+ In the Name of Jesus + Matthew 2:1-12 Christian Worship Gospel Epiphany January 3/6, 2012 A Star that Still Shines. Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. A. What was the Star of Bethlehem. Through the years people have come up with several natural and supernatural explanations for it. A popular idea is that it was the conjunction or coming together of the planets Jupiter, Saturn and Venus. Some think the planets would have appeared to touch and would have looked like a very large, bright star in the sky (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/file:sky_jerusale m_south-7bc-11-12.gif). Others think it was a comet. Still others a supernova that is, an exploding star. Those natural explanations wouldn t explain the way the star appeared to move or stop. One supernatural idea is that it was a special star, created by God for the occasion (See People s Bible: Matthew, p. 25).
Another is that it was something that the Wise Men alone saw an image or vision put in their minds by the Holy Spirit. B. What it was was not nearly as important as what it did. If we put all the speculation aside, we see that it led them to the Christchild. It led them to their Savior. And the star was not the only thing that led the Wise Men to the Savior. They may have read Scriptures that helped them make the connection between a star and the newborn king of the Jews. Today s reading from Isaiah 60 may have been one, Arise, shine, for your light has come. Numbers 24 may have been another, A star will come out of Jacob and a scepter will rise out of Israel (Numbers 24:17). When they visited Herod, Herod s advisers read to them from the prophet Micah: 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 be the shepherd of my people Israel (Matthew 2:6, Micah 5:2). The star led them so far. The Word of God led them the rest of the way. C. The light of the Word of God was something that led the Wise Men, too. That is the light that is still shining. I suppose promises written
in ink on paper have never been as spectacular as a star in the sky but they point in the same direction and words on paper point more clearly and more specifically. Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word about Christ (Romans 10:17). People are led to Christ in many different ways. Some have come to our church because we run a Christian school. Some have come to us because of friends, spouse, or other family connections. Some are here because they have always been here belonging to this church is part of their family heritage. But it is the Word about Christ that gives faith. It is the Word about Christ that enlightens and keeps us with Christ. It was an Old Testament Word about Christ a Word of Gospel that those Wise Men heard before that last leg of their journey. Here is the one who will be the shepherd of my people Israel. Experiences can underline or highlight the truths of the Word. People, connections and events can lead us close. But it is the Word alone that shows us Christ. It is the Word alone that makes and strengthens our faith. D. When the Wise Men came to Jerusalem asking about a newborn king and a star, it
seems that nobody else had seen a star. Herod and his advisers (that s what is meant by all Jerusalem ) hadn t seen it. Instead they were disturbed at the thought of any other king ruling over them. Those advisors of Herod had something the Wise Men may not have had. They had all 39 books of the Old Testament. They had the first promise in Genesis: The seed of the woman will crush the serpent s head (Genesis 3:15). They had the promise from Moses: The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me to him you must listen (Deuteronomy 18:15). They had David s prophecy of the Messiah, forsaken by God, his hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22), who was also the holy One who would not see decay (Psalm 16). They had Isaiah: To us a child is born. To us a son is given wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace. They had Micah, But you Bethlehem, out of you will come he who will be ruler and shepherd of my people Israel (Micah 5). They had Malachi, The sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings (Malachi 4:2). And despite all this, Herod and his advisors didn t see the light there, either.
E. There was an outward recognition of the authority of the Word: This is what the prophet has written but it stopped there. Report back here to me so that I too may go and worship him was just a lie. Herod had no intention of worshiping or giving homage to any other king. With all he had, he still didn t see the light. Instead he loved darkness the darkness of his own ambition and self-worship (See John 3:19-21). It was no fault of the Word of God. The Word of God was clear. A new, holy shepherd of God was about to come. The darkness of the human heart tries to drown out the light of Christ. The world resists the Word on moral issues. The world resists the Word on the teachings of the person of Jesus. The world resists the Word on the teaching that our one way to God and our one way to heaven is Jesus Christ. Perhaps it s all in the thought that we need a Savior. Deep down the world and deep down, we, too, would like to be able to save ourselves. But that is embracing the darkness. Sometimes we, too, think that maybe a compromise in teaching of the Word how we define sin or that exclusive teaching about Jesus as the one way might make us seem more open and inclusive. But saying that what
God s Word says is not what God means is embracing the darkness. Saying Jesus is just one way among many is really embracing the darkness and walking away from the one true Light. F. But enough about Herod and enough about the darkness of human sin. Those Wise Men rejoiced in God s light. They rejoiced when they first saw the star and packed up their camels with their gifts. They rejoiced to hear the Word from Herod s advisors. They rejoiced when they saw the star once again. They bowed down with holy awe when they saw the child Jesus. Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. Their gifts and their worship reflected the light that had shined on them. Not the light of the star, but the light of Christ. Your light has come. Now, you. Arise and shine. That s how God s glory is revealed first through the Word, then as we reflect the glory of his love, then as we lead others to find the light of Christ in the Word. G. What is that light? It is the message of Christ the forgiveness and redemption that are ours because of his life, death and resurrection. It s the message that we are now
called children of God, heirs of the promise of Christ Jesus. It s the message that we are free no longer slaves to our broken human nature, always turning our thoughts inward, always sliding, always falling. No longer slaves to the devil, always hating, always doubting, always running into the darkness. No we have the light. We have our Good Shepherd. We have Jesus, the bright morning star, who still shines in our hearts. Amen. Matthew 2:1-12 (NIV) 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. Pastor Stratman's sermons can be read online at http://www.saintstephen.org/sermon_new.cfm and are also available on his blog where you can subscribe for e-mail updates. Go to: http://pastorstratman.wordpress.com/