Homily
EpiphanyB
January 6, 2006
By Bass Mitchell
Homily: Seekers
Text: Matthew 2:1-12
In my home church all the children had to go through a rite of
passage - playing a part in the annual Christmas pageant. Some of
us played angels (always girls, why?).
It reminds me of the little girl who asked her mother if men ever
went to heaven. He mother said, "Of course, dear, why do you
ask?"
The girls responded that she had just never seen any pictures of
angels with beards.
The mother thought for a minute and said, "Well that because most
men get there by a close shave."
Well, in our home church Christmas pagenant others were
shepherds. Some played various animals. I remember one year I had
to play the part of Mary’s mule (no wisecracks here about what
good casting that was). The odd thing about this was that the same
year I also had to be in a Thanksgiving play at school. Yep, you
guessed it, I played a turkey! So, this Bass played a turkey and a
donkey. Is that good acting or what?
Of course, in our annual church pageant there were always the parts
of the innkeeper and the main characters like Mary and Joseph,
along with the wise men. I remember one year we had a shortage of
males (I tried to get out of the whole thing too but mom wouldn’t
let me). So, my three sisters ended up playing the three wise men.
They were of the opinion that women made the best wise men
anyway. I was wise enough not to argue with them.
The story of the wise men has always interested me. I started to
study them and found some fascinating things about them.
For one thing, the Bible tells us very little about them. I think this is
one reason why so many traditions later developed about them (just
like we know very little about Jesus as a child but whole books of
tradition came into being about this).
Tradition, for example, says that they were actually kings. You
know the hymn, "We Three Kings"? It’s based on that tradition.
But the text says nothing about this.
Tradition gives us the names of these kings. Balthsar, with dark
skin, was King of Arabia. Melchoir, elderly with gray hair, was
King of Persia. Caspar (or Gaspar), young and beardless, was King
of India. Of course, the text says nothing like this.
Tradition also says they came riding in on camels. The Bible tells us
nothing about their means of transportation.
Traditions says there were three of them (though in the Eastern
Orthodox Church I believe there were 12). I think this tradition
grew because three gifts were given. But, once again, the Bible
does not tell us how many there were.
But what does the Bible actually say about them?
The Greek word used here and translated as "wise men" is
"magoi"
or "magi" (from which we get the word "magic"). Apparently
there
were two kinds of magi in those days. Some of them were
magicians, charlatans, soothsayers. If there had been telephones in
those days, they would have been the ones starting the psychic
friends network and the 900 numbers for you to call, and, for a
significant fee, tell you your fortune or give you psychic advice.
The other magi were truly "wise" in that they were learned
individuals, kind of scientists of their day; astronomers; seekers
after truth. Thus they were often used as counsels and advisors to
kings. So it was most appropriate that they would go to a king,
Herod, on their search. Apparently these magi were the seekers
after truth. They would find the One who was the Way, the Life,
and the Truth!
And I think the great significance in this is that they were Gentiles.
Already at his birth, Jesus is attracting persons to him - from lowly
shepherds to the learned magi. It was a preview of what was to
continue to happen (and still does). Those, no matter what their
class or status, who are seekers of truth and wisdom, will eventually
end up at a manger in Bethlehem - they will seek out the Christ.
What are you seeking this Christmas, this New Year?
You see, I think we are all seekers. There is something about this
time of year that reveals the hunger in our hearts, this yearning for
something.
I saw a movie with Chevy Chase entitled, "Christmas Vacation."
It’s about a man who more than anything wants to have an
old-fashioned, heart-warming family Christmas. He does everything
he can to try to make that happen - from an enormous Christmas
tree to 25,00 bulbs decorating every inch of his house. And
throughout the movie he also lays much hope on getting his
Christmas bonus. Well, as you can imagine nothing goes quite right
and I laughed at his misadventures. But beneath the comedy there is
still a profound sense of yearning, of seeking for something that I
do not think he really manages to find.
I fear that Christmas ends up like that for a lot of people - yearning
for something but ending up empty. The trees, the stockings, the
presents, the parties, yet still something missing, that gnawing
emptiness in their souls reminds them there must be something
more to this.
Wise people seek Jesus because he is the one who can help meet
this yearning of the heart...this deep need for God. St. Augustine
said it, "Lord, you made us for yourself and we can know no rest
until we rest in thee."
A friend of mine who is a nurse told me about a patient to whom
she asked, "Is there anything you need?" His reply surprised her,
"Yes," he said, "I need God." And she spent considerable
time with
him seeking God together, her sharing her own faith journey.
When it’s all said and done, that’s what it boils down to - we need
God. There is no true substitute for this need. We need God. And I
can only say like so many before me, I have never felt closer to God
than when kneeling at the cradle of the Christ, than when looking
into his face, listening to his words, letting his mind, his spirit dwell
in me.
I would challenge you and myself this new year to become seekers
of the Christ, to get closer to him than we have ever been before.
How can we do that? Well, this story gives us a couple of important
insights.
First, it’s interesting that the Magi come to Herod and ask him
where the Messiah is to be born, but Herord then turns to his
religious advisors who then turn to Scripture. They quote Micah
5:2:
Bethlehem, in the land of
Judah,
you are by no means the
least of the leading cities
of Judah;
for from you will come a
leader
who will guide my people Israel.
They do not find the Christ Child without the scriptures!
If we are to find the Christ Child we must go to those places where
he promises to be revealed...
One of those is the Scriptures.
Martin Luther spoke of the Bible as the cradle of our Lord.
Here (hold up the Bible) is where you can come, like the magi, and
find the Christ in his cradle. The more you peer into it, the clearer
your vision will be of him. The more you listen to it, the more you
will hesar the voice of God.
And I invite you to be a part of our lectionary study group that
meets each Wednesday night at 6 . We’ll be reading and discussing
the upcoming lectionary passages. And if you cannot attend, then at
least read these passage which are listed for you each week in the
bulletin.
The second insight I get on seeking and finding the Christ is when I
see the Magi finding Jesus and the first thing they do is kneel down
and worship him.
I think if we wish to come closer to the Christ this new year, we
need to get closer to his people, especially when they gather
together for worship. Jesus himself promised, "Where two or three
or gathered, there am I in the midst of them." You see, worship,
too, is the cradle of the Christ, for when we are together, there is
sense of his presence we can receive in no other way.
At first, the Magi were far away, in a distant country - far from the
Christ. But they left everything to seek him and they did not stop
until they found him
Where are you this new year?
Are you still in some far away land, feeling that empty yearning
inside? Have you started the journey to Bethlehem?
Maybe you have started but have grown weary. Maybe you’ve
gotten sidetracked or lost for whatever reason, and can’t seem to
get started again.
Let this new year be a new beginning for each of us - a fresh start in
the journey to becoming closer to the Christ. Reading the scriptures
and worship are steps that will lead us to him. And we will discover
that when we take a step toward him, he always takes at least two
toward us! Seeking the Christ leads to the joyous discovery that he
was seeking us all along.
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Bass Mitchell
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