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Readings
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, 2 asking, ‘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.’ 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They 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.”’
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then 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.’ 9 When 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. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Sermon
I wonder what memorable journeys you have taken in your life? Some journeys are memorable because they take us to exotic places – I will never forget my journeys to Ghana, India or Nepal. Some are memorable because of their beauty – for me a coach trip through the Alps and a hair-raising trip over the Bealach Na Ba to Applecross on the West Coast of Scotland. Some journeys are memorable for different reasons. One that I will never forget was the quarter of a mile walk I took on a sunshiny September day 21 years ago. I walked to Warwick hospital for a check-up, fully expecting to be sent home. I left four days later with a baby. Then there was the journey I took in an ambulance ten months later to that aforementioned hospital when that aforementioned baby had a febrile convulsion in a shop in Solihull. Not a journey to be easily forgotten!
But we don’t just take physical journeys – we also take journeys of the heart, mind, spirit and soul. Journeys of learning and we gain experience and are better able to be who we are meant to be. Journeys of healing from hurts or traumas, journeys of forgiveness – these are some of the hardest journeys, but the most freeing. We sometimes journey through illness, bereavement and all of us will someday journey through the valley of death. Thankfully, we never make such journeys alone.
Our God is a God of journeys. God calls Abraham on a journey to Canaan, then takes his family on a journey into Egypt. Four centuries later, this family – now a nation – journeys with God out of their slavery towards a land of promise, but they have things to learn on this journey and so don’t take the direct route. Later, against their will, the people of Israel and Judah journey into exile, but a few generations later they begin their journey home.
Jesus is always journeying. If you read the Gospel of Mark, he barely seems to sit still – he is forever on his way to somewhere else. His first instruction to his disciples is to follow him, his last is to go to the ends of the earth sharing his good news and baptising people to signal the start of their journeys. His dear friend Peter he tells will be taken on a journey he doesn’t wish to make. His apostle, Paul, after whom our church is named, is probably the most famous journeyer ever as his zeal for telling people about Jesus took him to and fro across the Roman Empire.
And today, we have a very famous journey as some Magi, some rather dodgy and exotic astronomers from eastern lands are so captivated by a new star, they are compelled to explore. It is a classic spiritual story – they see something they don’t quite understand and know means something, they have to find out more, they are not quite sure where they are going, they take a few wrong turnings, land themselves in trouble, are lucky to escape it, but finally find what they were looking for in Jesus. They return home by a different way, not just geographically, but in all senses – different people for what they have seen and done.
In life, change is one of the few certainties. We are all journeying whether we like it or not. What we can choose is the direction our journey takes. If we weren’t celebrating Epiphany today, we would be celebrating the baptism of Christ, and that reminds me of the baptism liturgy. When I invite the baptism candidate – or more commonly their parents and godparents – to make the baptism promises, they are simply, at the start of a journey of faith, choosing the direction that journey will take. They turn away from sin and evil. They turn towards Jesus, their Saviour and Lord. To turn, the Greek work metanoia, is the word that our Bibles translate as repent. Both John and Jesus would cry repent for the Kingdom of God is near. Repent, turn around, choose the direction your journeying will take.
All our journeying, whether external or internal, can draw us either towards or away from God. We need to choose which it will be, and then ask God for a star to guide us. Our stars are the things we keep in sight, check on regularly, to ensure we are on course. It might be a habit of prayer, or bible reading, committing to regular worship, attending a small group. It might be fellowship we share with other wise and faithful people. It might be times of quiet or times spent in nature. It might be listening to music that inspires, comforts or encourages us. These things, though good, are not the point of the exercise – they are the things that keep our journeys on course as we journey towards Jesus.
So as we come to the start of a new year – as our planet begins its travel once more around the sun – what are your stars? What keeps you on track as you seek to follow Jesus, and you journey into God’s love?
Because the journeys we make are not for ourselves alone. By God’s grace and goodness, as we follow Jesus, as we grow in his likeness and share his love, we reflect God’s light, drawing others to know God’s love.
This year is our 200th birthday – I promise you will be sick of me saying this by December. But amongst all the events and plans – truly wonderful as they are, and I am really looking forward to them – may the light of Christ that dwells in us draw others to journey towards him. And may we – whether we are the vicar or the youngest child in Sunday Squad – be ready to encourage and accompany them on their journey too. Amen.
Sermons at St Paul's 