Follow a Star
Sunday 8th January 2023 (Year A) / St Anne’s, Wrenthorpe (Eucharist)
Isaiah 60:1-6 / Ephesians 3:1-12 / Matthew 2:1-12
Today we celebrate the Feast of Epiphany.
This wonderful moment of light, in the Winter darkness.
Epiphany is a much bigger deal in some countries where they celebrate more than at Christmas!
For me, Epiphany used to be only marked as “Twelfth Night” when Christmas decorations must be removed from view, lest The Great Unluckiness should descend upon us…..!
Now, I enjoy moving the little wise men, and their not-to-scale camel, closer to the crib each day!
And there is indeed much going on here, in our Gospel story today – with wandering astrologers, mysticism, travel, camels, light, stars, and hope….
And we might wonder how, if it was Three Wise Women, the gifts would have been more useful!
Some strangers journey from a land far away, in the East.
“Lo, star-led Chieftains “!
Much has been spoken about who these figures of royal mystery might have been.
They might be descendants of former Judean enemies, such as Babylonians and Chaldeans – they would have been astrologers and mystics – the scientists of their age. Perhaps.
Look! Something is happening! They could see signs and wonders in the heavens….
They used their wisdom to seek the meaning of whatever it was they searched for, to make connections.
And they took gifts, as mentioned in Isaiah, to pay their homage and to worship and honour, whatever or whoever they found.
And what did they find?
A young family living in exile in Bethlehem.
Matthew doesn’t mention a stable, for who knows how long they stayed there.
Wherever it was, these wise travellers knelt before the newborn and, as Isaiah says:
“Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.“
Whoever they were – as non-Jews – their role in revealing the Christ to the world was a game-changer for Matthew.
Elsewhere in today’s readings:
Paul writes to the people of Ephesus about how the former mysteries are revealed even to the Gentiles, becoming (he says) “… fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (3:6)
And in Isaiah, the foretelling of the Light coming to dispel the darkness, and the abundance of God for everyone!
And then…
Matthew’s Gospel stands alone in its inclusion of The Magi.
Matthew was writing Jewish history in mind, and all of the challenges that represented; and he was wrestling with how he knew that Jesus came for everyone.
The universal nature of God’s hope for the world is revealed through Jesus, most notably at the end, in The Great Commission we find in Chapter 28.
Yet it is clear right at the start – strangers came a long way in the belief that a very special King was to be born – a King for all of Creation.
In an act of courtly diplomacy, still guided by the Light, the travellers pause on their journey to visit Herod.
Perhaps they assumed that Herod would be delighted with their news. Well, he did seem fairly interested….
The response by Herod is one of fear and mistrust which does not go away when he is reminded of the prophecy concerning Bethlehem.
Unsurprisingly, Herod’s fear soon turns to jealous rage for his assumed rival, with the ensuing Slaughter of the Innocents.
Herod wasn’t interested in the possibilities for Israel that were being presented to him in that moment.
Here was news that a new David was coming, who might unite God’s Children, throw off the shackles of slavery and oppression and, as it was written, “to shepherd my people Israel”.
Well, Jesus did do all of that but not in the ways that Herod imagined.
Herod was too reliant on a favourable relationship with the Roman Empire to see the hope that God had for His people.
I did wonder where we might find modern parallels with this well-known story of the Magi, the star and the gifts – wisdom applied and received – the resolute hope of the travellers, assailed by the fear and cowardice of Herod, the repercussions down through the centuries…. Such stuff are movies made – and have been!
The story of the Nativity of Christ has inspired so much of our history.
A history that, in all the above ways, continues….
In contemporary perspectives, we would be reading about inclusion – the inclusiveness of the Gospel is clear.
We can make no mistake that this is what God wanted for us.
No one excluded.
Yet we seem to be always returning to the beginning, and asking for more help – more light, more wisdom – to understand what we are to do….
