“Following His Star”

Matthew 2: 1 - 12

We are in the season of Epiphany according to the Church calendar.    The Word Epiphany means: “to show”; “to make known”; or “to reveal”.  We celebrate Epiphany to draw our attention to the manifestations or appearances of the Lord in the midst of humanity.  Epiphany is often linked to the Magi’s’ visit to find the Christ-child although there are many other epiphanies in the Bible.

The Magi we read about in our text are often were referred to as “ wise meni” because they were a very learned group.  At other times these individuals are referred to as Kings because only a person of royal blood would have the audacity to go directly to another king such as King Herod to ask for directions and secondly only the very wealthy could afford to bring the very expensive gifts that they brought to Jesus. 

The Magi made a long journey to see what God was doing in their world.  The Magi were not Jewish people who knew all about the prophecies in the Old Testament foretelling the coming Messiah.  The Magi were Gentiles who studied the stars. While studying the stars the Magi saw this new star that was totally different and after further investigation the Magi came to the conclusion that a great Jewish king was to be born.  The Magi followed that star to see the gift that God had prepared for the world.

Have you ever wondered how the Magi associated a new star with the birth of the King of the Jews?  Notice they did not say, “We saw a star.”  They said, “We have seen His star in the east.”  We do not know for sure but maybe an angel visited the Magi or maybe they learned from the prophecy of Balaam recorded in Numbers 24:17.  "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.  He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of^] all the sons of Sheth,”

What we do know is that God does reveal Himself to people.  That is what Epiphany means and God does reveal Himself in many different ways.  We, like the Magi must be wise and discerning and when we see the light of God’s revelation we, like the Magi, must be courageous enough to step out in faith and act on what God has revealed to us.  We must set out on our spiritual journey.       

Ours is not a physical journey, but a spiritual journey.  It is a spiritual journey of studying and seeking.  A journey of following the Lord’s leading, a journey of asking and questioning, and a journey of listening and responding.

As with any journey, a spiritual journey begins with the first step.  As with any journey, there are difficult times on a spiritual journey when it will be easy to quit.  But if we quit we will never realize our goal.  In our case, our goal is finding the gifts that God has prepared for us.  As Christians our goal is to become like Jesus. To complete any journey requires commitment.

We know the Magi had a long journey to Bethlehem on camels, maybe as long as a year.   Remember in verse 7, Herod secretly called the  Magi to find out exactly when the star appeared.    Then in verse 16, Herod had all of the male children who were two and under killed.    The journey of the Magi was a great sacrifice. It was a long journey and it was a journey of faith. 

We like the magi should want to find out more about Jesus, the King of the Jews.   The question is: Are we willing to take time out of our busy schedules each day to seek Jesus?  Are we willing to sacrifice what we have to come to Jesus?  Are we willing to stay the journey when the going gets rough; .even when we seem to come to a dead end in our search for Jesus in the day to day events of our life?   The story of the Magi challenges us to persevere so that we too will experience the same joy that they did when they came face to face with the Lord – the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

What else can we learn from the story of the Magi?       Our text shows us three groups of people and three different reactions to the Christ-child.

First: King Herod.  In verse 3 we read that King Herod “was disturbed and all of Jerusalem with him.”  Herod did not like any threat to him being king.  Herod thought that he was “Number One” and Herod wanted to keep it that way.  There is a little Herod in all of us. 

Herod also pretended to be very religious.  Notice in verse 8, “Go and search for the child so that I may come and worship Him.”   Herod talked the talk but Herod did not walk the walk.   Herod was not willing to put forth any effort. Herod was an opportunist.  Herod had an ulterior motive.  What about our motive for coming here today?  Did we come here today seeking Jesus?  Is our primary goal to worship the King of the universe?

In verse 3 we also read that all of Jerusalem was disturbed with Herod.    The Jews hated the Roman occupation and they really wanted a change but the Jews had become so comfortable in their lives that they feared a change of someone new reigning over them.  You know, we are not much different.  We do not like change; we do not want to lose control of ourselves even if our present circumstances are unpleasant.  When we acknowledge Jesus as our king that means Jesus is in charge of our lives.  Are you disturbed by this?  If so do you really think you can do a better job of running your life than God can?  Do you think you can devise a better value system than Jesus did?  Can you use some help in making decisions? Here is something else for us to think about.  I suspect the people in Jerusalem may have been asking, “How will a new king affect my finances?”  After all the polls tell us that in recent elections most Americans vote their pocketbook rather than their convictions.

Next, there is the reaction of the Chief Priest and teachers of the Law.  These were the religious people.  We see their choice in verses 4-6 was a choice of indifference.  The Chief Priest and teachers of the Law knew the scriptures, they had all the answers.  Even though the Jews had been looking for and longing for their Messiah for hundreds of years, they had no desire to see Him nor did they make any effort to find Him.  You would have thought they would have been excited.  You would have thought they would have gone with the Magi.  The religious leaders were strangely indifferent to getting to know their Messiah.

What about us today?  Are we so wrapped up in a religious ritual that we don’t seek a personal relationship with Jesus?  Are we so busy with Church work that we don’t take the time to develop a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior?

