"Arise and Walk in the Son-shine"

Isaiah 60:1-7        Matthew 2:1-12

 

Isaiah 60:1-7

0Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. 5Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. 7All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall be acceptable on my altar, and I will glorify my glorious house.

 

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, 2asking, “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.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6‘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.’” 7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then 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.”

9When 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. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On 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. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

 

I ran an ad one time    to hire someone for our business,

            and among the applicants, there was a young woman

                        who worked as a shampoo-girl at a local beauty salon,

                              but I didn't see her as being a very likely prospect.

 

            She had dropped high school without having graduated,

                        and was too young to be out on her own …

                                    … but I interviewed her anyway, and I told herà

                                                that I'd let her know when I made my decision.

 

The next day she called back to ask if I had decided yet,

            and she said that she really wanted to work for us …

                                    … but I put her off

                                                because I still had some other interviews.

 

She called back the next day, and the day after, each time asking

            if I had decided, and then,  when would I make my decision?,

                        reiterating    that she really wanted the job.

            She also called back the next day still wanting to know when,

                        and this time asking if she could meet with me again.

 

o I told her to come on by, we talked and I hired her on the spot -

            --  because anyone that persistent and tenacious

                            about a part-time, minimum-wage salesclerk job

                                    would surely make a good and loyal employee…

                                                                                                … and she did.

 

She was great;  a hard worker, and the customers loved her.

   We paid for tuition for night school, helping her earn her GRE.

Over the next years we paid for other education opportunities,

   and she always put that learning & new knowledge to work for us.

 

            Each step along the way as she was promoted

                        and trusted with increasing responsibility

                                    she always     more than  exceeded expectations…

 

            … and I suspect that

                        had she not married and left to raise a family,

                                    she would have ended up running the whole business.

She really was that good, & blossomed with each new opportunity.

 

She was   hands down the best hire of my business career,

            and I am pleased that I could help her grow and develop à

                        à way past     externals and expectations.

Externals and expectations.  <>

 

            In the passage of Matthew that we read earlier,

                        notwithstanding the familiar carol,

                                    We Three Kings of Orient Are; they were not kings.

 

In the Greek, the word translated, 'wise men'

            is 'magi', the root word of magic and magician;

                        meaning that they were Babylonian astrologers.

                In the ancient world, astrologers or magi

                  studied and looked for signs and meaning among the stars;

 

                an ancient pagan practice that was rejected and condemned

                        everywhere in both the Old and the New Testaments,

                                                except for this one passage in Matthew.

 

According to Jewish tradition,  we would never

            expect these magi to play a leading role in God's plan…

… yet according to Matthew, news of the birth of Jesus Christ, 

            was displayed and revealed in nature, in a particular wayà                                   that these astrologers could recognize and understand…

…God chose to reveal the news to them in the language of the stars           

 

Even though astrology & divination are condemned in Scripture,

            yet God used astrology to invite these magi

                        to come and recognize Christ, the Messiah ---

                                    --- God graciously reached out to where they were.

 

            This clearly communicates that God's gracious love

                        extends well beyond our assumptions and expectations.

 

 

So responding to the signs God had given

            the magi journey from home seeking to see this new born king.

 

They begin their search in the capital, in Jerusalem,

            by asking King Herod about the sign they had seen,

                        assuming he would know about the birth of a king.

 

Through Scripture,  these unlikely pagan travelers learn that

            the actual birth place is nine miles away in Bethlehem.

vs. 10-11

            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.

 

Part of Matthew 's message is that Jesus the Messiah,

            in fulfilling the Old Testament promises and prophecies,

                        will include and extend God's gracious saving purpose

                                    to all nations, including gentiles and pagans.

 

This message that God's grace is available to all is exemplified             and is demonstrated by these unlikely pagan astrologers

               modeling the appropriate human response to God's grace;

                        for responding to the gift and coming of Jesus Christ à

                                       ¹they are overjoyed,   ²they worship the Lord,

                                                and  ³they bow before Him offering their gifts.

 

This story of the magi, found only in Matthew

            serves the theological purpose of teaching about Jesus.

First, using references drawn from the Old Testament,

            the story of the magi demonstrates that Jesus

                        fulfills the Old Testament promises and prophecies.

 

Second,

       this passage demonstrates that through the coming of Christ,

          God's grace, love & purpose extend out to the most unlikely,

                 including even pagan astrologers of Babylon.

            We see that they too are invited and welcome,

                 and we see that they can  appropriately   respond to God.

 

Third, as we read in verse 12,           

            "having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road."          

 

Literally, they recognize and obey God's voice and command.

            The phrase, they left for their own country by another road,

                        also suggests that through their encounter with God,

                                    the magi astrologers may have been transformed.

 

            Meaning that

                        they will return home different than the way they came,

                                    and now in life

                                                they will journey along a another way,

                                                            their lives will follow a different path.

 

Today in particular, the day after

            all the Christmas excitement, delight and wonder,

                        as we begin thinking about taking down our decorations,

                                    and getting on with our ordinary lives …

 

            … we might also ask,

                        how has the coming of Jesus Christ changed anything?

 

The passage we read from Isaiah comes as a command & explanation,

            that since Jesus, the Light of the world has come,    vs. 1-2

    Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.  For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples;  but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.

 

Though darkness still covers this broken and hurting world,

            yet the true Light has come;

                        and through Christ we have the power to show grace;

                                    we can reflect that Light into dark places,

                                                we can bring Christ-like love and compassion.

 

Surely we all know too well what it feels like

            to be an outsider, uncomfortable, unworthy or insecure,

                       and to feel ourselves judgedà

                               an unlikely prospect   by externals & expectations.

 

We have all  also experienced 

            the amazing impact of gracious hospitality and welcome,

                        how encouragement from others

                                    has helped us grow and develop,

                  and how kindness and trust can help bring out our best.

The truth is, Christian evangelism and faithful hospitality

            are simply doing toward others

                        the invitation of grace,    and the same blessingsà

                                    that we ourselves are pleased to receive…

 

… which Bruce Larson describes in this little parable:

            You ever feel like a frog?   Frogs feel slow, low, ugly, puffy, drooped, pooped. I know. One told me.  The frog feeling comes when you want to be bright but feel dumb, when you want to share but are selfish, when you want to be thankful but feel resentment, when you want to be great but are small, when you want to care but are indifferent.

            Yes, at one time or another each of us has found himself on a lily pad, floating down the great river of life. Frightened and disgusted, we’re too froggish to budge.

            Once upon a time there was a frog, only he wasn’t really a frog, he was a prince who looked and felt like a frog.  The wicked witch had cast a spell on him and only the kiss of a beautiful maiden could save him.    But since when do cute chicks kiss frogs?

            So there he sat, an unkissed prince in frog form. One day a beautiful maiden gathered him up and gave him a big smack!  Zap! There he was, a frog turned handsome prince and they lived happily after.

            So what’s the task of the Christian?    Kissing frogs, of course!                                                                                                                 [Larson, Bruce. Ask Me to Dance.]

vs. 1                 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.