“Looking for God”
Matthew 2:1-12
Today is Epiphany, according to the Christian calendar.
Now what do we mean by that?
Epiphany, really is that same word, as in, “Wow. I just realized something I had never thought of before.
I’ve had an epiphany.”
It’s a realization, a revelation, a moment of insight, when what was previously muddy or confusing, becomes crystal clear.
And in Christian-Speak, an Epiphany is a divine manifestation in the midst of human history.
And in our Gospel Lesson for this morning we meet some interesting folk.
They are called magi.
Magi is where we get our word “magic” from, and yet these guys are not magicians.
They are not kings.
They are more like astrologers, and something in the sky tells them that the cosmos are changing.
The star is a symbol of the Light of the world—which Jesus is.
And they follow the Light.
When you live in a city it can be easy to forget what it’s like to get away from streetlights, big buildings, bright restaurant signs, car headlights and all the rest.
I was out in the country several months ago, and we were getting ready to have a bonfire.
It was a pitch-dark night, but the sky was clear and so it wasn’t so pitch dark after-all because the stars and the moon were brilliant—in focus—and lit up the night as far as my eyes could see.
You know what I’m talking about; it’s a breath-taking sight, is it not?
It brings us closer to God in some way.
It helps to remind us of our place in this vast eternal universe, and of the mystery which surrounds us and causes us to wonder what it all means.
Artificial lights can sometimes cause us to forget about God—to get off track, to waste time focusing more on the human than the divine…
…to begin to think that we are the gods, rather than God Himself.
I don’t know about you, but the light from the night sky often causes me to seek out God—the Truth, the Way, and the Life.
It helps me to refocus—to step into a bigger reality than my, sometimes small, boxed-in worldview.
The ancient world didn’t have street lights.
And many people, especially in the countries east of Palestine, had made the study of the stars and the planets into a fine art.
And you know, if you are studying the stars, the night sky every night—how could you help but be a bit more in-touch with God, more focused on the big picture than, say, someone like me?
It may seem really odd that these non-Jewish astrologers would follow a star, for probably about two years, in order to find the New Jewish King.
But the interesting thing is that, just about the time Jesus was born, there was a strange feeling in the world—a strange feeling of expectation about the coming of a King.
Even the Roman historians of the time knew about this and wrote about it.
For instance, at almost the same time as Jesus was born, Augustus, the Roman emperor was being hailed as the Savior of the world and there was all kinds of talk about a coming Messiah.
And so, the magi were people who had experienced this strange feeling.
They had heard the news.
They had seen a sign in the sky—and they went for it!
They are people who are searching.
The world as they knew it was just not enough; there had to be more to it.
And so, they were open to God’s call.
And a lot of times, that is how our relationship with God begins, isn’t it?
We sense something calling us: a light, a shimmer of hope, a spark of love—and so we start on the journey.
United Methodist Pastor James Howell is quoted as saying: “God seems to have put some unquenchable hankering into all of us for… yes, for God.
We think we’re looking for the next big thing, the big deal, the perfect person, the ultimate experience, our favorite song, or the painting you have to hang on the wall.
When we say Ooohh, yes, I dig that, God says You’re getting warmer, keep coming, it’s me you’re really after.”
Have you experienced that?
Are you experiencing that now?
Is it a continual longing; a continual journey for you?
You know, when we dive into the eternal—there is way too much to absorb in just one experience—one Epiphany.
If we are seeking to walk with God on a daily basis—our lives become filled with epiphanies all over the place, nearly all the time.
When we get off course, and stop seeking, that is when life becomes drab, dark, dull.
That is one of the reasons it is so important to have a daily devotional life—whether it is reading the Upper Room every morning, the Bible, being involved in a Bible study and definitely coming to worship on a weekly basis—as well as putting our faith into action through serving others in love.
That could involve things so mundane as smiling and being friendly to the person taking our order at Burger King, being kind when we may not feel like it and keeping a tight reign on our tongue when we are tempted to talk bad about someone else behind their back.
It could also involve volunteering with the food pantry, Safe House, Youth Group, teaching Sunday school, visiting those who are lonely and working for justice on behalf of the poor and marginalized.
There is a small group of other pastors and Christians who I meet with every Thursday morning.
We talk about God, look at the Scriptures, listen to one another and then pray for one another and our ministries.
When I am unable to make it to this prayer meeting—I really, really miss it.
