Three Wise Men, from the East, some say Persia. Some say Persia (now Iran), India, and Arabia. Some say they represent the 3 ages of man. Some say it was their gifts that were important: gold (Christ’s kingship), frankincense (Christ’s divinity), and myrrh (Christ’s death). All interesting stories and symbols. But, that’s not the point of this sermon. They saw the star, they had an idea, a vision, and they followed it. And that light brought them to Jesus, the Light of the World. And I think that series of events is what’s important about the 3 Wise Men. I mean there must be a reason besides a Partridge in a Pear Tree that we count the days until the arrival of the Three Wise Men. And I’m proposing that the Three Wise Men at the Manger is the original Come-to-Jesus Moment in Christianity. And for those of you who have heard the phrase, “Come-to-Jesus Moment,” but can’t remember the context, a Come-to-Jesus Moment is a moment of sudden realization, comprehension, or recognition that often precipitates a major change in someone’s life. Or, you know, an Epiphany. So, thank you, Three Wise Men, you did your part, now get out of here.
Luke: Until I had to write a sermon about it, I perceived Luke’s gospel verses where Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem without Jesus (“Joseph, where’s Jesus?” “I thought he was with you!” “I thought he was with you!!!” Meanwhile, Jesus is back in Jerusalem like McAuley Culkin in “Home Alone” “AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!) Not really. Jesus didn’t do that. Yeah. Jesus wasn’t doing that at all; he was in the Synagogue, wowing the rabbis with his knowledge and interpretation of scripture. Why? It was his calling. "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" Jesus was ready to start. He was about the age when a Jewish boy gets bar mitzvahed and he was ready to go. He was prepared, he heard the order, and he obeyed.
Jennifer Ruth Lynn Garrison writes about Jesus calling his disciples later in life, “The calling of the disciples varies somewhat from gospel to Gospel but basically Jesus shows up and says, ‘Follow me.’ Without hesitation, they do! They drop whatever their work was before and take up the only work that suddenly seems to matter: the work of following this shiny new messiah.” You might say that Jesus came at the right time to call his disciples to him to continue his work. So, this leads me to ask, when is it our time to continue Jesus’s work? And one could respond to that question with “when wasn’t it our time to continue Jesus’s work?”
John Edgerton writes something a little more timely about this question. He writes, “The presents have all been given out, the stockings distributed, the feast feasted upon. Now there remains a great mess. Leftovers hastily stuffed into the fridge, blocking me from grabbing the milk. Toys gleefully scattered across the floor, unerringly finding their way beneath my bare feet. It’s not just physical detritus, either. The carols have been sung, the old words read aloud, the holy silences lingered over. Now there remains a great mess. Words spoken that I wish I hadn’t said aloud. To-do list items I had really intended to finish, now scattered across next Monday morning.
After the day after Christmas dawns, I feel like I’ve got a big mountain to climb before I’ve finished everything required by the law of the Lord. Where to begin? Will I really believe that God’s blessing will be enough for me? Will I really, actually, let my heart be transformed by the birth of one child? Will I really, actually, for realsies see God in the midst of the mess of the world today?”
These are questions that I ask myself a lot: will I let my heart be transformed by the birth of one child? Will I / Can I see God in the midst of the mess of the world today? I want to. These definitely have been goals of mine. And, I have to say that over the past year, being in front of you almost every Sunday has helped me a lot. This work has laid the groundwork, it has prepared my heart, it has changed my mind. It has transformed me just a bit. It has helped me see God in the midst of the mess of the world today. Just a bit. And I thank God, and I thank you.
So, the question I have for you is: are you doing anything to prepare your heart to be transformed? To see God in the midst of the worldliness of it all? Honestly, if someone asked me that question out of the blue I’d probably say, “I have no idea how to do that.” Well, after giving it some thought, I have some ideas how to prepare oneself to hear God’s voice. I can’t guarantee that they’ll work, but I know they won’t hurt. Here they are:
Pray: from a devotional, from a website, from your memory, from your imagination. Just take a moment to pray. To give thanks. To praise. To petition. Whatever is on your mind that you want to take to the altar. And along that same line,
Meditate: just sit quietly for 5 minutes and become aware of your breath. Just let thoughts enter your brain, and notice them without judgement. Quietly, for five minutes.
Read books of a spiritual nature: They’re everywhere, including in the library. Go look in the Spirituality section of a bookstore or your local library. Or ask me.
In fact, I mentioned this before, I’d love to meet again on a weekday morning with any of you who are interested and we can do all of these 3 things together, when we gather to discuss a book that I just finished reading and quoted from in a couple of my sermons, Henri Nouwen’s “Finding My Way Home.” Let me know if you’re interested and we’ll find a time to meet.
So, let us listen for God’s still, small voice. And hear what it has to say. And let that be our star to guide us. To our Father’s house. To our Come-to-Jesus Moment. To our Epiphany. Amen.