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The Readings
Ephesians 3.1-12
This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given to me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.
Matthew 2.1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Scripture quotations are from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
The Sermon
Prepared by The Revd Shan Rush.
The night sky and its multitude of stars have always been a source of fascination for me. Here in
the city we can’t really see it in all its splendour. Artificial street lighting, although necessary for
our safety, leads to ‘light pollution’ that restricts our ability to stargaze and enjoy the view, even
when the sky is clear. On New Year’s Day night, I ventured out into my mums garden on the edge
of a town in Somerset to see if I could identify the constellation Corona Borealis described on the
news because Astronomers and stargazers are eagerly awaiting the appearance of a "new" star,
which will come into view in the skies any night now for the first time in 78 years. I was amazed
and rather in awe at how clear the sky was and I had a 360 degree view of the stars. It struck me
that this was how the night sky would have been seen by people in the time of Jesus and that the
magi, what we would call today astronomers, would have seen it without the aid of powerful
telescopes. Their priority would have been to study the movement of the stars in the hope that it
would cast light on what was happening or about to happen on earth. Their background was as
pagans, yet some of them apparently studied what we today call The Old Testament, and believed
in the prophecies that the appearance of a new star or a comet predicted the coming of the
Messiah, the promised Saviour of the world. According to our gospel reading, when these magi
from the east noticed a new star rising, they associated it with the birth of the long awaited King
of the Jews, and so they set out in search of this child to pay him homage.
Matthew recounts that they initially travelled West to Jerusalem seeking the new ruler. This would
probably have been on the assumption that a king would be based there rather than somewhere
more obscure. They only went onto Bethlehem after the chief priests and scribes had told Herod
Micah’s prophecy that the long awaited Messiah would be born there. From his birth, we are
shown that Jesus will be a very different kind of king, one that turns expectations upside down.
From childhood I have had the image of the Magi following a specific star, but realistically, I expect
they had learned to navigate by the positions of many stars, using the night sky as a map and
compass. They would have recognised key constellations and with the knowledge that in general,
stars rise in the east and set in the west, they would have had a basic orientation. This made me
wonder if they mainly travelled under the cover of darkness, or if they also utilised the sun to
travel by day. As we think of our journey through life, it is worth remembering that the magi
needed to utilise more than the tools of their trade, the stars, to lead them to Jesus.
The magi needed knowledge of God’s Word to find the newborn king, snd they needed the chief
priests and scribes, people who knew God’s Word, to help them. So, too, for us. If we want to find
the Christ child, we need God’s Word, and we need each other, with our different skill sets,
knowledge and perspectives.
We are all on a journey, a pilgrimage to find Jesus, and to worship him. The wise men represent all
of us who are ready to follow a star in order to find fullness of life. The world of the Magi probably
wasn’t much different from ours today, they would witness sickness, poverty, danger, armed
conflict and rulers abusing their power. Also like the Magi, our world today sees many people
undertaking perilous journeys in search of a fresh start, a new life. Many of them are fleeing danger
or have been adversely affected by situations that mean their reality is that they feel persecuted,
stripped of their humanity and dignity. Most of us are fortunate to live in comfort and safety but
stressful events and circumstances in our own lives can make us feel overwhelmed and despairing
of the way life is going. The story of the Magi assures us that the guiding light of the Lord shines in
the darkness offering hope for the future of us as individuals and all of humanity.
In “Man’s Search for Meaning” Viktor E. Frankl wrote,
“One day, a few days after the liberation, I walked through the country past flowering meadows,
for miles and miles, toward the market town near the camp... There was no one to be seen for
miles around; there was nothing but the wide earth and sky and the lark’s jubilation and the
freedom of space. I stopped, looked around, and up to the sky – and then I went down on my
knees... I know that on that day, in that hour, my new life started. Step by step I progressed, until I
again became a human being.”
We are changed by meeting Christ. When the magi leave Bethlehem, we read that, having been
warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they return home by a different road. This could be
seen as a metaphor for the transformation that took place in their lives from being someone just
going about their daily business, to becoming someone who wanted to pay homage to Jesus and
who gave him significant gifts. They became People who worshipped Jesus, just as you and I are
doing today. We may not be bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh but we do bring other
gifts they might represent - Gold - the potential within each one of us, Myrrh - the gifts of
compassion and love that offers healing for ourselves and others, Frankincense - our aspirations,
hopes and dreams calling us to closer Communion with God.
This year, as we seek to encounter God in new and exciting ways, may we be guided towards new
perspectives and understanding, find liberation, wholeness and healing, and know fullness of life.
May we be generous in our giving, sharing the gifts each of us possesses that we may be a blessing
to one another as we recognise and receive, learn and walk in, share and reflect Christs light in the
world.
Amen
The Prayers
Today the Magi knelt before our Saviour.
Let us also kneel to worship him with great joy,
and to make our prayer to his heavenly Father.
Father, the Magi came from the east to worship your Son:
grant to Christians everywhere a true spirit of adoration.
Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.
Father, your Son is the King of kings and Lord of lords:
grant an abundance of peace to your world.
Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.
Father, the Holy Family shared the life of the people of Nazareth:
protect in your mercy our neighbours and families,
together with the whole community of which we are part.
Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.
Father, your Son was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor:
show your love for the poor and powerless,
and strengthen all those who suffer.
Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.
Father, the Magi presented to your Son gold, incense and myrrh:
accept the gifts we bring,
and the offering of our hearts at the beginning of this new year.
Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.
Father, you are the King of heaven, the hope of all who trust in you:
give to all the faithful departed the wonders of your salvation.
Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of Magi, shepherds and angels,
and of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph,
we commend ourselves and all Christian people
to your unfailing love.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Common Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is used here is copyright (c) 2010 The Archbishops' Council