In a carol service ta one of my previous churches, one of the congregation was taking part in a dramatic reading of the visit of the wise men to the infant Jesus. And the dreaded happened. When it came to the line ’and I bring frankincense’ it came out as ’and I brought Frankenstein’. I had read about it happening but hadn’t heard it.
Someone said that if the wise men had been women things would have been different. They would have asked directions sooner, would have arrived on time, would have helped Mary to deliver the baby, cleaned up the stable, and taken practical gifts like nappies, baby-wipes and milk.
Today is Epiphany, the 12th day of Christmas, the day when the decorations should have been taken down and packed away for another year. Epiphany is an important festival in the church calendar which we often ignore, sometimes because we get hooked on Covenant Sunday. And maybe there’s good reason to move the Covenant Service to another part of the year and so give full justice to both.
Epiphany is a celebration of the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles – the wise men from the east coming as non-Jews, to bow down and worship the infant Jesus, bringing with them their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
I don;t want to think about the gifts this morning, we will be reflecting on them in our meditative service this evening. This morning, as we renew our covenant with God, I want us to think about the journey that the wise men made.
Of course, the story is shrouded in mystery. From tradition we know every detail and all the facts. But, if we follow the Biblical account, we know very little. There are lots of unanswered questions – how many were there – don’t know; where did they come from – don’t know; how long they travelled – don’t know.
They showed up mysteriously and then, just as mysteriously, they are gone. So with all that mystery and lack of detail what can we say about them. I want to think about 4 things to do with their journey.
Journey of Faith
First, the wise men made a journey of faith. They travelled from home to Bethlehem to find Jesus.
What would prompt someone to leave the comfort of their homes to go on a journey, not knowing where they would end up? Romance maybe; wealth maybe; but faith? The wise men set out in faith on a journey to find the king they believed had been born. They’d seen the evidence, the star was there. They had faith that he was alive, he existed. All they had to do was to find him. And these men were willing to give everything to find him. They were willing to leave the safety and security of their homes to go on a journey.
Can you imagine their neighbour’s reaction? ’Oh, you’re going on a journey’, ’Yes’, ’where are you going?’, ’I don’t really know,’ ’How far is it?’ ’Don’t know that either,’ ’How long are you going to be away?’, ’Well, don’t know that either.’ ’Well, for wise men you don’t know a lot.’
Faith means going on a journey, a venturing forth, taking a journey to meet with Jesus. The wise men took their gifts and offered them when they arrived – gold, frankincense and myrrh. They bowed down in the presence of Christ and worshipped him. The wise men had to meet Jesus, had to go on a journey.
That was Herod’s mistake. He wanted the wise men to go in his place and search and only when he found out exactly where Jesus was would he go himself.
The story of faith, the story of our own faith, is the story of a journey. We can know all the facts about Jesus, we can know the gospels by heart but, like the wise men we need to see him for ourselves, to bow down in adoration and offer ourselves to him.
But for us, and for the wise men, the journey doesn’t end there. The whole of life is a journey, a continuous pilgrimage, growing in our faith, learning more, deepening our spirituality and our knowledge and understanding of God.
Today, in our Covenant Service, we make our promise to do just that – to journey to Christ and beyond as we learn and grow in our faith.
Journey of Risk
If the journey of the wise men was a journey of faith, it was also a risky journey. The land where Jesus was born was dangerous, just as it is now. Bethlehem has always been a turbulent place, a violent place, a dangerous place for anyone who is travelling.
Bethlehem is a dangerous place today because of the conflict being fought out between the leaders of modern day Israel and Palestine. It was a dangerous place when Jesus was born for similar reasons. King Herod, who in the main was a good king, got very nervous and jealous when he heard that a new king had been born. He thought this new king was a rival to him so wanted to see him dead.
So it was dangerous for these wise men 2000 years ago as they became pawns in Herod’s deadly game. Imagine the horror when they discovered how Herod used the information they gave him as he made the decision to have all Israeli new born sons killed – an act of brutality which is still happening in various parts of the world today.
The wise men travelled in hope but at great risk. The Christian faith is a journey that can involve risk. Risk that, when we stand up for truth and righteousness, when we stand up and are counted for our faith and beliefs, we are laughed at, rejected and scorned.
And if that happens we’re not the first – Jesus suffered himself and ended up on the cross. The early Christians suffered great persecution as they were seen as a threat. And down the years Christians in various parts of the world have suffered – in Russia, in China, in Pakistan and elsewhere they have been driven underground.
Sliven in Bulgaria.
In the Covenant Service we make a promise to go where God leads us on our faith journey, we offer to him all we have and are and risking for faith. The wise men took great risks to meet Jesus and worship him.
Journey of Worship
When the wise men took their journey it was one of worship. They took gifts full of symbolism and when they arrived at the house of the infant Jesus they offered these god for a king; frankincense for worship; myrrh a fragrant perfume to anoint, embalm and preserve the dead. These gifts were offered to Jesus as they bowed down in awe and wonder.
For us too, the journey of faith is a journey of worship, a journey on which we give of ourselves to God daily, bowing down in awe and wonder and adoration. As we do we offer our gifts, all we have and all we are, to him to use as he pleases. As we will say in the covenant prayer ’I willingly offer all I have an am.’
Journey of Change
Finally, the journey of the wise men was one of change and transformation. After visiting Jesus, offering their gifts and their worship, they travelled home by another route. Meeting with Jesus changed them, transformed them. That’s a feature of an encounter with God. God changes things, changes people.
Remember – Jacob wrestled with God and was never the same again. Isaiah stepped into the presence of God and said ’woe is me, I am undone, a man of unclean lips’ he was never the same again. Job questioned God over and over again about his suffering and when God speaks to Job is speechless, full of awe and wonder, words failed him. He met God and was changed.
That’s what happens when we walk in the presence of God. We are changed. When wise people encounter Jesus they are changed and things become different. I wonder, if, this morning, having been with God here in worship, we are changed, transformed, refreshed and made new?
Summary
The wise men journeyed in faith; took a risk, journeyed to worship and returned a different way because their journey had led to a meeting with Jesus which transformed them.
As we meet the Christ child, as we journey in faith may we too be transformed by that meeting and be renewed and refreshed to set out again this year following Christ.
