"A Lesson From the Magi"

A sermon preached on Epiphany Sunday, January 7, 2007 at Edgemont Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), by the Rev. Christopher E. Yopp. Sermon based on Matthew 2:1-12.

It almost seems impossible that thirteen days ago we celebrated the birth of Christ. By now, most of the visible signs of Christmas have been taken down and packed away. We have gotten on with our lives - vowing to lose the weight we put on during the holidays with our New Year’s Resolutions. Christmas, as I pointed out in my newsletter article, is just a memory! And sadly, for many people, including many Christians, that’s it - Christmas is just a memory! But the celebration of Christmas isn’t fully complete until we celebrate Epiphany.

Now for those of you who want to get technical, the Feast of Epiphany actually occurred yesterday. It is celebrated on the fixed date of January the 6th, or the Twelfth Day; but today we celebrate Epiphany Sunday. And this is the day for us to commemorate the arrival of the Magi to the Christ-Child. This is the day we set aside to honor them as they teach us the true meaning of worship.

I love the story that is told of a mother and father, along with their 6 year-old son who were riding through town on the day of Epiphany in route to the mall. On their way they passed by the local Methodist Church, who had not taken down their nativity scene yet. This simple scene consisted of Mary and Joseph, along with the Baby Jesus. The little boy couldn’t help but notice the scene, and observed it while they were waiting for the light to change to green. Shortly after they passed the Methodist Church they approached the local Episcopal Church which was getting ready for their Feast of Epiphany celebration, and on the front lawn were the Three Wise Men. The boy, studying the characters very careful, yelled to his mom in the front seat; "Mom, who are those guys on the front lawn of that church?" "Oh, those are the Three Wise Men, honey!" she responded. To which he replied; "And what are they doing?" His mom said; "Well, they are searching for the baby Jesus." The boy thought for a moment and said; "Well, maybe someone should tell them that they can find him at the Methodist Church down the street!"

The fact is, no manger scene is complete without the presence of the Three Wise Men, or the Magi, bearing their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. However, the only problem is, the Magi were not there the night of Christ’s birth. In fact, most scholars agree that it could have taken as much as two years before they arrival.

It seems that more than any other characters in the Christmas story, the Wise Men or the Magi have been the subject of much good humor. Someone once said that it would have been the Three Wise Women, rather than the Three Wise Men who came seeking the newborn King, they would have asked for directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought practical gifts.

But certainly, the Magi’s gifts were practical and appropriate. And I think sometimes we fail to realize the significance of their gifts. Perhaps, you’ve heard the story of the three 6-year old boys who were playing the wise men in their church’s annual Christmas play. As they came up to Mary and Joseph at the stable, the first one handed over his gift and said, "Behold, I bring you gold!" The second boy presented his gift and said; "Behold, I bring you myrrh!" And finally, the third child presented his treasure and said; "And Frank sent this!"

The Magi's gifts were indeed practical and they were certainly appropriate. Keep in mind, in the ancient world no one could even approach a king without a genuine gift and gold was the gift of a king. What better gift could the Magi bring then the gift of gold for Jesus who is King of kings? Frankincense is an aromatic gum distilled from a tree which was a gift for priests. And, of course, Jesus is our Great High Priest. And finally, myrrh was a gift for one facing death. It was used in the ancient world for embalming. Jesus Christ was born to die that we might live. How beautiful! How appropriate! The Magi’s gifts symbolize Christ our King, our Priest and our Savior.

Each gospel writer offers an interesting perspective on the life of Christ. Each gospel is unique, yet not contradicting, despite what some modern scholars believe. For Luke, his perspective shows that Jesus is the Savior of everyone - Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poor. Therefore, Luke focuses a great deal on the lowly shepherds who came to worship the Christ child. Matthew, on the other hand, wants to present Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. Because the Messiah was to be a descendant of David, that great king of Israel, Matthew emphasizes Jesus’ royal origins by recounting the story of the Magi, who are royal astrologers who followed a "star" that heralded the birth of a king, and what’s more, they presented him with royal gifts.

