Page 1 of 11 Isaiah 60:1-6 1 “Arise, Shine, for Your Light Has Come, and the Glory of the LORD Rises Upon You. 2 See, Darkness

January 8, 2017 God’s Word

Isaiah 60:1-6 1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip. 5 Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. 6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense

and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.

Matthew 2:1-12 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem2 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:

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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.

Ephesians 3:1-12 1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. 7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

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Reflection on God’s Word Responding to the Light

If you have ever had your eyes examined, you know the “joy” of someone shining a beam of light directly into your eyes. Sometimes they do this after they’ve dilated your pupils so they can check out the health of your eyeballs, but initially they do so just to make sure that your eyes are responding to the light. Specifically, they want to know if your irises, the colored part of your eyes, will respond by covering up the pupil when light increases. Such a response is healthy. It is what healthcare workers hopes to see. But if the iris does not respond, then there’s a problem. Life is harder if your eyes did not respond to the light. - Your eyesight would generally be poorer; less able to see things sharply; to pick up on details. - You couldn’t go outside in the daytime without sunglasses. - You couldn’t drive a car at night because the oncoming headlights would blind you. - And whenever you needed to turn a light on, or walked from a dark room into a well-lite room it would be a startling experience, one that would send you staggering for your sunglasses.

When our eyes fail to respond to the light, there is a problem that will affect our lives.

This morning we need to have a discussion about our response to Light; obviously not the light of daytime or lightbulbs, but the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.

Our morning text from Matthew 2:1-12 describes a great response to that Light; a light in the Heavens that drew Magi to the One the Apostle John would describe as the

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Light that offers light and life to everyone. (John 1:4,9) The Magi responded to that Light and then, finding themselves before the baby Jesus, they knelt and worshiped Him. But they were not the only ones who responded when the Light of God came into the world. This morning I want to quickly examine how some people initially responded to the Light that first appeared 2,000+ years ago, and then ask you “whose response most closely resembles your response to the Light we have seen in Jesus?”

Is your response to the Light like that of …. 1. The Magi The Magi’s story is very obvious. Here we find people who are open to mystery. They are so responsive to wonder and awe that they gave their time, money and effort to discover what the heavens were declaring to them. Others certainly saw the same light in the heavens, but did nothing. But the Magi responded. Do you have that curiosity; that sense of awe that mobilizes you to action? What would it take for you to be so motivated that you are willing to “travel to the ends of the earth” to pursue wonder or to uncover a mystery? This is what happened to the Magi.

In Luke’s Gospel we have stories of other travelers: - Mary and Joseph traveled 70 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. - The shepherds… likely a mile or two away, to confirm the angelic announcement. But for the Magi, possibly from Syria, India or some speculate as far away as China…. whatever the case, the Magi set the record for miles traveled to see Jesus; so great was their response to the light. The Magi saw something announced in the heavens, something greater than themselves, something that would greatly impact their world: a King for the Jewish

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people. So with great joy they journeyed an exceedingly long way to meet Him and worship Him.

Be honest now; How far would you go to see Jesus? Today people fly all over the country to see the Red Sox or the Patriots play. With great joy many will pay hundreds/thousands of dollars and give up a weekend to see a game in person. How far would you go to see Jesus? Do you have the wonder within you to see the Light and to understand that something cosmic…. something ordained before time… something “out of this world” that has come to touch our lives and to change us forever; Someone who has come into our world and invites you to respond? I would suggest to you that such a response, our Christian journey is a long road… much longer than “coming to faith”; it involves struggle & growth, change and pain as we give-up pursuing earthly Kingdoms in order to serve God’s Kingdom in the power of His Spirit. Is there that response within you to the Light of this world; Jesus Christ, to make the journey anticipating that after all the dust and dirt, all the snakes & sandstorms of life, that one day you too will arrive, and bow, and worship, and place your offerings before Jesus? Do you see your response in the response of the Magi; a long journey fueled by joyful anticipation and wonder. Is that how you are responding to the Light of Life that Jesus brought into this world?

Or, is your response to the Light more like that of …. 2. The Shepherds Some personal characteristics made the shepherds almost the opposite of the Magi. - They were local; Jewish, not Gentile. - They were poor & unschooled. - The shepherds had not notice the star, Page 5 of 11

…and yet by God’s grace He knew a way to catch their attention; not so much intellectually but through a sensory overload. These shepherds were forced to respond to something they couldn’t ignore; an angelic messenger and the host of heaven singing praises to God. Has that ever happened to you? While some Christians have unforgettable stories to share and most Christians hope it will happen to them, God knows who needs those “mountain top” or “otherworldly” experiences in order to respond. My guess is that first-century shepherds did not live very expectant lives; they were “last in line”, so to speak, when it comes to hope in their society. While the Magi were looking for something when they studied the heavens, the shepherds were not searching for anything other than a calm night on the hillside with their sheep. But God wanted to get their attention. He did, and they responded. They ran into crowded Bethlehem, and though our own mental crèche-images might imply that they went directly to the manger with the star over it, scripture does not say that, does it? They probably spent some time excitedly searching out many animal corrals before they found what they had been promised; a baby, wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger. The shepherds responded by believing the message, then searching and finding what they were told they would find. And then, they went off telling others. Look at their response by considering the action verbs: believing, searching, finding and telling. Have you responded to the Light like the shepherds?

