What Pastor Jon Preached on Sunday, January 30, 2011

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Micah 6:1-8 • Psalm 15 • 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 • Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Jesus’ words in Matthew’s Beatitudes are some of the most familiar of all of Jesus’ sayings. In fact they are so familiar to us we may have just heard them in a way that has given us nine more things to do to our to-do lists for this week. Let’s see…I need to write these down so I don’t forget them myself: Number One: be poor in spirit. Number Two: mourn. Number Three: don’t forget to be meek. Number Four: hunger and thirst for righteousness. Number Five…but wait a minute. This is a long list to accomplish in just one week! I don’t know if I can do all these things. Is that what Jesus is giving us here, a to-do list for righteous living? It must be, because I’m not sure if my heart is really pure enough…if I am really committed to peace enough…if I really am poor in spirit enough, broken hearted enough to really be called blessed, am I?

One commentator perceptively points out that we can so easily read this passage and believe that Jesus is setting up conditions for us to find his blessing. (“God Bless You”, David Lose, www.workingpreacher.org) And how easy it is, my brothers and sisters, to let this kind of thinking get into our minds! This “If-I-do-this, then-I’ll-have-done-enough” voice can trap us into thinking things like, “If I can just get my life right, then I’ll be blessed…then I’ll be happy.” “If I can just get my life together, then I’ll be okay.” Or, “If I don’t do this, there’s going to be trouble.” But is the blessing of Jesus something we can ever earn?

Jesus exposes these voices for the lie that they are. He knows the answer for us to this question of “Have I done enough?” will always be “No.” But…there is someone who has done enough... Jesus has done enough, and done it for us with his life on the cross. The gospel does not come to us through our keeping of the law, but through Jesus’ own establishment of righteousness between God and us. Jesus’ blesses us regardless of how much we have done or not done, regardless of what we deserve, regardless of how holy we may try to be, and yes, even regardless of whether the law declares that we have been a legal resident in our homes for this past year and are legally eligible to run for the mayor of Chicago! Jesus’ chooses to begin his first public sermon in Matthew with indicative words that in his very speaking of them make us what they describe: “Blessed are we…” Jesus erases our faith as a manageable objective and instead reaches out to hold on to us with the promise of his Word: “I bless you!”

Jesus’ Beatitudes are but one more example of the freely given grace to us, poured out on the cross…but there is a even deeper dimension to Jesus’ blessing that seems especially important for us—especially on this day when major decisions about the financial and structural future of our church lie before us at today’s congregational meeting following worship. These two very visible and tangible signs of our church are just one dimension of God’s gift to us. The other dimension in which we find Jesus speaking blessing after blessing…the dimension that we cannot see, cannot hear, and cannot sense, is the invisible dimension of our spirit, and our hearts. Jesus chooses to bless those who have no externally visible sign by the standards of the world that they are blessed. All the people he names as blessed in the Beatitudes are those the world chooses to look away from—those who have lost something material or physical, or who strive for something that has no visible, material reward promised at the end.

In all this, Jesus’ blessings seem like a waste. All these he names as blessed…have been given nothing visible! But that is why the promise of Jesus’ blessing is given in what Augustine calls, “the spiritual firmament.” And it is there at that deep level that we will find Jesus pouring out blessing in his Word, spoken to us: “I bless you with the food that you hunger and thirst for. I bless you with the spiritual food of my redeeming honor and favor for you. This is the food that will feed your deepest needs.”

We live in a world that treasures signs of visible “blessing”. More than we can imagine, we are conditioned to compare ourselves, and to size up ourselves as better or worse than others. But Jesus’ blessing comes at a deeper dimension in our lives set us free from seeing others as blessed because of what we can see. Jesus’ blessing sets us free from judging each other in terms of money, celebrity, talent, what family we come from, how virtuous we are, how healthy we are, how smart we are, how cool we are… Jesus sets us free to look upon one another instead according to how much treasure he has given all of us on the inside. And inside, in our spirits, hearts and souls, Jesus wastes his foolishly lavish treasure upon us…the invisibly rich treasure of his own blessing.

