"God's Created Star Leads Us to the Incarnate Star"
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. [Amen.]
"The eastern sages saw from far
And followed on His guiding star;
And, led by light, to light they trod
And by their gifts confessed their God."
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
399:2)
Gospel Reading.............................. St. Matthew 2:1-12 (esp. 1-2,
9-11)
1Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the
king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2saying, "Where is
he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and
have come to worship him." 9After listening to the king, they went on their
way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them
until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10When they saw
the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11And going into the
house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and
worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold
and frankincense and myrrh.
Prologue: The Holy Spirit-inspired account of God's creation activity tells
us, "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. And God saw
that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was
evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, 'Let there be
lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night.
And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let
them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.'
And it was so. And God made the two great lights-the greater light to rule
the day and the lesser light to rule the night-and the stars. And God set
them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over
the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness.
And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning,
the fourth day." (Gen 1:3-5, 14-19 ESV)
We heard Isaiah's prophecy about the future glory of Israel in
today's Old Testament Reading, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and
the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover
the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising." (Isa 60:1-3 ESV)
The apostle Paul declared to the non-Jewish Ephesian Christians in
today's Epistle Reading, ". the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the
same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace,
which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very
least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is
the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so
that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known
to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places." (Eph 3:6-10 ESV)
We prayed in today's Collect, "O God, by the leading of a star You
made known Your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles. Lead us, who know You by
faith, to enjoy in heaven the fullness of Your divine presence . ."
The word "light" ("phos" in the Greek language from which we get
our English word "phosphorous") carries a significant theme in the New
Testament Gospel narratives as well as in Christ's own instructive preaching
itself. Take, for instance, when Saint Matthew quoted from Isaiah's
prophecy about Jesus that "the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great
light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a
light has dawned." (Matt 4:16 ESV) When Jesus revealed His divine glory to
Peter, James, and John, Saint Matthew recorded that "he was transfigured
before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white
as light." (Matt 17:2 ESV) After seeing and holding the infant Jesus, Saint
Luke reported that the aged priest Simeon declared in words that we often
sing after partaking of our Savior's body and blood in Holy Communion,
"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your
word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the
presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for
glory to your people Israel." (Luke 2:29-32 ESV) Saint John's account of
Immanuel's birth tells us that "In Him was life, and the life was the Light
of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not
comprehend it. There was the true Light which, coming into the world,
enlightens every man." (John 1:4-5, 9 NASU) Finally, Jesus Himself declared
about Himself in one of His many "I Am" statements also recorded by Saint
John, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the
darkness, but will have the Light of life. While I am in the world, I am
the Light of the world. I have come as Light into the world, so that
everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness." (John 8:12, 9:5,
12:46 NASU)
Piecing all of that divine jigsaw puzzle together, we see that
Saint Matthew reveals in today's Gospel Reading that .
"God's Created Star Leads Us to the Incarnate Star."
That is, perhaps one of the very stars that Jesus Himself participated in
creating led the Magi to the Son of God and Son of Man, who Himself had
created it.
However, it's especially important for us to realize that "The
feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord commemorates no event but presents an idea
that assumes concrete form only through the facts of our Lord's life. The
idea of Epiphany is that the Christ who was born in Bethlehem is recognized
by the world as God. At Christmas, God appears as man, and at Epiphany,
this man appears before the world as God. That Christ became man needed no
proof. But that this man, this helpless child, is God needed proof. The
manifestations of the Trinity, the signs and wonders performed by this man,
and all His miracles have the purpose of proving to men that Jesus is God.
Lately, especially in the Western Church, the story of the Magi has been
associated with this feast day. As Gentiles who were brought to faith in
Jesus Christ, the Magi represented all believers from the Gentile world."
(Treasury of Daily Prayer. General Editor Scot A. Kinnaman. Copyright ©
2008 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page 1094.)
Well, all of that's fine and good . at least until we throw into
the mix the fact that .
I. God's Messiah Spells Trouble for Unbelievers. (3-6)
3When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with
him; 4and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he
inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5They told him, "In
Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6"'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.'"
Okay, here's the problem that existed when God's Messiah came onto
the scene. The unbelieving leader, Herod, possessed a personality of
extreme jealousy that resulted in internal insecurity and turmoil. Why?
