Introduction
Ever since I first started preached I have longed to preach this sermon, or rather a sermon with this title. It just struck me as the perfect title for a sermon on the story on magi’s visit to Jesus, Star Trek, but then it is not only about the story of the magi but about how the lessons we are to learn. And so we have Star Trek: The Next Generation.
But you might ask, why am I preaching about the visit of the wise men now? Christmas was a week and half ago. Well some of you may know and some of you may learn, that the 6th of January, tomorrow is Epiphany. It is precisely 12 days after Christmas, hence the 12 days of Christmas and was actually celebrated before Christmas was. And the epiphany was in fact the day when the visit of the magi to Jesus was remembered. Hence this sermon.
Background
Its a well known story. We hear it every Christmas. However, how much do you really know about some of the people in the story. Firstly, it didn’t take place in a stable at the same time that the shepherds came. The word used to describe Jesus means a young boy rather than a baby and Herod kills all boys under the age of 2. This suggests that some time had passed since Jesus had been born. Further if the Magi saw a star at the birth of Jesus then it would take some time to mount and carry out an expedition to Bethlehem.
The Magi, or wise men as we sometimes say. There is no evidence that these were Kings although the traditional assertation that they were is possibly due to Isaiah 60 which mentions Kings coming and bringing gifts of gold and frankincense to the Messiah. The idea of their being 3 comes of course from the fact that there are 3 gifts mentioned. We don’t know exactly who the Magi were although those of you who have seen the film the Mummy will know that at least one idea for the Magi are that they were from Egypt. However, the fact that they are described as coming from the east suggests that Egypt to the south was not their origin. It is more likely that they came from Babylon, where there was a Jewish community and opportunity to be familiar with at least some of the Jewish prophecies concerning a Messiah. In fact in light of the fact that it says their journey was in response to a star it is extremely likely that they were in fact priestly astrologers from Babylon.
But what about that star. Popular belief has our magi riding camels following a star. However, if our magi followed a moving star, why did they stop in Jerusalem. In actual fact we read that they saw the star in the east, came to Jerusalem and then saw the star again when they left for Bethlehem. At which point it did move ahead of them and rest where Jesus was staying. This suggests that there was something supernatural about the star. However, the initial sighting in the east may have had an explanation. There are a few suggestions, one is Halley’s comet which passed by in 12 BC, however there was also an astrological sign in 7 BC, when Jupiter and Saturn entered the constellation Pices while a supernova was recorded as taking place in 5-4 BC by Chinese astronomers. Any of these are possible for the star that was seen in the east. However, as I said there is also a strong possibility that this was something entirely supernatural.
Finally, there is Herod. The one who was so desperate to hold on to power that he had all the babies under 2 killed in Jerusalem. We know from history that Herod was not a Jew but a descendant of one of the warring nations that strove to control Israel after Alexander the Great’s empire split in four. He also married into the Hasmonean dynasty, which was the dynasty of high priest’s who ruled Judea until the time of the Romans. He was put in place to rule by the Romans as King and was a competent administrator and had dealt with several revolts against Rome successfully from a Roman point of view. However, he was also ruthless, killing people who had a rival claim to the throne, including two of his sons. In fact it is due to Herod that we know that Jesus was not born in 1 AD since Herod died in or just after 4 BC.
But like most of you sitting here I am forced to ask the question so what? Who cares?
Gentiles
Well the first point to notice is who the people are in the story and how they react to Jesus. We have King Herod and the Jews of Jerusalem. These are the Jews to whom the Messiah was supposed to come. The ones to whom God was bringing fulfilment. These were the very people who were supposed to be jumping for joy because their Messiah had finally come. These were the people who should be streaming to Jesus in worship and thanks giving and these were the ones who were deeply troubled and who conspired to kill Jesus. We all know that Herod was not a very nice guy who routinely had people who threatened his throne executed. We know he was not a descendant of David and that he was ruling for the Romans. However, he occupied the place that was supposed to be God’s representative to the people. We also know that it was not all of Jerusalem who was troubled by hearing that the Messiah had finally come, it was more likely the rulers and leaders who Herod called who were upset. Whether this attitude filtered down to the common people or whether they were just upset because their leaders where concerned about something, we don’t know. But the symbolism is very stark, especially when we look at the rest of the story. The Jews, God’s chosen people, the ones whom Jesus was sent to were the ones who rejected him. (Not universally, but as a nation and a people.)
So who did receive him, who came and worshiped him. It was the gentiles but not only the gentiles, it was the magi, those foreign astrologers. Not only pagans but those who involved in the leadership of pagan religious practices. The very ones who you could expect the Messiah to be fighting against or opposing. The ones who you would expect to be on the receiving end of all God’s wrath. These were the ones who came and worshiped. It is this event of the gentile acceptance of the Messiah that was actually celebrated by the Western church before the church celebrated Christmas.
We even see a similar thing at the end of the gospels. In Mark’s gospel the acclamation that Jesus is the Son of God is uttered not by a devote Jew but by a Roman centurion. The very ones who all the Jews were expecting the Messiah to fight against.
But again what does this have to do with us? We are all gentiles. I actually only know one person of Jewish descent who is a Christian. It’s all pretty obvious, what was shocking to the Jews that Gentiles were to be included in the Kingdom of God is now standard. The fact that we are gentiles means that we don’t think there’s anything remarkable about the acceptance of gentiles into the Kingdom of God anymore. It may have been absolutely staggering to the Jews of the first century that Gentiles could enter the Kingdom of God but to us its old news, something we all take for granted.
