Epiphany 2011
Matthew 2:1-12
Gifts of the wise people.
Today’s Gospel reading is where the story of the wise men coming to worship at the feet of Jesus is told. It is during this time of year, immediately following Christmas, that we commemorate this event; and this week is widely celebrated as the feast of the Epiphany. It is when we remember the events directly after the birth of Jesus. It is a time when we, like the magi who followed a distant star, are reminded of the fullest meaning of the coming of Jesus.
While they are often referred to as “kings,” it is probably more likely that they were astrologers or magicians familiar in some way with the coming of the Messiah.
If you study the Bible carefully you find that the origin of the Magi that visited the Christ child started during the Babylonian captivity. They would have come into contact with the Messianic prophecies when Daniel was made chief of the magicians. This is mentioned in Daniel chapters 2, 4 & 5. It was this seed planted by Daniel that would have resulted in the magi having knowledge of a savior and messiah that would be born to the nation of Israel. In fact if you look at the word “magician” its first four letters are the visitor’s title, “MAGI” which is the root of magician.
The magi of Jesus’ day may not have known God, but they knew stars. They knew when something extraordinary was happening in the night sky. They saw the star, and they took note. They investigated. They conferred with one another. What they did not understand captured their imagination. They did not turn their eyes to another part of the sky, hoping to see the familiar and be reassured. They did not grasp at explanations, hoping to have their own previous knowledge confirmed. They saw the star, and they took note.
The magi were open to evidence that God was doing something special in their world. When the star marking the birth of Jesus appeared, the magi saw it.
The star God sends to you, or to me might be something completely different. It might be just the right word from a friend at just the right moment. It might be a vision in a dream. It might be an impression during prayer. It might be an insight from a book. It might be something we see God doing, not in our own life, but in the life of someone we know.
Whatever it is, we need to be open to evidence that God is doing something special in our world. And it is that openness that allows us to bring our gifts to the King of Kings. So this morning I pose to you this question – What gifts do you bring to the King?
The Magi came before Jesus bearing gifts of incredible value. God has placed gifts of incredible value inside of each one of us. Just as the Magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, each of us bears unique and valuable gifts for the Kingdom of God.
Our calling from God is to share whatever gifts we have in common for the benefit of the mission of the community of faith. I’m terribly afraid though that many believers today do not recognize or have not been told what that mission is.
The mission of the church is twofold; FIRST it is to edify the saints, and SECOND it is to share the love of Christ with this world which is in desperate need of hope.
I Corinthians 12:25-27 says, “so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.”
We are all members of one body and our gifts, whatever they may be; those are meant to serve one another so that the love of Christ may shine brightly in, around, and from – from the fellowship that we all share together. But sometimes we mistake what our gifts really are and fail to use them, many times out of fear.
Let me illustrate this point.
There was a Pastor in a congregation in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. One day he found two containers on his desk, and along with the containers was a note from a thoughtful church member, wishing that he and his wife would sample her home cooking.
One container held some delicious hearty soup, which they ate the next day. The other container, which appeared to be an odd squash dish, the pastor tried but threw away as he did not like its peculiar flavor or odor.
Meanwhile, the Pastor and his wife thanked the woman for her gracious gift, especially the soup. They avoided mentioning the “squash,” which they felt guilty about wasting.
Weeks later, the Pastor was talking with the church custodian about the damage that craft projects were inflicting on the carpet in the children’s classroom. “I already cleaned it up,” the custodian said. “Didn’t you see the great wad of Play-Dough I put in a container on your desk a just few weeks ago next to the jar of soup?”
The point I am making is that we sometimes mistake our gifts. How often do we bear gifts as though they are burdens? How often do we lock away our treasures for fear of rejection? We sometimes think that all we have are the old Play-Dough type of gifts when we really should be passing out the good gift we have to offer another.
A lack of confidence in our ability to serve God with our gifts reflects much more than simply a lack of confidence in ourselves; it reflects a lack of understanding of the true nature of the power of God to enable us. Christ tells us that He will give us all the power that we need to use our gifts. Acts 1:8 the words of Christ are recorded, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
We have at our disposal the power of God within us. As followers of Christ we are given the matchless opportunity to experience the extraordinary power of God working in and thorough us.
The evangelist Dwight L. Moody once wrote, “God commands us to be filled with the Spirit, and if we are not filled, it is because we are living beneath our privileges as children of God.”
I remember when I was young I used to “help” mom and dad around the house doing things. If mom was making pie crust, she would hand me a piece of dough and a miniature rolling pin. She would have me roll the dough into a small pot pie tin to bake and fill. If I was following dad and he was fixing something with his tools, he would hand me a wrench and say, “adjust that;” and I would act as if I was helping him get the job done. It didn’t matter to me at the time that I was not actually doing anything because I did not understand the power of whatever tool I was handed, although I thought that I was at that moment.
I am afraid that far too often we are the same way. How often do we hold a very powerful tool, but because we don’t understand its potential, because we think that we are not capable, or perhaps not even worthy, we pass up opportunities to share our gifts with others?
1 Corinthians 14:26 says, in regard to these things, “What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.”
Notice that last line? Each of us has unique gifts that are meant for building up one another and for the building up of the kingdom of God. No matter how young or old you may be, regardless of how rich or poor you are, each of us has a distinct purpose and function for the Kingdom.
What is even more powerful than that is the fact that we don’t have to rely on our own strength to use those gifts. We have been blessed with the very presence of the Holy Spirit within us to enable us for every good work.
We have been given the gift of grace, so we do not need to earn God’s favor. What I am speaking of today is something far greater than that. We have been invited to be “Kingdom Builders” on a mission to share the love of God and in so doing – build the very kingdom of God. Ours is a holy task of participation in the plan of God by the power of His Holy Spirit within us.
So, again, I ask you the question, “What gifts do you bring to the King?”
We all have been given the incredible opportunity to partner with the very God of the Universe in building His Kingdom. The call of Christ is a call to action! Just as the Magi saw a distant star and followed it to the baby – the King of Kings – so too God has given us a sign of His coming and a call to action.
It is in loving others – it is in sharing our gifts – that we become free to receive the most precious gift of all – the grace, love, and mercy of Christ in our own lives.
This morning, I encourage you to recommit yourself to looking for ways to shower gifts upon the King of Kings as you fulfill His command to let Him love others through you!