Recently I’ve heard many of us talking about a film called The King’s Speech which was just nominated for Best Picture in the Oscars. If you haven’t seen it yet I highly recommend it. The film is based on the true story of King George VI of England, a young, accidental king who has stammered since childhood, and who must find a way to unwaveringly inspire his people in the face of the perils and sacrifices of World War II. By all visible appearances, this King was blessed: he was royalty! Riches, wealth, fame…you name it, he had it—except that he never felt blessed. He never felt worthy of his crown because of his stutter. But through the invisible blessing that someone else gave him, he was given the honor and favor he had not seen in himself. The king’s speech therapist, Lionel, did not look at what could be seen about this king. Lionel looked upon the King as simply “Bertie”, addressing him by the name no other subject to the crown outside of his family had dared call him. Lionel saw beyond the King’s royal status to Bertie’s inner poverty of heart, a heart that he tends to and believes in ultimately declares honorably blessed. And it is because someone blesses him not for what could be seen about him, but for what could not be seen, that Bertie’s heart opens up, and the King finds his voice.

That voice is a voice that Jesus gives to all of us, and in claiming our blessing from him, we find within us our own deep desire to foolishly voice his blessing for others. Jesus empowers us as the church to proclaim to the world Jesus’ blessing—to look upon the world not by what’s visible but by what’s not…to see with faith the treasure of Jesus’ freely given favor.

So during the passing of the Peace today, I invite you to look into the eyes of those we extend a hand to, and to remember that in sharing Christ’s peace, we are saying to one another, “I honor you with the blessing of Jesus. Jesus places the treasure of his redeeming love within you, a promise that will live in you forever.” We can share such a blessing with the world as freely as Jesus shares it with us. Jesus blessing gives us vision to see beyond what’s visible…to see the vision of the world that the Beatitudes envision…a vision of the kingdom of heaven on Earth. Amen.

What Pastor Jon Preached on Sunday, January 16th, 2011

Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Isaiah 9:1-4 • Psalm 27:1, 4-9 • 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 • Matthew 4:12-23

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." From that time Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.


At first glance it may not seem all that miraculous. When Jesus calls these fishermen to follow him, in a way it’s very easy for us to minimize how radical a call this truly was. I am guilty of it myself. When I first hear this what I and many of us probably picture is a movie-style version of this story, with a Swedish-looking Jesus who has flowing blonde hair, a white bathrobe and gorgeous blue eyes, walking along a beach. He calls out to these two men to follow him, and almost like robots they climb out of their boats and swim to shore to walk to Jesus.But the amazing-ness of this very simple scene comes in who it is Jesus is calling to follow him and join him on his mission to love and heal and proclaim God’s righteousness. Jesus asks people to follow him who have absolutely no ability or skill or knowledge that would make them worthy of being a disciple, as the Jewish faith at that time understood them.

A few months ago our youth group watched a video about this Gospel story explaining the system of preparing Jewish kids to be disciples (called “Dust” by Rob Bell). It talked about how typically, when a little Jewish child was growing up, they went to school to learn the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. And when they got to a certain age they would take ask all the students to begin memorizing each and every book of the Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. And naturally most students could not do this, and so they were told to go and learn their family trade, and have that be their profession. But for those students they thought were really, really smart and that they thought could cut it—the best—they continued doing what the Rabbis did…learning every word of the Torah. And then at a later age, when they were a little bit older, in their teens, they would look at the kids and decide which of these students was the “best of the best”, which of these “disciples in training” could go on to the next level, which was memorizing every single book of the Hebrew scriptures—all the way through the Hebrew prophets—which is basically all of the Old Testament! And the rest of them they would dismiss them go let them learn their family trade. By the end of that phase, there was one more test, and it was to sit and be grilled by the Rabbi that that particular disciple-in-training wanted to follow. And they sat there and were grilled, question after question after question about the Torah. And the Rabbis would say, “you know, this kid loves God, knows the Torah, loves to show mercy and kindness…but I’m not sure if this kid has what it takes”…they would dismiss them to go and learn the family trade. But if they said, “Hey, we think this kid has got it! They can do what I do…they know the Torah as good as I do…maybe even better! This kid is the best of the best of the best.” If the rabbi said that, then that person became one of the rabbi’s disciples.

