Rev. Debbie Cato
Matthew
2:1-12
Fairfield Community Church
January 8, 2023, Epiphany Sunday
God of
starlight, every part of us is trying to seek you: our bodies that carried us
into this space, our heads bowed in prayer, our hearts that keep whispering,
“There is more than just this.” We are seeking you. Like a dog looking for its
owner, who will search the whole house— under beds, behind doors, in every
corner of every room until their person is found— we are turning over every
rock and leaf looking for fingerprints that belong to you. So meet us halfway.
Find us in the maze. Quiet the rest of the world. Open the door to us with rich
laughter and say, “Come on in!” We know you’re near, so know that it’s you we
seek. Find us in these words. Gratefully we pray, amen.
Always Seeking
Christmas Nativity scenes around the world
feature a familiar cast of characters: Jesus, Mary, Joseph, an angel or two,
some barnyard animals, shepherds and, of course, the three wise men led by a
star.
The details in this story are slim, and so it raises more questions than it answers. Where were the wise men actually from?[1] Why were they interested in Jesus? And, above all, who were they?
“Magi” is a Greek word that is difficult to translate. Some versions of the New Testament render it as “wise men” and others say “astrologers.” But neither of these captures the full sense of the term. Both can have both positive and negative connotations today, so too did magi have a range of meanings and uses in the ancient world. Some ancient authors speak positively of individuals they describe as magi, while others consider the label to be more of an insult.[2]
Take, for example, the New Testament Book of Acts, which mentions two magi: one is named Simon, and the other is named Elymas.
Simon is a performer who amazes crowds with his ability to do magic, and he angers Jesus’ apostles by offering them money in exchange for some of their powers. Elymas is an adviser to a government official on the island of Cyprus, and he is referred to as a “false prophet.[3] He is struck blind for trying to interfere with the apostle Paul’s attempts to convert the official to Christianity.
When it comes to both of these characters,
the label “magi” is meant negatively. It was intended to suggest to readers
that they are sinister charlatans, and not to be trusted.[4]
In other ancient literature, however, magi are sought-after specialists who possess valuable skills like divination. In the Greek translation of the Book of Daniel, the king of Babylon summons magi to his court and asks them to decipher the details of a strange dream.[5]
But, who are the magi who visit Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew? The answer, it turns out, is complicated. Matthew doesn’t tell his readers exactly what he means when he refers to his visitors in this way, and so it is up to us to figure it out.[6]
Biblical scholars often argue that Matthew intended for the magi in his Gospel to be understood as gentiles or non-Jews who come to Bethlehem to worship Jesus. They conclude that this story is meant to predict the fact that Christianity would eventually become a gentile religious movement instead of a Jewish one.
The argument that the magi are meant to be understood as gentiles is based in part on the fact that they come to Jerusalem and Bethlehem “from the East,” which could suggest that they are “outsiders.” "But in light of how magi are spoken of in other ancient literature, this understanding is too simple.[7] Had Matthew intended to say that gentiles came to Bethlehem, he would have done so without using a loaded word like magi.[8] He may intend to let us know that outsider also means those not accepted in society, like we will see with the tax collectors, the prostitutes, and others that Jesus will welcome into his ministry.
Because Matthew doesn’t bother to say exactly who these visitors were supposed to be, the magi have fascinated readers and kept them guessing for nearly 2,000 years.
Regardless. the Magi were seekers. They sought wisdom, they sought the divine, they sought fortunes to tell the future. Their seeking led them to Jesus, the newborn king of another culture and religion. And yet, their seeking is also what protects them from Herod’s deception and harm.[9]
Despite the vagueness of their identities, we can learn a lot from their actions. They observe the star and discern, or recognize, that it is pointing them to the divine, to the holy. Instead of ignoring it or simply observing it from far away, they decide to make the treacherous and difficult journey closer to Christ. They cross over geographical, political, religious, ethnic, and cultural boundaries to seek out the newborn child. They are filled with joy at the sight of the child and humble themselves before him, bowing and bearing gifts. They listen intuitively to their dreams and evade Herod’s deception, choosing what is likely a more difficult journey home by a different route.