OK, so for the moment, let’s get back to the the star…. [grin].
Oh how we love the Star in the Nativity stories – literally regarding it as the Star of the Show!
I won’t get sidetracked in explaining what the star – as seen by the Magi – was all about.
I cannot and would not do so…. Because it is not really known.
For example, it could have been the alignment of Jupiter and Saturn, which to those who studied the ancient skies would have been highly significant.
It could have been something entirely different.
Maybe a plot-device by the author of Matthew’s Gospel, to demonstrate the light of God guiding the Gentiles in a form of prophecy!
Suffice it to say, some bright and beautiful light guided a small group of enlightened individuals to wherever Jesus was.
Whatever they hoped for in this encounter, they brought gifts for a King.
They found a child.
They knelt before Him.
This moment was special.
For them and for us.
The star-filled heavens have always been important to humanity.
Our ancestors looked up, and wondered…
Over the millennia, different meanings were found in the bright lights at night…
Religions, systems of understanding, navigation, astrology and astronomy…
From the simple beauty to the seeing the inter-connectedness of everything.
I love to gaze into the night sky. It is at its best in places with no light pollution and clear skies. Perhaps you have experienced that.
Even so, wherever I am, I take great pleasure from looking up at the stars and planets – and I am filled with awe and wonder.
Such a moment reminds me of how small I am, how insignificant.
I am also reminded that much has been revealed through science and human endeavours, yet so much is unknown, seemingly hidden from view – yet to be found – perhaps not in my lifetime.
And my soul is lifted up.
For I know that in God I am not insignificant – I am loved; and I know that such a love is revealed in Jesus – the Christ foretold and born into humanity – acknowledged by strangers.
Such moments are indeed special and filled with light.
So, you received a small, wooden star at the start of the service.
Now, I cannot compete with my colleague, David Greenwood-Haigh, who gives out chocolate but, as both stars and gifts are mentioned today, I thought I would push the camel out, so to speak, and give you the Gift of Stars…right here in Wrenthorpe, today!
I was going to colour it for you, but it needs to be your star – blank and ready for your hope filled journey….
Do with it what you will – decorate it, write a name on it, pray with it, carry it with you, give it away, balance a wobbly table with it if you must….
But look at it – and ask yourself:
….what do I seek – on this journey of mine?
….how will I reveal Jesus and the hope that He brings, to help others be found by God?
….how can I keep going – to keep my faith real and alive on the journey?
In a few moments, we will give Father Jonathan a star, from us.
He has helped to lead our journey, our pilgrimage, ever onwards: in prayer, in sacraments and as a community of faith.
The Epiphany message is the revealing of God to the Gentiles – in the newborn Jesus Christ.
It speaks of bearing witness to an incredible moment, bathed in Light.
The Epiphany represents a transformation in each one of us, that when we approach God, with all our worldliness and knowledge, we come away changed, filled with wisdom and light;
We might not make pilgrimage to sacred places or set out on a journey to the ends of the earth, but each day there is that chance of discovery that transforms us – maybe in small ways – in prayer, in the sacraments, in a loving moment, in being kind.
When we are asked what Epiphany means to us, as Christian Disciples, show them….
We call Jesus “King”.
We hear the stories of His birth.
Jesus has no palace and lives a life of everyday humanity.
At the end, He is given a crown of thorns, and marked as “King of the Jews”.
Yet He will shepherd all of God’s people into a Kingdom of hope and light.
The love of God for all Creation is with us.
So journey far or near;
Come to meet Him in whatever way you can.
Follow a star the reveals the possibilities of God;
Bring the best gifts you are able to carry.
For as the carol says:
“If I were a wise-man, I would play my part;
Yet, what I have I give him, give Him my heart”
Amen.
References
Borg, M.J., Crossan, J.D. (2007) The First Christmas, SPCK
Wright, T. (2004) Matthew for Everyone Part 1: Chapters 1-15, SPCK, Kindle