Invitation
Good morning, Chapel family. And welcome to the fourth and final Sunday of Advent 2020. So tomorrow is December 21, and we all know what that means, right? It’s the shortest day of the year. The least amount of sunlight; the most amount of darkness. And for a lot of us, the difficulties of the pandemic and the other stresses of life are making it seem even darker than usual. But here’s the thing about darkness: it actually allows us to see the light more clearly.
In fact, there is something scientifically remarkable that’s taking place on December 21 this year. You know what it is? They’re calling it a “Christmas Star Event.” Jupiter and Saturn will be crossing paths in their orbits, and they’ll be so close to each other, that it’s going to look like one, bright object in the sky. You’ve probably read about this in the news. The last time this happened was in the year 1226 AD—800 years ago! And some people believe this is also what the Magi followed 2,000 years ago. So this is going to light up the sky, the southwestern sky, just after sunset tomorrow night…which just happens to be the darkest day of the year. You’ve got to love the timing of this. When the darkness is deepest, that’s when the light shines the brightest.
So I feel like, this year, because of all the darkness, we are noticing and appreciating the light of Christmas more deeply than usual. (Comment on last night’s Christmas Village). So, yes—there’s a lot of darkness. But the light of Christ is shining brightly. And that’s what this Advent series is all about.
So the first two Sundays of Advent we were in the prophet Isaiah, and we talked about “Darkness,” and “Promise;” last week we moved to the New Testament, and we talked about “Preparation,” as God was preparing the heart of Joseph for the coming light. And today we’re going to focus on what happened just after the birth of Jesus. Because the light had come, there was now an “Invitation” being extended. (And by the way, we spent this past fall studying the book of Daniel, and today’s passage is going to connect back to the book of Daniel in a really fascinating way). And then, to close out our Advent series, we’re going to receive communion together. So let’s read today’s Scripture: Matthew chapter 2, verses 1 through 12. I invite you to hear the Word of God…
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. This is the Word of the Lord.
So who were these men—the “Magi?” They were not actually 3 kings—like the song says. The Greek word is magoi, and we get our English word “magic” from it. The Magi were a class of wise men who worked in the royal court of Persia. They were highly educated, especially in astrology and interpreting signs. They were interested in stars and dreams; they would study the scriptures of different religions to try to predict the future. It was sort of a mash-up of astronomy, astrology, and theology. So when they saw this star (or maybe it was an alignment of Jupiter and Saturn), somehow they knew it would guide them to the king of the Jews. And the question is…how did they know that? I want to suggest an answer to that question.
The magi were from the Persian Empire—which is modern-day Iran. If you were a Jewish person, reading this in first century, the Persian Empire would bring back really bad memories. Because before Persia took over, that region used to be ruled by Babylon. And about 600 years earlier, the Babylonians, led by King Nebuchadnezzar had come and attacked Israel. They destroyed Jerusalem; they killed countless people, and then they marched the survivors 900 miles to Babylon. So for a Jewish person, the Persian Empire represented this terrible dark period in their history.
But one of the bright spots in that time period was a young man named Daniel. As we studied this past fall, Daniel was one of the Jewish exiles carried off to Babylon. Now—here’s where it gets interesting. Look at Daniel 2:48… Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. You know who those wise men were, right? They were Magi. So think about this: not only did Daniel join the Magi; he became their leader! Placed in charge of all the wise men!
So here’s this faithful Hebrew man, suddenly influencing all these astrologers. Doesn’t it make sense that Daniel would have taught the other Magi the prophecy of a coming Messiah? I mean, that was the great hope of every Jewish believer. How could he not tell them? So here’s my explanation: I really believe that the prophecy of the coming Messiah was passed down from Daniel to the Magi to the next generation of Magi, and so on. And so when Jesus was born, and this strange object appeared in the sky, their astrological training told them this particular star would guide them to the newborn king.
I realize there’s some speculation in that, but I think it’s highly possible. And it reminds me that even in the darkest times, like the Jewish exile in Babylon, God is at work. God is up to something. He’s preparing the way.
So the Magi saw this star, and they realized it was an invitation. As we talk through their story today, let’s hear the invitation this presents to us.
First, this is an Invitation to Courage. The more I have studied this passage, the more I realize just how courageous the Magi were. The journey to Bethlehem was about 900 miles. And we don’t know if they went on foot or if they rode camels, but either way this was a dangerous trip.
But I’m even more impressed by how they responded to King Herod. Herod the Great was a larger-than-life figure. He was feared, because he was brutal—like most Roman rulers. But he was also
admired, because he was clever, and he had political savvy. He arranged some significant famine relief projects. He was well-known for his building projects…including the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple, which earned him some points with the Jewish population. So he had a very illustrious career. But toward the end of his life, he struggled with some terrible illnesses. And in his illness, he became paranoid. He was known to fly into fits of rage.
So picture this: the Magi show up in Jerusalem, and they come to Herod—who called himself the “King of the Jews”—and they said, “Hey—we heard there’s a new king of the Jews!” And it says Herod was deeply disturbed. So he called together the Jewish priests and scribes, and he asked them when the Messiah was supposed to show up. And they quoted from the Old Testament book of Micah, which says the Messiah will be born in this obscure little town called Bethlehem. So Herod sends the Magi off to Bethlehem to find the Messiah. And then, after they see Jesus, they have this dream that warns them not to go back to Herod. So they have to decide: do they obey Herod, or do they do what it seems like God is telling them to do? And they decide to go with God and defy the order of Herod.
