A risk worth taking - Epiphany 2017

from Helen

This morning we are celebrating the epiphany. (Matthew 2:1-12). The time when the wise men followed a star and found Jesus. To be honest I have always found the Kings a bit odd. Now this doesn’t sound very kind but they were always played by boys in school nativities, the costumes were always too glitzy really, I only had non-glitzy angel wings and a white robe. I always think of the three wise men/ three kings as a bit mysterious. They came from afar – and that afar was even further than John O’Groats. 

The kings were a mystery. To be honest they still are a bit of a mystery. We aren’t told anywhere that there were three of them but tradition has put them as three because of their gifts. Talking of their gifts, I read recently of a child who thought the gifts were gold, myrrh and Frankenstein, another child who said that the wise men brought gifts of gold, frankincense and humour and another who didn’t understand why the wise men didn’t bring toys for a baby ?

The wise men were star gazers and the word used for them in greek could also have meant charlatans. See the crowns don’t hide everything! They were nosy. They saw a star that disappeared but they were so curious and nosy that they followed anyway believing that this might well be worth it. Something was going on.

Then though, they went to the King assuming that a new born King would be in the palace. To be honest this might seem quite a reasonable idea. The problem was that the king in question was Herod who was always a little unsure of himself as his claim to the throne was a bit questionable. Ros Brown a theologian described it as being a bit like going to passport control in a dictatorship and asking to be taken to the leader of an underground movement likely to overthrow the government ! Not very wise at all. 

As I was thinking about the three wise men I did get to thinking about what challenges they bring to us. 

They went out on an adventure, not really sure where they were going following a star they couldn’t see. They followed the direction they thought was the best and then they ended up being helped by the star reappearing in Bethlehem. They met a dubious King on the way, had a strange dream and then on arriving at a stable they saw a baby whom they could not help but fall down and worship.

The kings took risks hoping that they were doing the right thing and in the end they saw Jesus. The moment the kings saw Jesus was the moment that it became clear that Jesus wasn’t just for one nation but for all nations. God loves us all no matter where we are or where we have come from. I have a picture at home from an episcopal Church in America which says that God loves everyone – no exceptions. 

The stories of Jesus’ birth remind us of this. The shepherds were very low down on the social ladder and the wise men weren’t even Jews who were seen as the chosen people. Right at the birth of Jesus it was clear that God’s great plan of salvation was for everyone because God loves everyone no exceptions.

We as His followers need to do the same, we won’t always get it right but we are to keep trying. This is one of the first things for us to think about. God came for everyone, do we reach out to everyone showing them the love of God ?

The wise men didn’t have a sat nav, they were guessing and I think that they probably worked by supporting each other. In our Christian life we can often wish that God would send us a map and an idea of what is going to happen next. We don’thave this because we worship Jesus, and He is all that we need. We also have each other. This is the second thing I I want us to think about. That is supporting each other in our faith, praying for each other, being there for each other, helping each other when things are tough. 

The wise men were muddled up after seeing a star and they were spurred into action. Its like that in our lives of faith. We can keep doing the same thing in our prayer life and as we read the Bible but we need to be ready to let God shake us up and do things differently.  As we seek to be more like God, so we will change. This is the third thing I want to think about. Are we prepared to let God change us as we seek to be more like Him ?

Epiphany is a time to remember that God is for everyone and not just the people who are like us. We are to reach out to everyone with the love of God, so that we show that God loves everyone no exceptions. God brought salvation for everyone not just a chosen few. In our epistle reading we heard of Paul seeing this as a great mystery that had been revealed to him. Salvation is for everyone. 

God brought light to the world and this is what we are to do as His followers. Even when it seems like we are so different to everyone else around us. This is part of the risk we take to be different as we ask God to change us as we grow into His likeness.

20 years ago the Church in Wales took a risk as the first women were ordained priests. Later this month the Church in Wales will take another risk as the first female Bishop is consecrated in St.David’s. God calls us to take risks. Over 2017 years ago God took a huge risk as He became one of us not knowing if we would accept Him, if we would love Him.

God took a risk for us and all He asks of us is that we are brave like so many before us, including the wise men who followed a star as far as they could and then took a hunch on the rest of the way, as we step out in faith. Hoping that we will seek to be ever more like God. May we be ready to follow with all of ourselves and to trust that God is with us always. AMEN