Epiphany was actually on Friday, January 6th this year. Epiphany is on the twelfth day of Christmas or the 12th day after Christmas. Epiphany means hope and joyful revelation, just as it did then. It is the revelation of the birth of Christ. The Magi had hope in the Star that God placed before them. They followed that light of hope until they found Jesus – realizing that this infant King would save the world.
We too, today, need to follow the light of hope that God has given us through Jesus. We need to be seekers. We need to venture out of our comfort zone and seek God. Where will we find the Christ child this year? Where will we find God? Perhaps in people like the not yet seven-year-old boy in Spokane Valley who has a heart for the unhoused. He and his family recently moved here from Texas. During Christmas break, he had a hot chocolate stand in his neighborhood and has raised over $300 dollar for a non-profit that helps people experiencing homeliness. Surely this young boy is the face of Christ among us. Perhaps you will find the face of Christ in the children that gather here on Sunday mornings and sit here with me. Who so innocently trust in the love of Jesus. Perhaps you will find God in one another as you pray for one another and help one another during this coming year. As you show what it means to be neighbors and friends and community here where we live. Perhaps you will f’ind Christ in the face of someone who holds your hand during a crisis. Perhaps it will be in the face of a stranger that touches you or a co-worker or a healthcare worker or a teacher. Perhaps you will see God in the face of someone new you get to know at Family Meal and Game night this year or maybe in the face of a resident at PCAL when we worship there on the 5th Sunday of this month, God is all around us. He is always finding new ways to reveal Himself. To make Himself known. To show Himself to us. He says, “Here I am.” We just need to be looking and aware and watching. We need to seek Him out. We need to be seekers.
Look closely at the actions of the Magi. What can we learn from them? What do they teach us about being a seeker, one who persistently seeks the sacred? There’s no question it changed their lives. It will change our life too. We just have to let it. We need to look for God in the ordinary all around us and when we find Him, we need to say, “Come in! Let us see what you want us to learn. Help us to be more like you.” “Come, Lord Jesus, Come.”
I’m
going to end with a poem written by Rev. Sarah Speed from Santified art. It’s called….
A Blessing for the Seekers by, Rev.
Sarah Speed from Santified art.com
Blessed
are you who turn your face up to the sky,
who open your arms to feel the wind,
who notice all the things that we should notice.
Blessed
are you who are fluent in wonder and familiar with awe.
Blessed are you who, even now, dream dreams,
who have not lost hope,
who swear the glass is still half-full.
Blessed
are you who plant trees and sing the harmony, |
who tell the children how this world can be magic.
Blessed
are you who walk and seek and turn over every stone,
pointing out all the corners and colors that God lives in.
Blessed are you. Amen
Let’s be seekers this year. Let’s notice the things we should notice. Let’s be familiar with awe and wonder. Let’s hold onto hope. Let’s tell the children how this world can be magic. Let’s walk and seek and turn over every stone to find God. Let 2023 be a year of seeking. Amen.
[1] “Who were the three wise men who visited Jesus? -
Episcopal Journal”
[2] https://pres-outlook.org/2023/01/who-were-the-3-wise-men-who-visited-jesus/ by Eric Vanden Eykel, associate
professor of religious studies, Ferrum College
[3]
https://pres-outlook.org/2023/01/who-were-the-3-wise-men-who-visited-jesus/ by Eric Vanden Eykel, associate
professor of religious studies, Ferrum College
[4] Ibid.
[5]
https://pres-outlook.org/2023/01/who-were-the-3-wise-men-who-visited-jesus/ by Eric Vanden Eykel, associate
professor of religious studies, Ferrum College
[6]
https://pres-outlook.org/2023/01/who-were-the-3-wise-men-who-visited-jesus/ by Eric Vanden Eykel, associate
professor of religious studies, Ferrum College
[7]
https://pres-outlook.org/2023/01/who-were-the-3-wise-men-who-visited-jesus/ by Eric Vanden Eykel, associate
professor of religious studies, Ferrum College
[8] Ibid.
[9]
https://pres-outlook.org/2023/01/who-were-the-3-wise-men-who-visited-jesus/ by Eric Vanden Eykel, associate
professor of religious studies, Ferrum College
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