Now Jesus, when he calls out to Peter and Andrew, and James and John—these people who will become his closest partners, his inner circle of disciples—does it say that Jesus tested them about how much of the Torah they knew while they were standing off in the boat?! Does it say that Jesus asked them anything about their qualifications, or their knowledge, or their status before he called out to them? Nada, zip, zero! Jesus doesn’t call the best of the best of the best to be a part of his movement. He doesn’t require secret insider church knowledge in order to be caught by the fishing net of the embrace of his community. Jesus forms community by calling those who have no prior indication that they will be any success at all in being partners in expanding the kingdom of God. He simply says to these blue-collar fishermen, just as he says to each and everyone who has ears to hear him, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”

The amazing thing about being a disciple of Jesus there is absolutely nothing that we can do or say that make us his disciples. It doesn’t matter how strong or weak our faith is in Jesus…there is not some test we have to pass to be one of his disciples. Everyone can be a disciple because it is Jesus’ own faith in us that makes us disciples. Jesus believes that we can be people that do what disciples do—we can do what our Rabbi—Jesus—did! Jesus believes anyone be what God created us to be: Anyone can love. Anyone can serve. Anyone can be a healing presence. Anyone can proclaim God’s love. Anyone can build the kingdom of God! Now the fishermen all already had jobs when they left them to go and follow Jesus. But when Jesus says, “follow me”, that call also comes for any of us who don’t even have a job right now, and are searching desperately for one. There is no searching on Monster.com or Craigslist, no degrees, or qualifications or skills required, no pre-existing conditions that will keep you from getting a call from Jesus offering you the job of disciple. Jesus is willing to offer that call to us because even when no one else sees any possibility of us amounting to anything, and especially when we lose belief in ourselves…Jesus has faith in us, faith that is strong enough to love the unloveable; faith that is humble enough to listen to those who have no voice; faith that is courageous enough to give back integrity to the lives of sinners. And dare I say that Jesus’ belief in us is even deeper and more tenacious than the faith and conviction we have for a historic Bears’ victory over the Packers this afternoon!

So if there is nothing at all that we can do to make us Jesus’ disciples, if it is totally his faith in us alone that sweeps us into the fishing net of God’s kingdom, how is it then that we can live our lives as his disciples today? As one commentator says, following Jesus isn’t necessarily about what we do, but how we do it. And how can disciples of Jesus live? Disciples of Jesus can follow Jesus by believing in others with the same kind of faith that he has in us. Jesus believes we can bring healing and respect to the disgraced young women at OPRF high school who were put on a list created by a male student ranking them by their physical appearance. Jesus believes we can bring civility and refrain from bearing false witness in our public discourse in the wake of the recent tragedy in Arizona. Jesus has faith that we can bring his hope to the wave of the many recent youth who because of abuse for their sexual orientation believe the only way out is suicide. Jesus believes in us enough that we can show his concern for those we serve in our jobs. He believes that we have all the knowledge and words we need to speak openly with others about how our Jesus inspires our lives. He believes in us enough for his faith to sustain our faithful responsibilities to our families and communities. Jesus believes his faith in us can carry beyond just coming to church…or any time we may try and “set aside” as our time for “being religious” or “being a disciple.”

Jesus’ call to follow him comes to every arena of our lives and beyond. All it takes to be his disciple, is to listen for his voice, and follow his faith in us…faith that believes we can do as he did—that we can believe in others whom no one else will believe in. That is not just one of many things to make time for on our schedule. It is our way of life.

Jesus says, “Come. I believe in you. Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” Amen.

What Pastor Jon Preached on Sunday, January 16th, 2011

Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Isaiah 49:1-7 • Psalm 40:1-11 • 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 • John 1:29-42

[John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel." And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God." The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).