Well, "His deep uneasiness arose from his awareness of the political
turbulence that news of the Messiah's coming would stir up among his Jewish
subjects. Significantly, Herod himself, in Matthew's narrative, identified
the "king" in the Magi's statement with the Messiah of current Jewish
speculations. He was acquainted with these, for they potentially threatened
his throne." (Donald Guthrie in Jesus the Messiah: An Illustrated Life of
Christ. Copyright © 1972 by The Zondervan Corporation,Grand Rapids, MI.
Page 28.)
In addition, this Herod was "Herod the Great" . "a descendant of
Esau. So he was really not an Israelite. He was the first of several
Herods. He was . cruel, merciless, and jealous. So it is easy to see why
Herod was upset upon hearing the news of the birth of Jesus, who was called
King of the Jews. Even though he was obviously near the end of his life (he
died in 4 b.c.), he felt threatened by the report of a newborn king. Since
all of Jerusalem knew how violent Herod could be, the people were disturbed
when he was upset." (G. Jerome Albrecht & Michael J. Albrecht in People's
Bible Commentary: Matthew. Copyright © 1966 Concordia Publishing House, St.
Louis, MO. Pages 26f.)
That's the way it is with unbelievers who live in the darkness of
this sinful world, their own sinful flesh, and the devil himself. Their
jealous insecurities cause them to react with fear, trembling, and hatred in
the presence of divine love, care, and compassion. Instead of realizing the
blessings that Jesus has for them and offers through His faithful servants,
they fear loss of power, influence, and personal significance. As a result,
they often refuse God's gracious and generous offers of earthly and heavenly
gifts, . sometimes most sadly even His most precious gifts of forgiveness,
salvation, and eternal life that Jesus gained for all people with His holy
life, innocent suffering and death, and majestic resurrection from the
dead, . blessings that God freely gives through the reading and hearing of
His Holy Word, heartfelt participation in Confession and Absolution, and
proper partaking of Holy Communion.
With that thought in mind we realize that .
II. God's Messiah Spells Salvation for Believers. (7-8, 12)
7Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what
time the star had appeared. 8And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and
search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may come and worship him." 12And being warned in a dream not to
return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
God truly is merciful and gracious. Although we may sometimes not
recognize it, He is always true to His promises of presence, protection, and
provision. He is present with us always; He protects us from harm and
danger; and He provides all our physical and spiritual needs.
God demonstrated that truth to the Magi when He told them to go
home by another route in order to avoid returning to Herod and telling him
the location of Jesus. After all, "Their object had been gained, they had
seen the light of the Gentiles; their hearts were filled with the content of
the believing soul that has seen the salvation of the Lord." (Paul E.
Kretzmann in Popular Commentary of the Bible: The New Testament Volume I.
Copyright © Unknown Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page 11.)
In fact, not only did God protect the Magi, but when at His
direction "They took a different route home, . the Christ Child was
protected from the murderous wrath of Herod." (G. Jerome Albrecht & Michael
J. Albrecht. Page 28.) The reason, quite simply, is that it was not yet
God's time for His beloved Son to suffer death for the sins of the world.
That would indeed come later . some 30-33 years later!
In conclusion, therefore, "Today, wise men (and women) are those
who look for the Lord not by the light of their own understanding, but by
the light of His Word." (Mustard Seed: The Joy of Christmas. 31/32.
Author: Patricia Mitchell. ©2011 Lutheran Women's Missionary League, P.O.
Box 411993, St. Louis, MO 63141-1993.) That's precisely what the
unidentified Psalmist meant when he wrote, "[God's] word is a lamp to my
feet and a light to my path." (Ps119:105 ESV)
As we continue to live in that Gospel light, it's our privilege,
joy, and delight to honor Christ, about whom today's Introit proclaimed, "I
will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations
will praise you forever and ever. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved
righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed
you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; your robes are all
fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia." (Ps 45:17, 6-8a ESV)
We do so when we follow the instruction of today's Gradual,
"Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his
steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into
his courts!" (Ps 117:1-2a; 96:8 ESV) At the same time we also honor Christ
when we follow His personal instruction to "let your light shine before
others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father
who is in heaven." (Matt 5:16 ESV)
Accordingly, let's do so knowing and believing that .
"God's Created Star Leads Us to the Incarnate Star."
As we do so, we certainly lament the sad reality that ...
I. God's Messiah Spells Trouble for Unbelievers. (3-6)
At the same time, however, we rejoice and give thanks that ...
II. God's Messiah Spells Salvation for Believers. (7-8, 12)
God grant it all for the sake of Jesus Christ, His humble Son, our
holy Savior. [Amen.]
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
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