But the fact still remains; there is very little information when it comes to the Magi. We really don’t know a great deal about them. In fact, all that we do know has been handed down to us through tradition. But the only problem is most of these traditions are inaccurate. First of all, the Magi were not kings, despite the fact that we sing; "We Three Kings..." rather, they were professional scholars, schooled in the science of astrology and very educated in religion and philosophy. Secondly, we do not know if there were three of them or thirty of them, we only know that they came bearing three gifts. In fact, our western tradition says that there were only three, but this is based on the fact that they brought those three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ child. The Eastern Church, on the other hand, teaches that there were actually 12 Magi, to symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles. I think it is interesting that the Church, in the 5th century even went so far as to name these characters, giving them the names; Balthsar, Melchior and Gaspar, which were given to represent the three "races" - African, Asian and European, and to further symbolize God’s love reaching out to all people. And then finally, there’s no mention of the manger in the story of the Magi. In fact, the story states that they entered into the house where Jesus and his family were. Now, of course, all the traditional nativity scenes feature the Magi because they are a part of the Christmas story and we don’t want to leave them out.

Another interesting symbol of the Christmas story is the Star of Bethlehem. Now despite its brief mention in the Gospel of Matthew, the Star of Bethlehem has been a source of fascination for Christians throughout the centuries. It has so captured our hearts and imaginations that it has become a strong symbol of Christmas, appearing on countless holiday cards and atop trees. The Gospel writer Matthew, however, was not the first to have mentioned this star. In fact, it was prophesied by Balaam who proclaimed in the book of Numbers that the Messiah would be revealed by a royal and majestic star.

Scientist and scholars tell us that this "star" or in actuality, planet was probably the result of Jupiter, Mars and Saturn converging in the constellation Pisces, which occurred in 6 B.C. - the same year it is believed our Lord was born. And, what’s more, this isn’t just recorded biblically, but also historically. Record of it appears not only in the Bible, but also in many ancient clay tablets and manuscripts, including an ancient Chinese chronicle.

But why did God choose to use this astrological event, this "star," if you will, to announce the birth of Christ to these Magi? Well friends, keep in mind, Magi were held in high esteem and universally recognized as healers, miracle workers, dream interpreters and astrologers. They were very educated and schooled. And of all people, the Magi would have been the first to look for and interpret signs in the sky. In fact, they would have been taught that there would arise a king who could raise the dead and who would transform the world into a kingdom of great peace and security, and the tradition held that this king would be the descendant of Abraham and that a star would identify this divine child - this divine king.

Thus, the Magi knew that the star they were following was no ordinary star - that it was something significant! They had apparently been searching the heavens for years for signs of something unique and significant occurring in their world. They were open to new wisdom and truth, more than this, they searched for it, they longed for it, and they yearned for it. And so, when they saw that astrological event, they sensed in their hearts that this was a sign from God. And you know, friends, in much the same way, this is the definition of faith - a journey that doesn’t always know what is ahead, but one that trust in God’s guidance and direction, leadership and counsel. Such is the attitude we must have as we enter this new year. You and I do not know what lies ahead of us in 2007; but we, like the Magi, must put our faith and trust in God.

More than anything else, the Magi teach us the true meaning of worship. Pastor and Teacher, Robert Vogel writes; "The worship of the Magi - an unlikely cast of characters - is instructive for us. Our worship, like theirs, is enabled by divine grace. It is to be offered in sincerity of heart rather than in vain or in deceit. It is expressed in humble and sacrificial giving to our matchless Lord." This is the worship that is appropriate not just on this Epiphany Sunday, but every Sunday and every day.

The Christian artist, Matt Redman has captured well the priority of worship in the lyrics of a song, The Heart of Worship. The lyrics read:

"When the music fades
And all is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring something that’s of worth
That will bless your heart.
I’ll bring you more than a song for a song in itself
Is not what you have required. You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear. You’re longing into my heart.
I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about you; all about you, Jesus.
I’m sorry, Lord, for the things I’ve made it
When it’s all about you; all about you, Jesus."

This is what the Magi teach us - worship is all about Jesus. Is this true of your life? I hope so!