What is it you are looking for? What is it you are seeking? This question is how Jesus begins his public ministry in the Gospel of John. A question. In Mark, Jesus opens with a mighty command to silence a demon. In Matthew, Jesus opens with a command to disciples in a fishing boat to follow him. In Luke, Jesus begins with a public proclamation in the synagogue: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.” (3:18) But in John, Jesus begins with a question that has little to do with Jesus caring for the poor, little to do with Jesus healing the sick, little to do with fishermen. In John, Jesus begins with a question that has everything to do with who Jesus is: “What are you seeking?” (1:38)

Just as each of Jesus’ first public appearances in the synoptic Gospels reveals the essential nature about the character of Jesus’ witness in that account, Jesus’ question reveals something that we see over and over again in John’s Gospel. John’s Gospel is not concerned with upending the Roman social order, not concerned with setting off a peasant revolution. John’s Gospel witnesses to Jesus’ divinity, to Jesus who is the Messiah of the world…the Savior of the world. “What are you seeking?” Andrew and Simon do not know it but Jesus knows…that what these disciples of John the Baptist are looking for is the One that John has been testifying to in the wilderness…they are looking for a Christ, a Messiah. It’s as if Jesus, and John’s Gospel itself, with this very question, “What are you seeking?” is asking us, “Where is it you can put your trust?” And the answer…is the Lamb of God, the Savior of the World, God’s Beloved…it’s all about Jesus.

So what is it we are looking for? What motivates us? What drives us in our day to day lives? What are we seeking at the core of our being? The disciples’ response to Jesus’ question reveals one thing we are looking for: something permanent. They want to know where Jesus is staying…they see that he is what they are looking for and want to remain with him where he is staying as long as they can. So a sense of belonging, meaning and rootedness drives us. What else? In a culture that worships continual upward economic mobility and accumulation, the drive for “more stuff”, and bigger places to put our “stuff”, drives us. The need to fill our lives with activity can drive us into a continual addiction to a life without balance.

While these are all basic human needs and concerns, there is one ultimate driving concern that Jesus comes for: to put us in contact with God, to fill us with the eternal life of Christ that is not just for the after-life but for our life here and now. Unlike anything else we are searching for, Jesus offers us life-sustaining nourishment at the deepest possible level imaginable…the level of our souls. Jesus comes and takes on the weight of perfectionism, the weight of earning God’s love, the weight of the whole world that can seem like it’s on just our shoulders…and brings us what we’ve been looking for…which is not a thing, or a place, or a product…but a saving relationship with the ever-abiding presence of God in Jesus.

Jesus is the one thing we come to experience here at United Lutheran that the world cannot offer us. Coffee and coffee cake? Starbucks down the street can give you that. Social time with your friends? The Lions Club, the local restaurant or interest group can give you that. Good music? You can’t hear all of what you hear here elsewhere, but much of it, could go and be heard at Symphony Center. But what does the church have to offer the world that cannot be found anywhere else? Jesus Christ: the abiding, living, breathing message of God’s redemption made real in a story that’s intimately woven into each and every one of our lives. Jesus Christ…it is his love for the whole world that the church has been called to proclaim.

To the first disciples who seek Jesus in John’s Gospel, who long to be in Jesus’ presence, to abide with where he is staying, Jesus’ response is simple: “Come and see.” (1:39) It’s three words that can work superbly as a model for evangelism. “Come and see.” Evangelism? Did I detect some shudders in the room? Lutherans don’t always like to talk about evangelism…even though it’s a part of our denomination’s name, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We could honestly say that the Lutheran strategy for evangelism over the years has been in the bedroom, or to gather other ethnic Lutherans from a particular geographic area. We’ve not always been the best at reproducing ourselves outside of our own walls, outside of our own families, of our own ethnic cultures, to share the good news.