But there are other people who we might see as the gentiles where seen by the Jews of the first century. Oh, I know that we know that all people can become Christians and one here or there is ok but there are groups that we don’t as a whole expect to be included in the Kingdom of God, they are the enemy not ones who could enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Examples, well there are the Muslims, in a big turn around we have the Jews, but also there are others closer to home.
We see people as the enemy. They are not the ones that God wants, its us, the respectable, the ones who follow God’s laws. Quite often Chris, our treasurer tells me that we need to target rich people to become Christians and members of the church and frequently links it with performance related pay. I know he’s joking, you are joking Chris aren’t you. But there just may be a bit of that attitude in all of us, that we want to pick the type of people that God is going to save through our Church. We want people to become Christians, we want the church to grow, but we want the new people to be people like us. To have the same values, to like the same music, to be generally compatible with us. But God doesn’t work that way. The church is not supposed to be a place where similar people can get together and vet the new membership, although in some churches you be forgiven for thinking it is like this. No the church is the place of welcome for all. The place were those who have been rejected by everyone else can find acceptance as well as those who would get a welcome anywhere. It’s a place where God himself decides the membership. This isn’t an excuse not to invite your friends to church but rather to accept all who come as welcomely as those who you would personally invite.
This acceptance of Jew and Gentile in the one church caused havoc not just for Jesus but for the first century church. There were often problems and culture clashes between the two groups and other groups, the church was the only place where rice and poor came together to worship as one. But despite all these problems this was what God intended and this is what happened. And we need to be prepared for it if we are to be the church that God wants us to be.
Most of you know my girlfriend and the fact that she is from Portugal. We experience quite a bit of these culture differences ourselves, although to be fair I think Maria João has many more problems than I do in this regard since she is living in a foreign country. Its often just little things and sometimes bigger but they all can cause stress and problems especially if you are not aware of them. For example, the normal behaviour for boyfriend and girlfriend in public is quite different in Portugal and Britain. But there are also differences between various sub cultures within our own culture and if we expect everyone to adapt to our own expectations then we are very foolish. For instance the way that people earn and give respect are different between the generations.
So as we look to a new year, are we prepared to be the church, to be the ones who accept those who are different from us. Or is it going to cause us to many problems, is it going to require us to change to much, to give up some of what we want to allow some of what others want. Are we really interested in being the church.
Because the story also contains a warning for us who would claim to be Christians. It was the ones to whom Christ had come that rejected him. It was God’s own people that rejected the him. As a nation we may not be the chosen people of God, but we do think of ourselves as the Christian world. We were the ones who took Christianity to the rest of the world. Yet if we look at the situation today we are countries who are rejecting God. As we see the moral standards slipping in our country and in our laws. We know we are no longer the chosen of God but are we even following God anymore. There was a time when to be British was to be associated with the Church and to a large extent to be Christian. That is no longer the case. Yet many people in England when asked their religion will answer Christian or Church of England, while they themselves never darken the doors of a Church other than at weddings and funerals. Its a warning that it is not the ones who claim to be the chosen of God, those who claim to be Christians who are in fact the people of God, but rather it is the people who recognise God and worship and serve him who are the people of God.
But this warning is not solely aimed at countries wishing to live on a long gone godly heritage or those who would claim to be Christian without darkening the doors of a Church. It is also a warning to us to. What makes us a Christian? Where does our claim lie? It is merely because we come to an evangelical church. I hope not. Most of us know enough that we do not claim that coming to church makes us a Christian. But there is a danger for us as well. It is all too easy to rest on a decision made years ago and think that is it. I became a Christian now I can just get with on with my life safe in the knowledge that I’m ok when I die. But this is not what this story seems to tell. The people of God are those who recognise the rule of God in their lives.
This does involve an initial commitment to God when we become a Christian but to really be the people of God it involves recognising the rule of God in our lives now. King Herod and his followers in Jerusalem did not want a Messiah challenging him for the leadership of the Jews. From the way that Herod reacts to the story he obviously thought there was something to this story of a new King of the Jews being born. Did he deliberately set himself up against the chosen one of God? Did he deliberately make war on God? Well we obviously don’t know what Herod believed on the issue, but it is likely that he just saw a threat to his power and dealt with all such threats ruthlessly. But his example warns us about the importance of various things in contrast to God. Herod did not worship Jesus as did the Magi because he did not want to loose his own power. We must not value anything so highly that we fail to give due worship to God. To be in the Kingdom of God you have to recognise the rule of God.
Conclusions
And this is what I want to leave you with this evening. The story of the magi visiting Jesus was one of the first festivals of the Christian church, recognised because it was the first sign of the Kingdom of God being widened beyond Israel to include those who were Gentiles by birth. By showing that entrance into the Kingdom of God was by decision not natural birth and by showing that it was not enough to claim to be of the Kingdom of God but it meant recognising the rule of God.
It is a tragedy that this one of the first messages remembered by the Church in the west should be the one that it seemed to forget. It was not enough to be born in the Christian western world. It was not enough to recognise the authority of the Church. You had to recognise the rule of God and by their actions this was not what they did. Following instead the example of Herod they made war and ordered the slaughter of women and children in the crusades. The politics of the church became as corrupt and bloody as the politics of Herod and Rome. While proclaiming themselves to be people of God the people had abandoned the rule of God.
And so we are reminded of the story of the visit of the Magi. The people of God are those who recognise his rule. Some of these will be very different to us and some of them will come from those we might consider the enemy. Some of them will do things that we will not want to do. We will do somethings that they will not want to do. Our music tastes will be different. The ways we worship God may be different. But we are called to be one Church, were God rules.
