They Bowed Down And Worshiped Him

Matthew 2:1-12

Today is Epiphany Sunday.

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 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.

That’s what the magi experience in our Gospel Lesson for this morning.

But who are the magi?

What image comes to your mind when you think of these guys?

Having sat through a number of Christmas plays, it may be difficult for us not to think of children wearing bathrobes and Burger King Crowns, trying to look as important as possible.

Or we might think of men in long flowing robes, beards and big turbans.

Every year, I get at least one Christmas card with this kind of picture on it.

In nativity sets they rub elbows with shepherds.

But in reality, we don’t know much about them.

Scholars tell us that they weren’t kings, there weren’t necessarily three of them, and they didn’t come on the night of Jesus’ birth, or even 12 days after Jesus’ birth.

They also were not Jewish.

They were Gentiles, which means anyone who is not a Jew.

They were most likely something like astrologers, and something in the sky told them that the cosmos were changing.

The star is a symbol of this new thing, this new change, this new birth.

And so, they follow the light of this star.

They are on a journey to find truth.

That’s why they study the stars in the first place.

When you live in the 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 a few months ago.

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 they 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?

And it brings us closer to God in some way.

At least it does for me.

It helps to remind me how vast this eternal universe is, and the mystery which surrounds me and it causes me to wonder what it all means.

Artificial lights can sometimes cause us to forget about God—to get off track, and to spend more time on human stuff, worldly stuff rather than godly stuff.

The ancient world didn’t have street lights.

I think they may have been more in-touch with the divine than we are.

In any case, it does seem a bit odd that these magi, these non-Jewish or Gentile astrologers would follow a star, for probably about two years, in order to find the new King of the Jews.

But an interesting thing is that, just about the time Jesus was born, there was a strange feeling in the air—an expectation about the coming of a King.

Even the Roman historians of the time felt this and wrote about it.

The magi had experienced this strange feeling.

They had heard the buzz going around.

Then they saw a sign in the sky and they went for it.

They started their journey to find Jesus which is a great metaphor for all people of faith.

We are all on this journey, are we not?

We are on this journey together; to find Jesus, to worship him and make him known.

United Methodist Pastor James Howell once said, “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 painting we have to hang on the wall.

When we say, ‘Oooh, yes, I dig that,’ God says, ‘You’re getting warmer, keep coming, it’s me you are really after.’”

You may be familiar with the quote from Pascal: “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing.

It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.”

I have found this to be true in my life, how about you?

Sadly, we do live in a world filled with artificial light and it’s very easy to get off track.

But that longing for God continues to exist, and God uses this longing to bring us closer to the God we were created to be in relationship with.

(Pause)

But before we go too far, let’s not underestimate the Gentile symbolism in our Gospel Lesson for this morning.