us now at the start of the year to want to find those moments of wonder with God.
Sources:
Ignatius letter to Ephesus and also here
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