It is a spiritual life-raft for me, and as we continue to meet together we find ourselves becoming very close friends.
Do you have a group like that?
If you don’t, there is no reason why you can’t start one.
And there is nothing more exciting than being on a journey with God along with other people.
That is really what the church is about, isn’t it?
But so often we get off track.
We get caught up in politics.
We hold grudges.
We don’t treat one another with love and compassion.
And because of this we suffer and the world suffers as well.
According to a recent Pew Research Poll: “Only 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christian, this is down 12 percentage points over the past decade.
The ranks of the religiously unaffiliated (atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular) have risen to 26 percent, a nine-point bump since 2009.
The situation snowballs with each generation: For example, more than eight-in-ten members of the Silent Generation (those born between 1928 and 1945) describe themselves as Christians (84%), as do three-quarters of Baby Boomers (76%).
In stark contrast, only 49 % of Millennials describe themselves as Christian.
Some of this might strike us as not-so-shocking.
After-all, Millennials are entering their prime working years; they’ve got to make their way, climb their ladders, pay down all that student loan debt somehow.
So what if they don’t have as much time for what the surveys call “civic and religious engagement” right now?
Most of us tend to believe in a life cycle effect: Yes, people may drift away from their church when they’re young, but they tend to come back when they have kids and things settle down.
Except that’s not what’s happening.
It seems that Millennials are leaving Christianity — and they’re not coming back.
What are we to make of this?
First, there’s the reminder that millennials aren’t as young as they used to be.
Being born from 1981 to 1996 means that, at the upper end, some Millennials are 39 years old.
By then, you could be on your second spouse and third career.
30 % of Millennials now have children under the age of six.
So, the majority of Millennials aren’t drifting back into worshiping and yet, according to statistics, they still want relationships and to be part of something bigger than themselves.
And their drive for those things isn’t likely to wane.
An article I read this past week says: “Some Millennials are turning to convenient, low-commitment substitutes for faith and fellowship: the easy “spiritualism” of yoga and self-care, posting away on Twitter and playing more games—video games--they are twice as likely to spend hours and hours playing video games than non-millennials.”
The article continues, “What is really worrying about these things is that few of these activities are geared toward building deep relationships and community support like the churches the millennials are leaving behind.
Actively participating in a congregation means becoming a part of a community.
This involves us in the lives of others and the other way around.
By leaving church, millennials are shrugging off the ties that bind, not just loosening them temporarily.”
In longer-range studies, researchers are also seeing that millennials are busier but also much more lonely.
Now, a recent poll by YouGov just confirmed that Millennials have surpassed my generation--Generation X and Baby Boomers as the loneliest generation.
The YouGov report found that 30 percent of Millennials (ages 23-39) always or often feel lonely.
About one in five people in this age range say they have no friends, while 27 percent say they have no close friends, and 30 percent say they have no “best friend.”
It’s been said that these surveys are MRIs for the soul: They give a snapshot of busy millennial life that many will easily attribute to their phase of life.
But while phases pass, the underlying needs and wants will continue to matter.
What happens when sleeping, working and gaming more than their elders begins to make less sense?
If they are closing the church doors behind them, they will have to find somewhere else to tend to their spirits — and their hearts.
Again, “God seems to have put some unquenchable hankering into all of us for… yes, for God.”
As we begin a New Year, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the state of our world.
It seems like every day, there is another mass shooting.
The fires in California and Australia are frightening.
We always seem to be on the brink of another war.
But instead of looking at all this and wringing our hands, how about we look at all this and get excited about the sheer number of folks who live right around us who are looking for God—whether they are aware of it or not?
A few years ago, Clair and I stayed at a bed and breakfast owned and run by a man who also pastored a church.
I wasn’t familiar with his denomination, and in explaining it to me he said something that stuck.
He said, “We don’t fight about Jesus, we just try and focus on love.”
Isn’t that what it’s all about?
Love God and Love others—that is what Jesus Christ taught—that is How He lived and ultimately that is Why He died.
God is Love.
And Love is the Light shining in the darkness.
Love is that which evil cannot overcome.
Love is what we all need; it the most important thing in all the world.
It is the Epiphany!
People still seek it; may we help them find it by being like stars shining in the night sky, leading them to Christ through love—helping them to travel by a different route—so we can all experience and live into a different kind of life?
Amen.