You see it is not enough to know about Jesus.   Being a Christian is more than a name. Being a Christian means having a personal relationship with Jesus.      Being a Christian is more than going to Church once a week. Being a Christian is a way of life.    Religious practice without a heart for God is totally useless!       Does our Christianity affect our daily lives?  Does it affect the way we think, the way we talk, and the way we act?        

The Magi were looking for something more than they had previously experienced in life.  God had blessed them with a star, a divine light, which led them to the Christ.   God had given them a light which illuminated their way, and a divine light which put them in the presence of the Almighty.  Notice when they found the new born king they were filled with joy and in verses 10 and 11 we read that the Magi “bowed down and worshipped Him.”  “Then they opened their treasure and presented Him with gifts of gold, of incense, and myrrh.”  The Magi were overjoyed when they came face to face with The Almighty and they worshipped Him.

The Magi followed His Star from the east.  But apparently His Star disappeared when they arrived in Jerusalem.  So the Magi asked King Herod for directions and in turn King Herod asked the Chief Priest and the Scribes.  From the scriptures the Chief Priest and the Scribes knew their Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem.  Now look at verses 9 & 10.  When the Magi started out for Bethlehem His Star appeared again and led the Magi to Jesus.  Think about the meaning on this.  As we are on our spiritual journey and the path is unclear, as we loose our way, and when we are at an apparent dead end, we need to go back to the scriptures and study His word. We must have the scriptures to guide us.  And when we do God will show us the way!

I also want us to look at the application in verse 12.  “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”  After the Magi had found the Christ, they were told to follow a different route back home.  When we come face to face with the Lord we are different and we are not to go back to our old ways.  In II Corinthians 5:17 we read, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  We are a new creation, the old has passed away.  Our lives are different - the way we think, the way we talk, and the way we act.  We are to follow the Master’s leading.

This morning we need to ask ourselves some tough questions,

·  “What is our reaction to God’s gift of a Savior to us?

·  “What is our reaction to God with us? 

·  What is our reaction to Jesus being our king?

·  Are we overjoyed when we come face to face with King Jesus? 

·  And most importantly, are we willing to bow down and worship The Christ ? 

·  Are we willing to present Him with our treasures? OR Do we just go through the motions on Sunday morning and bring Him a token of our possessions? 

·  “Will we go home a different way after being in the presence of The Almighty or will it be business as usual”?

Our calling as Christians is to be a disciple of Jesus, to be an apprentice to Christ; to follow His words, His actions, and His leading.      

Our life on this earth is to be a quest for the Almighty to show us what He is doing in our world; a quest of discovering God’s abiding presence with us.  That is epiphany. 

Finding out about what God is doing in our world, seeing Him at work around us, and staying in the presence of The Almighty takes the curiosity, commitment, and sacrifice that we see in the Magi.   AMEN   

Distribution of Epiphany Stars

Our calling as a Christian is to be a disciple of Jesus, to be an apprentice to Christ; to follow His words, His actions, and His leading.     Our life on this earth is to be a quest for the Almighty to show us what He is doing in our world; a quest of discovering God’s abiding presence with us.  That is epiphany.  One way to help us on our spiritual journey is to use Epiphany Stars.

In a minute the ushers will pass a basket around with Epiphany Stars in them. The purpose of these Epiphany Stars is personal spiritual growth.  I challenge you to take one star and to go on a spiritual journey in 2006.   Each of the Epiphany Stars has a different word on it …Words like patience, grace, hope, love, commitment, joy, etc.  You do not get to choose the word you want.   The stars are face down.  Trust the Holy Spirit to guide your hand so that you will pick the star that He wants you to grow in this coming year.

During the coming year I challenge each of us to earnestly seek God’s will in seeing how He wants you to grow in the area written on your star.    This means posting your Epiphany Star where you see it everyday.    I will place mine on the refrigerator.    It means praying over this word each day.  It means looking up the word in a Bible dictionary.  It means doing a word study of it in your Bible.    Yes, it means offering your life up to the work of the Holy Spirit so that He can teach you new meanings and new applications of that word in your live.    The purpose of these Epiphany Stars is personal spiritual growth.    Remember the Magi did not know where His star would lead them.    And neither do we.   They just kept following His star.    Will you be as diligent in following your Epiphany Star as the Magi were?

The Magi made a sacrifice and faced hardship and danger on their quest to see Jesus face to face.    Will you be willing to make a sacrifice during 2006 following your Epiphany Star?  The  Magi didn’t stop when they came to an apparent dead end and hopefully none of us will give up on our journey.    If we persevere we will become closer to Jesus.  Then this spiritual journey will have certainly been worth all the effort. 

Remember, no peeking.   The stars are face down so please do not dig in the basket until you get a star that you like.    Trust the Holy Spirit to give you the star that He wants you to grow in.    Please take only one star at this time and please keep your star face down until we all have received our stars, then we will all turn them over at the same time.    We purposefully made some extra stars,   so, after the service if you want to pick up an additional star for a friend or someone in your family who is not here today please feel free to come up front and get a star for them. 

Will the ushers come forward and pass out the Epiphany Stars.  When you get your star please write your name on the back and 2006.

[After everyone has drawn their star ask them to turn the stars over and look at them].   

Now let us pray.

Father we want to become more like you.    We pray that as we seek you and follow our Epiphany Star you will lead us, you will teach us, and you will mold our lives.    Lord we want to be like Jesus.    We make our prayer in Jesus’ name. AMEN