For a group of travelers who we really don’t know much about, we sure have imagined quite a bit about the magi who came from far away, led by a star, searching for Jesus.
We imagine they were kings, though the scripture doesn’t say that.
Or sometimes, we imagine that they were “wise men,” and even though the Biblical Greek is often translated that way into English, it actually can refer to both men and women. There may have been some wise women in that group of wise men.
We imagine that there were three of them. However, the scripture never specifies a number; only that they brought three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
We do know that - according to Matthew - they came following a star. That star led them first to Jerusalem, where their inquiries captured the attention of King Herod. They said they came searching for the King of the Jews - which is a title Herod claimed for himself. He was the King of the Jews, so if these magi are searching for some other King of the Jews, Herod wanted to know about this rival king.
And in some ways, Jesus was a rival king. Much of what Jesus would stand for, much of what he would teach, would be in direct contrast to what Herod stood for, and what the Roman Empire stood for.
In fact, Jesus not only took Herod’s title - King of the Jews - and used it for himself; Jesus also took, or was given, titles used by Caesar. Titles such as savior; king of kings; lord of lords; the one who brings peace to the world. All these were titles used by Caesar, but which were ascribed to Jesus to show the contrast between the kingdom of God, and the kingdoms of this world.
2 Led By a Star
So Herod summoned the magi to him. He told them that the one they seek was in Bethlehem, and that they should go there and find him; and once they find him, they are to return to Herod and tell him exactly where it was that they found him, so that Herod could also go and honor this new king.
At least, that’s what Herod said.
The magi left Jerusalem, and headed toward Bethlehem. The star they had been following guided them to the place where Jesus was born, and they went and presented their gifts to him. But they did not go back to Herod. Imagine Herod’s anger when he found out the magi had ditched him!
In our telling of the Christmas story, we mash together images that actually come from two different stories - the one told by Matthew, and the one told by Luke. And we also mash together the timing. In our nativity scenes, for example, the shepherds are usually seen entering from one side, and the magi from the other, as if they all arrived on the same day.
Actually, the shepherds arrived the day of Jesus’ birth, but the magi arrived much later. Weeks, months, perhaps even a year or more later. After all, they had journeyed quite a long distance, from a far away land. It would have taken them some time to travel all that way.
And they were led by a star the whole way. They were scholars who studied the movements of the stars, and they knew that this particular star would lead them to Jesus. The star guided them that great distance, first to Jerusalem, and then to Bethlehem.
And even though that may not make much sense astronomically, astronomy wasn’t even a science at the time. It’s a part of Matthew’s story-world, and the symbolism is what’s important.
3 The Paths We Follow
So they studied the stars, they were guided by a particular star, and this star led them to Jesus.
And as I think about this, I can’t help but wonder what is it that guides me?
Especially as we begin another year.
What is it that guides you?
Looking back, what has guided you in the year that has past? What principle have you followed, what goal have you set, that has given shape to your decisions and actions?
Maybe you never gave it any thought.
Take a moment, and think back to the year that has passed. What has been your guiding light? What star have you been following? What idea or principle or goal has influenced your decision-making and your day-to-day activities?
Some people are guided by whatever the latest trend is, whatever is trending on social media. The problem is, every day there is something different trending. You could be going one way today, and a different way tomorrow, chasing the latest trends. It doesn’t matter if those are trends in fashion or makeup or whatever… chasing after them will only have you running in circles.
Some people are guided by their goals at work. This may or may not be a good goal to guide one’s life - it depends on what it is, I suppose. A little discernment is needed.
Some people are guided in life by TV schedules. They schedule their life around their favorite shows. Which seems kind of silly, in this day of on-demand streaming.
Some people are guided by the latest news headlines. Their whole life is a reaction to whatever is going on, and their mood can be swayed by a good headline or a bad headline. Now, it’s good to pay attention to what’s happening, and to work to create a better world, but we need to be grounded in something a little deeper than that when it comes to what guides us.