When we have encountered the light of Christ, that light is an invitation to act with courage. To do things we would not do naturally. Things that require us to believe. And sometimes, we have to decide if we’ll obey him over some very powerful person in our lives. Do you have any King Herods in your life? A powerful person that you sort of fear? Sometimes we have to decide between pleasing them and pleasing God. I love that quote: “He who kneels before God can stand before any man.” And that was true of the Magi. After kneeling before Jesus, they had the courage to defy King Herod. Maybe that’s really important for you to hear today.
The light of Christ is an invitation to courage.
Secondly, it’s an invitation to Generosity. There’s been a lot of ink spilled about gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Some people say that the gold symbolized Jesus being a king, and frankincense was an oil used by priests, so it symbolizes the priesthood of Jesus, and myrrh was a burial spice, anticipating his death. Those are all interesting theories. But I believe the main point is this: the Magi were responding to God’s gift of Jesus by giving something valuable.
You’ve heard me say this before: the most profound theological concept, and maybe the most powerful force in the universe is this thing called “grace.” Grace means freely giving something—not because it’s earned or deserved, but simply out of love. And I believe the Magi sensed that the arrival of Jesus was God’s grace to them—they didn’t deserve this, but here he was. And they responded to that grace by giving freely to Jesus. There is nothing more beautiful than generosity fueled by grace. It just lights up the darkness.
In last week’s sermon I mentioned a time when I was trying to renovate my home, and it went horribly wrong. We ran out of money; the building department shut us down; it was just bad. And I mentioned how stressful that was for me, even producing physical symptoms of stress for months. It was truly a dark time. So right in that darkness, there was a Chapel guy who lived near me, and out of the blue he called me and said, “Hey—I noticed you’re doing some work on your house.” And he said, “Whatever your next big thing is, I want to pay for it.” Now, this does not happen to me regularly. That was an unusual offer! I said, “Really? Are you sure?” He said, “Absolutely. “What’s the next thing you’re doing?” And I said, “Well, I have to put in a new automatic garage door. But it’s going to cost like $1,100.” The next day there was an $1,100 check in my mailbox.” And I thought, “Why didn’t I say $5,000?”
And I have to be honest, it was a strange, unsettling feeling! Because I hadn’t done anything really exceptional for this guy or his family. And I felt like I didn’t deserve that generosity. And that was just
the point! It was grace! And it was wonderful. It was fueled by him having received God’s grace—that’s what this guy was all about. And now he was extending grace to me, and those are the kinds of things you don’t forget. And in the years since then, as God has blessed my family in different ways, we’ve had the joy of extending grace to others.
This Christmas, would you ask God to just amaze you with his grace? Just to hit you over the head with it. While you’re singing Christmas carols. When you’re receiving communion at the end of this service—today—allow yourself to be stunned and unsettled by the grace that he gave you when he came to the manger, and the grace that he gave when he went to the cross. And then respond to his grace with generosity. Just like the Magi did. Generosity truly lights up the darkness.
So the visit of the Magi is an invitation to courage; it’s an invitation to generosity. And one more thing: it’s an invitation to Worship. When the Magi first came to Herod, they said: “We have come to worship him.” Because we humans have a natural desire to worship someone or something. Don’t we? We are natural-born worshipers. Unfortunately, many times, we direct that desire to something other than God. Right? We worship a politician or a sports hero or a music star or a boyfriend or girlfriend. We are all natural-born worshipers, and we are searching for someone worth worshiping.
But I think this is particularly significant in the case of the Magi. Because remember: six centuries earlier, armies from the East had traveled 900 miles to attack and conquer. Now, they traveled those same 900 miles…but instead of swords, they brought gifts. And instead of forcing the Jews to bow down before them, they were the ones bowing down before the king of the Jews. Isn’t that awesome?
It’s a breathtaking scene. These were men who held prominent positions in the royal court of Persia! They had every reason to feel superior to Mary and Joseph and the baby; they had every reason to feel disgusted by the surroundings of these simple people. But when they saw Jesus they were so overcome with reverence, they just fell down and worshiped.
Did you ever think about how that experience must have changed those men? T.S. Eliot wrote a poem called Journey of the Magi. I encourage you to read the whole thing—you can find it online. And at the very end of the poem, he has one of the Magi saying this:
“We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods.”
It’s that fascinating thought? What became of the Magi? We know they returned to their country, but then what? Did they feel like they didn’t really fit anymore, because of all these people worshiping strange gods? Did they continue to worship Jesus, even from far away? We don’t know.
But here’s what we do know: wise men, and wise women, still kneel before Jesus. In fact, it’s interesting, because this scene takes place at the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel. If you go all the way to the end of Matthew, Jesus is a full-grown man, and he has lived the most remarkable life that anyone has ever lived. He has gone to the cross to pay for the sins of the world, he’s been buried in a tomb, and three days later he has risen again. And now it’s about forty days later, and at the very end of Matthew we find this: 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him… Just like the Magi had, years earlier…they worshiped. Because they realized they were in the presence of royalty and deity, and nothing else made sense, except to worship.
So how about you? Have you been trying to satisfy your soul by worshiping a lesser god? It won’t work. It won’t last. Whatever that thing is—whatever that substitute god is—maybe this Christmas,
it’s time to let that thing go. Or hold it much more loosely. That great gadget you’re about to get for Christmas—enjoy it! Just remember it will never fill the darkness in your soul…and neither will that car or that house…and neither will that special person. But Jesus will.
He came for you on Christmas. He died for you on the cross to reconcile you with God. And he’s alive right now. And it’s only by his grace that we become truly courageous and truly generous. So bow before him. Put your trust in him. Worship him. Let him flood your darkness with light.
Let’s prepare our hearts for communion.