But “come and see”, three short words, could be the most important words we say to someone besides three of the other most important words out there, “I love you.” “Come and see” is Jesus’ invitation to his own disciples to find what they have been looking for. It’s his invitation to abide in his overflowing love for the world…and it can be our invitation to others to experience a relationship with Jesus. “Come and see” is not about filling the seats in church. It’s not a threat. It’s not, “Have you given your heart to Jesus?” “Come and see” is not manipulative or offensive; it’s not “Do you know where you will spend eternity?” Jesus’ sharing of the good news is by simple, hospitable invitation, “Come and see.” Jesus himself invites us not to make a decision, but to draw us into contact and relationship with him, and with the God who sent him.

I wonder if we really believe we have a message we feel we have to offer the world. I wonder if we believe the salvation of this church lies in the community, or if this church believes it has a saving message of Jesus’ good news to share with this community. I wonder if we were on a service project or a servant trip and we were asked “why are you here?”, if we would say “I wanted to feel better by helping others” or if we could truly say “Jesus sent me.” Sometimes I wonder if we Lutherans have lost touch with whose we are at our core and why it is we are here.

So we’re going to practice this evangelism this morning. We’re going to collectively say the word that means life, the word that means grace, the word that reveals we have found who it is we are looking for—the word that names who the disciple Andrew says he has found. These words of invitation do not bring shame, but that confesses to new life.

If you want to know the word made flesh? Come and see Jesus. If you want to know what love is like? Come and see Jesus. If you want to experience God's glory? Come and see Jesus. If you want to be filled with bread that never perishes? Come and see Jesus. If you want to quench your thirst with living waters? Come and see Jesus. If you want to be born again? Come and see Jesus. If you want to abide in love? Come and see Jesus? If you want to behold the light of the world, to experience the way, the truth, and the life, to enter into life everlasting? Come and see Jesus. And if you want to know God: come and see Jesus. (See Dr. Audrey West commentary on John 1:29-42 at www.workingpreacher.org, 2008)

“What are we looking for?” Jesus asks us. He is what we’re looking for. We’re looking for Jesus. Come and see.

What Pastor Jon Preached on Sunday, January 9, 2011

Epiphany of Our Lord (Transferred)
Isaiah 60:1-6 • Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 • Ephesians 3:1-12 • 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, 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." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: '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.'" Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 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." 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. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Today as we celebrate the culmination of the twelve days of Christmas with the festival of the Epiphany of Our Lord, transferred from the actual day, January 6^th, to today, we recall this story of a band of magi astrologers, King Herod, a star, gifts, and a baby.

The magi did not know what exactly they would find, when they set out on their journey. A comet had caught their eye. They wanted to follow it... We don’t know exactly how they knew this astrological wonder meant that God’s Son had been born…how they found out a child had “been born king of the Jews.” (Mt. 2:2) But they had a yearning, a hunger, a need for something to fill a space inside them that was empty…something they did not know where or how they would find—something that they believed that they would know when they discovered it.

The magi come to Jerusalem, a logical place to come when looking for someone in Israel. There were more people to ask there. Economic activity was at its busiest there. People of wealth, status and means were there. Powerful rulers of the Roman Empire were there…someone would know where to find this one who would fill their hopes and desires for a Savior.

When King Herod in Jerusalem hears about these sojourners, and what they are looking for, he is frightened. A new king is a threat to the old and established order. As Herod consults about what to do with his religious advisors, the chief priests and the scribes, he asks them if they know anything about where it is this Messiah is to be born. Herod speaks, “Where is this threat to my power and security coming from, so that I know where to squelch it?” And as the religious authorities confer, they talk amongst themselves. At one level, this series of events sounds like the prophesy of Isaiah 60—which happens to be the first lesson appointed for today’s Epiphany festival. “Isaiah 60,” the chief priests and scribes say to themselves, “that’s the prophesy from the time of Jerusalem’s desolation after we had returned from the exile…that’s the one about Jerusalem’s return to prosperity and wealth and abundance for all…’nations will come to our light…the wealth of the nations shall come to you’ (Is. 60:3, 5)…caravans loaded with trade goods will come from Asia to bring offerings that restore us to greatness! Are these foreign magi, these guests bearing treasures, the sign that this prophesy has come true and the Son of God is here in Jerusalem?”

