January 12, 2020 (Epiphany Transferred) – Matthew 2:13-23
Matthew 2:1-12
The Jesus Star
Epiphany of our Lord [transferred] – January 12, 2020
First Lutheran Church – Winnipeg, MB
The appearance of the star signaled to the magi that a king had been born.
And so they set out on their journey.
They come from a long way away, likely what we know today as Iran.
So the journey is long and traveling such long distances in that time was very dangerous.
Many obstacles undoubtedly get in their way.
Nature maybe lets them down along the way as they encounter harsh weather and
natural disasters.
People undoubtedly let them down at some point as they encounter those would
try to steal their precious gifts and those who would seek to profit from them.
Even the local ruling authority today lets them down as Herod attempts to
deceive them and use them for his own dark purpose.
But the star – the star never lets them down.
It is unwavering and true.
It never leads them astray.
The star remains their steadfast hope and leads them to their goal.
The star is the centre of the story.
It is referred to as Jesus’ star – it is called “his” star.
The star is thus the Jesus star – and it never lets them down.
It is unwavering and it is steadfast.
In Matthew’s telling, Jesus’ reign as king is very very different from Herod’s or Caesar’s.
And it is what the world needs.
Jesus is unwavering and full of light just like his star.
Herod is deceitful and untrustworthy and full of darkness.
The world Jesus is born into – the world ruled by Herod and Caesar – is crumbling and corrupt.
It is in decay – there is violence and poverty and illness and injustice.
The magi wisely are not seeking any more of that kind of rule.
Rather, they seek something else – their goal is the reign of Jesus,
a reign of plenty for all, of manna for all, of mercy for all.
A reign of peace, a reign of justice, a reign of equity, a reign of health, a reign of life.
The star – the Jesus Star – dependably leads them to this.
And it is to this king and this reign that they give their most precious gifts.
Leonardo Da Vinci understood this well in his painting of the Adoration of the Magi.
In it, there are things in the background of the picture you need to pay attention to.
Behind the magi and Jesus and Mary are buildings in ruin and men on horse who are
jousting with each other.
The meaning is clear: the world Jesus is born into is in decay and chaos and violence.
The world is ill.
Things need to be righted.
The magi are wise because they recognize the One who can make the world right again.
The magi are wise because they trust the Jesus star to lead them to their goal,
to the person whose reign in love will right the world.
And their journey ends with them in joy when they recognize this.
Their journey ends with them giving away to him their most precious gifts.
We make this journey over and over again, every single Sunday.
We too follow the Jesus star to this place that dependably leads us to where Jesus can be found.
There are many obstacles to us getting here:
The weather, maybe, is one such obstacle at this time of year.
Perhaps the, uh, perennial lack of parking.
Our business and the other demands on our time.
Messages that invite us to place our hopes elsewhere.
Messages that invite us to make our hopes smaller.
Or, worst of all, messages that invite to consider not having any hope at all,
for ourselves or our world.
But here we are, once again, with the magi, with the shepherds, with the angels,
with Mary and Joseph – even with the animals.
All of us having journeyed to Jesus,
the one in whom we place all our hopes for ourselves and our world.
Yes, in the background, even as in Da Vinci’s day,
buildings are in decay and people are engaged in violence with one another.
Yet we have come from many places.
We have come from the Congo and Bangladesh and Lethbridge and St. James and South Sudan and Gimli and Jamaica and Edmonton and Dubai and yes even Regina.
We have placed our hope in the Jesus star that has led us here.
We have come to give our gifts to the one we trust will make the world right.
Who will turn human beings from violence to peace and nurture and community and harmony.
Who will build up the things that are decaying.
Who will give hope and safety and well-being.
Who will give light in dark times.
This is the one we gather round this morning even as our friends did long ago.
This is the one we give our most precious gifts to confident that
those gifts will be put to good use.
This is the one whom we worship along with the magi.
This is the one who transforms us from a collection of individuals into a community
dedicated to God’s dream to make this world right again.
The Jesus star will never let us down.
The Jesus star is unwavering and true.
The Jesus star will never lead us astray.
So let us keep following it here week after week after week, and together let us say, “Amen.”
Pastor Michael Kurtz
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