Some people are guided by a sense of hopelessness. The one phrase that guides their lives is “Why bother?” By contrast, some are guided by a sense of perfectionism, and are always trying harder, never resting, because nothing is ever good enough.
Some people are guided by a need to exalt themselves over others, or at the very least, by a need to hide their own imperfections.
Some people are guided by their addictions. There’s the obvious ones: drugs, alcohol, tobacco. Only slightly less obvious are addictions to sex or pornography. But we also are addicted to our habits, the patterns of living we’ve developed. Too often we become like the ponies in Griffith Park that my sister and I rode when we were little children… they follow the same path over and over. They don’t need to be guided or directed. It doesn’t even occur to those ponies that they could take a different path. Round and round they go, on the same circular path over and over and over…
A New Path
It’s easy to follow the same path we always follow, because we don’t have to think about it. Do you know I get more anxious about a worship service like the one we had last week, even though I didn’t even have to preach, than I do for a service like today? Because last week, we did something different. Last week, we stepped off the familiar path. In some ways, it feels awfully good to be back in here, doing worship the “normal way.”
And yet, that’s exactly why we shake things up every fifth Sunday - to remind ourselves that it is possible to follow a new path. Because who knows? Maybe God is calling us to a new path… but if, like those ponies, we’re so used to following the same path over and over, it might not even occur to us to consider that God is calling us to something new.
The star the magi followed - it followed a different path in the sky than all the other stars.
Now, don’t go trying to explain it scientifically by saying it was a planet or a comet. Matthew knew nothing about the science of planets or comets. To Matthew, it was just a star that followed a different path… and because the magi studied such things, and had their minds open to the possibilities, they noticed the star, and they followed it.
By the way, you know what you have to do to follow a star, right? You have to look up. You have to lift up your head, lift up your eyes, and look up.
When you walk, you need to keep your eyes on the ground in front of you; but you can’t spend your whole life looking down. Every once in awhile, you need to lift your head, and look up... if you want to see the stars.
And maybe, if we look for the star that shines in our lives, we can find something to guide us.
A Star to Guide You
Now, I know that fog and light pollution from the city lights make it hard to see the stars in the sky from here in Long Beach. Fortunately, I brought my own stars with me today, and each of you gets one to take home…
Don’t try to pick out a particular one… they are all the same, except that each one has a word that I’ve written on it. And if you haven’t yet found an idea or principle to guide you in this new year, perhaps this word can be it.
In coming up with these words, I started with the fruits of the spirit from Galatians, then let that inspire me to think of other words… a few are words that have guided me at different parts over the past year…
One word that is NOT on any star is the word LOVE.
It occured to me that love is an all-encompassing word, that each of the words written on these stars could be considered a form or expression of love. Everything we do must be done in love, so whatever the word is on your star, be sure to practice that word in love.
As Jesus said when asked what the greatest commandment is, love forms the two hinges on which all the other words, all the other teachings, hang.
So take a star, and let the word that appears on the star guide you in the year to come. How, exactly, you do that, is up to you.
If you want to keep your word a secret, and see if others can notice the change in you as you try to let that word guide and shape you, good.
If you want to share your word and maybe have someone help keep you accountable to that, that’s also good.
If you have small children, and you want to pick out a star that can help guide your whole family, do that.
Whatever you think will work for you.
The stars are given out randomly. All the words are good, and I think all can be helpful to you. That being said, there is nothing magic about them. While it certainly is possible that God could work to somehow give you a particular star with a particular word on it that God wants you to have, the word you end up with is probably the result of chance. But still, it can be a helpful guide to you, if you ponder it, and meditate on it, and pray about it in the coming year.
And as you do so, you might want to ask yourself some questions. Like…
Do I need more of this in my life?
How can I remember to live out this word in love?
Is this something I need to work on, or is it something I am already blessed with but have taken for granted? Is this star a challenge, or an affirmation?
Take your star home. Place it where you will see it every day. I don’t know how much help it will be to you, but who knows? Maybe it will guide you to something as profound and wonderful as the star that guided those magi all those years ago.
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