Christ Episcopal Church
January 4, 2015
Epiphany
On Christmas Eve, one of our traditions at Christ Church is to bring gifts of baby food for the baby Jesus and other hungry babies, and leave the baby food at the manger. On Christmas in July, we do something similar with gifts of socks and underwear for the baby Jesus and children in Springfield who do not have these basic items. In both cases, we bring our gifts forward as we sing "Praise God from whom all blessings flow." The moment is both joyous and tender and I have seen both smiles and tears as we offered our gifts at the manger. At the end of the evening, or the morning in the case of Christmas in July, we have mountains of gifts for Jesus and a bit of a challenge for those of us navigating the space in front of the altar. But we can rise to that challenge any day!.
This morning, we hear the soaring words of Isaiah "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen round you." The people who walked in great darkness, both in exile in Babylon and upon their return to a burned out, shattered Promised Land, are promised that better days are ahead, when people will be gathered back together from all over the earth, drawn by the glory of God that will arise over them. And we see the camels bringing those people together, bearing gifts of gold and frankincense. The day will come, says Isaiah, when you shall see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice. The psalm this morning also longs for the time when the King will come who will rescue the poor and the needy, and kings from all the nations will come bearing gifts.
According to Matthew's gospel, that day has come with the birth of Jesus. This morning, we watch as the Magi who follow a star arrive with those very gifts of gold and frankincense for Jesus. The story does not tell us how many Magi arrived, or whether they arrived by camel or on foot. The traditional assumption has been that there were three Magi since they brought three gifts-gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The story also says nothing about a manger. Instead, the story tells us that the Magi entered the house where the saw the child with Mary. They knelt and paid Jesus the homage due a king, then offered him their gifts.
The story does not tell us a lot about the Magi, other than that they have come a great distance and are from the East. We can suppose that they were astrologers, or followers of some religion that studied the stars in their courses. Certainly they were people who believed in the power of dreams, since they altered their course home after being warned in a dream not to return to Herod. And they were people with deep respect for royalty, since they went to a good bit of trouble to pay homage to the child born King of the Jews. And while we are told that the Magi brought Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, I think the Magi had three other gifts which are gifts we, too, might offer this child.
First, the Magi had curiosity. They saw the star in the heavens and wondered what the star could mean. They might have chosen the wrong person to ask, since Herod was somewhat sensitive about who else might be the king of the Jews, and Herod's motives for giving the Magi the information they needed were ill intended. But their curiosity led them to follow the star, to be filled with joy, and to pay homage to Jesus.
Secondly, the Magi were adventuresome. They saw the star, and rather than think about how far they might have to travel, whether there would be clean restrooms along the way, or what they would eat on their journey, they apparently picked up and left. They did not have benefit of a map much less a gps. They followed a star. When, in a dream, they were warned not to return to Herod, they changed their plans on a dime and went home by a different road. This is not the same as taking Hwy 40 to Columbus instead of I-70. The change of route meant finding a different path through the desert, going a different direction, and encountering different obstacles. But the Magi did as the dream directed.
Lastly, the Magi were generous. They were generous with their time, spending no telling how long on the road getting to Jesus, and generous with their treasure, opening their treasure chests to offer the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Apparently the Magi did not travel lightly and did not carry just the three gifts with them. Once they found the child, they wanted to be able to offer the best and most appropriate gifts.
Curiosity, a spirit of adventure, and generosity. I wonder if these gifts might be the gifts Jesus would like from us as well. What could happen if we were as curious about the scriptures as the Magi were about the stars? What could happen if we were as adventuresome as the Magi in our quest to experience the Christ Child? And what could happen if we offered our time and treasure with the generosity of the Magi? The Magi were overcome with joy when they arrived at the house where they found Jesus and his mother and offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. We arrive at the manger on Christmas Eve, and with great joy offer our gifts of baby food, or socks and underwear. What might happen if, in addition to those gifts, we offered Jesus the gifts of deeper curiosity, a more adventuresome spirit, and greater generosity? I believe we just might live more deeply into the words of Isaiah this morning "Arise, shine, for your light has come. And the glory of the Lord has risen around you" and the light of Christ might shine a little more brilliantly though us for all the world to see.
Amen.
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