Or, is your response to the Light more like that of …. 3. Herod (Probably not… you wouldn’t be here if you did! But for some people in our world, the Light of Jesus is nothing by a threat to how they want to live their lives.) Herod; powerful & paranoid. We spoke of him last week. The light of a new King is a threat to the darkness of Herod’s rule. So, when Herod Page 6 of 11

heard of this Light he uses deception; he said one thing but planned to do the opposite. He said he would worship, but in fact he planned to kill the infant King? Later in life Jesus would acknowledge to Pilate that He was indeed a King, but that His Kingdom was not of this world. Any earthly Kingdom based on justice, mercy and righteousness would not be threatened by God’s Kingdom, but Herod’s rule was characterized by injustice, cruelty and ungodly wickedness. So, in order to survive Herod responded to the light by trying to kill Jesus through the mass killing of Bethlehem’s baby boys. Sadly, such killing of children continues in our day, marking the extent leaders will go to keep or to obtain power. But they, like Herod, cannot stop God’s Kingdom from one day replacing theirs. This is the promise of God revealed in scripture to a people trusting God while still living in a sin-soaked world; a people who learn to respond to the darkness with the light of Christ shinning out of them. Hopefully, your response to Jesus is not like Herod’s.

Maybe your response to the Light is more like that of …. 4. Simeon & Anna Here we find a response anchored in a deep and abiding trust in God’s promises; responses made possible because they were Spirit led. Their response, recorded in Luke 2:22-38, was a healthy response based upon an anticipation that is not weakened by the passing time. Living day after day expectantly; always hoping that today could be the day, they waited upon God. This is exactly how Jesus tells us to live life today as we wait for His return; - to be about His business; - to use the talents He has given us to build His Kingdom, and - to have enough oil in our lamps, because tomorrow may be the day. While the Prophet Anna encountered the light in Jesus and responded by sharing her experiences with others who were also anticipating God’s redemptive work in their Page 7 of 11

world, for Simeon, the fulfilment of God’s promise was enough; after sharing God’s revelations to Mary & Joseph, Simeon was now ready to be with the One in who he had placed his hope.

One final group of people whose response to the light needs to be examined and compared with ours, are 5. The Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law Honestly, it would be easy to overlook their response, for their lack of response hides them in the story. And as I noted earlier, when our eyes fail to respond to the light, something is terribly wrong. And that is what we see with the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law. Do you remember them in the story? - The Magi see the star. - The Magi travel to Judea, to the great City of Jerusalem. - The Magi seek help from Herod; asking where a Jewish King might be born. - Not knowing the answer, Herod seeks knowledge of biblical prophecy from the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law. - The Priests & Teachers correctly identify, through the prophecies of Micah, that Bethlehem would be the birthplace. - And then, the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law respond to news of the Light by doing absolutely nothing.

I shared this observation with our Council over a week ago in a devotional written by Soren Kierkegaard; a 19th century Danish philosopher & theologian. This is what he had to say:

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Although the scribes could explain where the Messiah should be born, they remained quite unperturbed in Jerusalem. They did not accompany the Wise Men to seek him. Similarly we may know the whole of Christianity, yet make no movement. The power that moved heaven and earth leaves us completely unmoved.

What a difference! (Kierkegaard writes) The three kings had only a rumor to go by. But it moved them to make that long journey. The scribes were much better informed, much better versed. They sat and studied the Scriptures like so many dons (academics), but it did not make them move. Who had the more truth? (Kierkegaard asks) The three kings who followed a rumor, or the scribes who remained sitting with all their knowledge? …..what an atrocious self-contradiction that the scribes should have the knowledge and yet remain still. This is as bad as if a person knows all about Christ and his teachings, and his own life expresses the opposite.

Citation: Meditations from Kierkegaard, translated and edited by T.H. Croxall, James Nisbet and Co., Ltd., 1955 Why? Wouldn’t these religious leaders be the people you would expect to respond most strongly to Jesus’ birth? Wouldn’t they desire, more than anything else, to see their God-promised long-awaited King & Messiah?

And yet, they didn’t respond. Why? The light is shining but there’s no response! Something is terribly wrong.

We don’t know for sure…. - Maybe it was out of a fear of Herod. How would Herod respond to the Chief Priests & Teachers of the Law if they suddenly jumped up and followed the Magi out the door toward Bethlehem? Our scripture tells us that not only was Herod “disturbed” by news

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of a newborn King, but “all Jerusalem with him.” All Jerusalem was aware of Herod’s history of murdering even his sons out of jealousy and paranoia, and the Chief Priests and Teacher could have easily felt that their lives would be threatened if they responded inappropriately. Could worrying about someone’s reaction keep us from responding to Christ?

- Maybe it was the comfort of Jerusalem. Maybe their wonder and hope were not strong enough to check out this possibility. Maybe they had lost that anticipation of Anna and Simeon who daily expected the fulfillment of God’s promises. Maybe their focus on religious duties dulled their senses to God’s activity happening in their midst. Can we relate? Maybe the comforts of our religious traditions and structures keep us from seeing and responding to what God is about in our world! Or…

- Maybe it was simply prejudice? God certainly wouldn’t reveal such an important event to non-Jews. Would He? As the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians; it has always been God’s plan; a mystery, but now a mystery revealed in Jesus Christ; that God’s salvation is for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. If any person responds to the Light, they will be saved.

So, to whom do you best relate?

How do you respond when “the light that is the light and life of all humanity” comes into our dark world?

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How much of your time and energy and riches are you willing to invest in finding and worshiping Jesus?

Do you believe, search, find and tell others because God’s promised salvation has arrived? Or…

Do you walk through life knowing all about Jesus, but live life without responding to Jesus?

Something is wrong if we fail to respond to the Light.

If that is the case for you, make 2017 the year you do respond; with joy and devotion and worship that extends from this sanctuary into the world, go and tell others that the Light has come. RESPOND!

Isaiah 60:1 1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

AMEN