But one of the scribes spoke up and said, “King Herod will never go for that! He would rather have everyone remain poor and powerless than rich and power-hungry. He’ll never go for that!” And there was silence, and someone spoke up and said, “What about the prophecy of Micah 5?: ‘And you O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth…’” (5:2-3a) “But Bethlehem?” some of them said, “that’s in the boonies! That place is teeny, tiny! Nobody could come from there, let alone the Messiah!” But because they knew that if the Micah prophesy had indeed come true, the threat would be easier to crush in little, lowly Bethlehem, than in big and bustling Jerusalem. So they decided to tell Herod where they believed the Messiah to be born, based on Micah 5.

When they shared what they had discussed with Herod, he was aghast. This prophesy coming true, a new king, would mean his own demise, and his loss of control. As one biblical scholar puts it, “[this prophetic voice of the Messiah’s manifestation in Bethlehem] was the voice of a peasant hope for the future, [a voice for the powerless, the weak, the despairing…the majority of those under Herod’s rule. This voice] is not impressed with high towers and great arenas, banks and urban achievements. It anticipates a different future, as yet unaccomplished…led by a leader who will bring well-being to his people not by great political ambition, but by attentiveness to the folks on the ground.” (Brueggemann)

Herod shares this Bethlehem prophesy with the magi, asking them to go and determine its veracity, so that if it is true, he can put Jesus to an end. But when the magi hear Herod speak Micah 5…they trust that Micah’s voice…this is the voice their hearts have been hungering to hear for all these many days of their journey. This voice is a voice that speaks also to us: that Jesus has become manifest for us not in Jerusalem—not in what is secure, or royal or powerful—God’s Son is born in our Bethlehems: in the world’s poverty, in our innocence, and in the vulnerability of a baby.

When they realize they are still nine miles off from beholding the manifestation of Micah’s voice, the magi follow it with haste, humbling themselves to realize they had not found what they were looking for in Jerusalem. As much as they may have wished their own mastery of reading the skies like led them to the right spot, the voice of God’s love revealed in hidden weakness rather than might, inspired them to go those extra and demanding nine miles south, from Jerusalem to Bethlehem…nine miles to get from self-sufficiency to generosity of self; nine extra miles to get from Herod’s self-preservation to God’s self-offering of Jesus; nine extra miles to get from self-congratulation to God’s love made real among the most undeserving of people of our world.

Where is it that this voice calling the magi and us to go that extra nine-mile journey lead? To the unlikeliest person in which God could choose to reveal love for us—the least powerful, least protected, most vulnerable one of us all: a child. A child-like spirit of love is, in the end, what the magi and we are on a pilgrimage to find. Who of us has, perhaps, amidst all that may give us reason to despair, have lost a child-like wonder and awe at God’s self-generosity of giving us the greatest treasure of all in Jesus? What adults among us have bought in to the myth that we can feel more powerful by living without love—with cynicism, pessimistic and without astonishment? Jesus’ own adult words offer us the childlike antidote that returns us to the humble wonder of the magi—he says, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants.” (Mt. 11:25)

Like the magi, we seek to take part in the activity of God in concrete situations of our personal and communal lives, especially in the most complex and difficult of decisions—whether it’s what job or vocation to prepare for, or what course of treatment to pursue for an illness, or for our congregation, the questions of what step do we take to address the expense of caring for this aging building—in all these decisions, with the magi, God invites us to discern where it is we may be holding on to our own self-security, and what child-like vulnerable place we can open ourselves up to where we will find the consolation of God at work.

The good news for the magi and for us is that Jesus’ manifestation turns us all into children, regardless of how old or young we are. Jesus’ incarnation turns us all into God’s children, blessed by the One who comes to remind us that God does not let darkness prevail, but will always bring the unfailing bright light of Jesus’ love and mercy to littlest, weakest, poorest places of our souls. To we children who can be foolish enough to travel the extra nine miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem with the magi, God promises that we will find the blessing that we will hear voiced at the end of today’s worship: we will find the face of the Lord shining upon us with grace and mercy forever. Amen.