Delivered by Reverend Ellen Brantley

Sunday, January 6, 2008

SERMON: Follow That Star!

TEXT: Matthew 2:1-12

 

I took an astronomy class my first year in college, thinking it would be an easy and fun way to get my required science credit. There was no way I wanted to tackle chemistry or biology, and as far as geology goes – rocks were not nearly as interesting to me as the lights of the heavens. So astronomy was the obvious choice. Looking back, maybe geology would have been the way to go after all. Astronomy wasn’t at all as romantic as I thought it would be. Talking about hot stars and cold stars, red stars, blue stars, how big or small and their distance from the earth – well it all kind of took the mystery out of it for me. I was thinking we might just learn about the constellations and how to find them in the night sky. But it was a lot more complicated than that. And to top it all off, our lab time in the planetarium was scheduled at 8 a.m. So we dragged ourselves out of bed only to have the lights turned off and the stars turned on. That day of the week our professor’s lectures were often accompanied by a symphony of snoring. It was the lowest grade I had ever earned – a C. It bothered me then, but now I’m amazed that I did that well. About the only thing I remembered from the class is the sound of snoring, and I’m happy to say that the lights of the heavens remain a wondrous mystery to me.

          Today, (January 6) marks the day of Epiphany, when the mystery of the Christ Child was revealed to the Gentiles. You see, the Wise Men were not Jewish, but they followed a star in search of the child who was born the “king of the Jews.” This even opens the gospel beyond Jewish boundaries to show that Christ came to bring salvation to the whole world, not just Israel. It’s as if the message of the angels is finally addressed to us: “Unto YOU is born in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” This Savior’s for YOU, no matter who you are, or where you’re from.

          But in order to really find him for yourself, it’s going to take a bit of searching. The Wise Men didn’t just wander into Bethlehem by accident. They didn’t bump into Mary and Joseph outside the stable. They heard about the Christ child and they searched. DILIGENTLY.

          According to the dictionary, diligence is characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic application and effort. There’s no getting sidetracked or doing other things at the same time. To search diligently is to stay focused on the task, to search without stopping (or even slowing down) until you find what you’re looking for.

          You’ve heard that little joke suggesting that if the Wise Men had been women they would have asked for directions, made a casserole, cleaned the stable and brought practical gifts. I enjoy (and, of course, agree with) the idea that women would have done a better job, but to give them some credit, the Wise Men finally did ask for directions in their diligent search. They weren’t typical 21st century macho men intent upon doing this without any help. They stopped in Jerusalem and asked around, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?” Turns out, they were in the wrong town. But they kept going, and I think they would have whether or not King Herod had told them to. They meant to find Jesus no matter what it took. They kept searching, diligently.

          It also didn’t matter to them that they were a little late. From our perspective, and according to our calendar, it was 12 days after Christmas. No longer was the manger a crib for Jesus, but Mary and Joseph had a home and life was back to normal. But the Wise Men kept searching, diligently.

          Would we be so diligent? I wonder. After all, whether we’re men or women, we don’t much like to ask too many questions. We’d rather find things on our own than let others know that we’re lost. We’d rather fix our own problems than ask anyone for help. Rather than walking into church late, many of us would just as soon skip it. Rather than take a new direction late in life, it’s easier just to stay on the same road. And once Christmas is over – even just 12 days later, we’re all through thinking about following stars. We’re no longer looking for Jesus, nor are we seeking to learn from him. We’ve done our Christmas duty and given our gifts of love and generosity for the year. Life is back to normal, now, and we just don’t have time for such things. Besides, if we go on searching for a Savior, then we’re admitting that we don’t have our own lives under control.

          Let’s face it. Most of us are not as diligent about our faith as we could be. We’d like to think that once or twice a year to worship and proclaim Christ is enough, but it’s not. If we’ve really received Christ into our lives, then life doesn’t go back to normal. Our diligence must continue as we seek to live in the light of the star, and follow the ways of Christ.

          Again, we can look to the Wise Men as our example. Note that after worshipping Jesus and offering him their gifts, the Wise Men were “warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they left for their own country by another road.” It seems a minor detail, but let me offer this interpretation. After the Wise Men received Jesus into their lives, they began listening for God’s voice, and their lives took a new direction. Perhaps I’m assuming too much. Just because they went home by another road doesn’t mean their lives were changed. But who knows? Maybe it does. And, for us, I think it’s a good formula to follow. Finding Jesus at Christmas – or any time of the year – means following Jesus into the rest of your life. And following Jesus usually means taking a new path – maybe not a drastically different path, but a new path nonetheless.

          Captain Eddie Rickenbacker won a congressional medal of honor for his service in World War One. He had this to say about seeking God: “If you have not had an experience of God in your life, my advice is to get busy and get yourself one. For that is the sure way to win victories over inner defeat. It is the way a humble man meets life or death.”

          Contrary to popular belief, experiences of God don’t just happen to people who aren’t paying any attention to God. As Rickenbacker said, “If you want to experience God, get busy.” It takes diligent searching and following.

          It kind of goes back to me and astronomy class. When I realized that it wasn’t what I expected, I decided I didn’t much want to learn about stars. So I didn’t. I went to class every day as far as I can remember. I guess I studied for the tests. I must have because I did get a passing grade. But I can’t tell you a single thing that I learned. None of it meant anything to me. It had no impact on my life. I did not “experience” astronomy because I wasn’t diligent and intentional about it.

          The same is true with faith, I think. You can go to church every Sunday, go through all the motions, even know the familiar Bible stories. But if you’re not diligent and intentional about experiencing God in a personal way, then it’s probably not going to happen.

          So let’s get busy. Let us search diligently for Christ. Let us listen for God and let us have the courage to answer God’s call. Let us be willing to go in a new direction in life. And may we all grow in faith as we FOLLOW THAT STAR!

 

AMEN.