Come and Worship - Matthew 2: 1-12

What was the longest period of time that you’ve ever been away from home? For some of us this question may mean – how long have you been away from your family? Your house? Your home town? Your friends? Away at school? Moved away for a job?

We live in a world where travel is commonplace, if not expected. Rarely do we grow up in the same town as generations of our family from the past or only travel as far as we can go on foot for our entire lives. The world has been opened up to us by public transportation.

This was not the world of the wise man. The farthest people traveled was as far as they could ride an animal or walk. And this process was quite slow considering the baggage people brought with them. If you were lucky, you could find a relative or kind stranger to live with. If you weren’t so lucky you’d be camping out.

Furthermore, travel was dangerous. Think of the story of the Good Samaritan – it revolves around a man who is mugged simply between Judah and Samaria. The wise man traveled quite a bit farther then that.

So what would possess these men to make such a journey? Let’s start by clearing up some of the common misconceptions of this part of the story. First, if you look at our nativity today you will note that the shepherds and other animals are gone. This more actuary depicts the scene. The shepherds and the wise men were not around Jesus at the same time. In fact, it’s estimated that the wise man probably did not reach Jesus until he was nearing two years of age. If the men began their journey on the night the great star appeared in the sky, on the night of Jesus’ birth then they walked and rode in a camel caravan for almost two years. They left everything they knew – their possessions, their families. The chances of them making it to where the star was pointing them was rare. Can you imagine traveling for two years straight without becoming ill? Without getting mugged? But they forged on day and night following this star that they trusted was a sign from God.

Second, these men were not Jewish. They were not affiliated with Jerusalem, and as scholars from the East probably worshiped a different deity all together as they were from a region in Persia. In fact, they were probably priests in the court of whatever deity they worshiped. And yet, they followed this star to find the Jewish King, the Jewish Messiah. For all intents and purposes these men were the first converts, the first people to actively seek out a God and a Messiah that was beyond their own scope of belief. They were captivated by something that could not let them go. By a belief that this person was so important that nothing else mattered.

Lastly, we don’t know how many men there really were who traveled together. Tradition assumes three because three gifts are mentioned but there may have been more or less. We just know that there was more than one. At least two people leaving everything behind to follow a star.

The image that came to my mind this week as I prepared for this sermon was a rainbow. I don’t remember hearing many tales or songs as a child about following stars. Stars were for wishing, but rainbows, well rainbows could be followed. And supposedly at the end of the rainbow one could find a pot of gold, or a foreign land where dreams that we dared to dream can come true. Or in the words of Kermit the Frogs, “the rainbow connection – the lovers, the dreamers, and me.” But in all of my childhood recollections about rainbows, I can think of none that caused someone to travel for years, leaving behind what was important to them. None that impaired this journey of faith, this journey of hope.

What did the magi’s really think that they would find at the end of the star’s path? What’s ironic is that the Magi didn’t seem to care. They just knew they were supposed to go. They went so far, on one hope that they would find a King. And yet, they seemed to know that he was an infant – a point lost to the Jewish tradition and believers of the time. And yet, did they know that this king would be the Son of God? The messiah? God with us? Here are these men – traveling to just celebrate this king – to catch a glimpse of what they had hoped for. They brought their best gifts. They brought their all just to celebrate.

This week the Church celebrates Epiphany – in our Western tradition is the celebration of the visit of the wise men. But why is this celebration so important? What do the magi’s have to offer our Christian community today?

First, I think their visit and homage foremost tells us something about God. God’s incarnation in the babe of Jesus Christ is bigger then any of us can really understand. It is bigger than a particular church or tradition. It’s bigger then Christianity. It is bigger then our wildest imaginations. It is awe inspiring enough to coax wealthy men to travel for years just to celebrate.

And second, it asks what we, today, are to make of this God – God with us. Here are men who essentially followed a sign for years to bring their best gifts to God – a God that they didn’t worship until up until that moment. What are we willing to give to God today? Do we have the same faith as the wise men – what are we willing to give up? How far will we travel for Christ? Or are we like the town of Bethlehem – seemingly inattentive to the star that drew people from so far? Are we too close to the manger, too friendly with this God, that we miss the awe-inspiring nature of the Divine? Do we believe that we can get by with giving God the dregs of what we have left, our time, our energy, our money, our devotion, instead of our best?

The wise men seem to be calling to us – crying for us to have their type of hope in this mighty God who deserves everything that they gave. All for just the hope of being able to celebrate. We are now wrapping up our holiday season. We soon will be returning to work and school. The Christmas decorations will be coming down and life will return to normal. But the wise men are telling us that it doesn’t have to be this way. They lead us to examine who this God is and what God leads us to do. They traveled far beyond the season that we now celebrate as Christmas – their hope and determination was not limited to days, weeks, or months. There had to be times that they wondered why they were following this star – no matter how bright it may be. But they went because they had hope guiding them. The Hope of the world that they believed deserved what they were doing. Are our convictions about Christ as strong today? Are we willing to give our best, let alone our all, even as the season of celebration comes to an end? How far will are you willing to go?