“Divine Change Agent”, A Sermon preached by The Rev. Canon Dr. C. Denise Yarbrough on Sunday, January 9, 2010 at Church of the Ascension, Rochester, New York
Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. (Matt. 2:11-12)
With much pomp and circumstance, the new members of Congress were sworn in on Wednesday, with a full reading of the U.S. Constitution as part of the order of the day on Thursday. As the House changed hands from Democratic majority to Republican we listened to news pundits galore opining on how this shift in power will “change things” in the upcoming year. Politicians love to talk about “change” although it seems that in Washington, no matter who is in power not much really changes. Which is not surprising, since we humans really don’t like change, much as we sometimes claim we are eager to see it. And when someone really tries to make a significant change particularly in the political and religious establishments, they often find themselves at the receiving end of considerable retribution. When the dust settles, yesterday’s tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 17 others at a street corner political event will likely be the result of the shooter’s dissatisfaction with Ms. Giffords’ political positions and her work as a politician that brings change to some people’s lives that others do not like.
As we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany today we hear the old old story of the three wise men who traveled from the East to visit the baby Jesus in his home in Bethlehem. This story is so well worn and familiar from countless Christmas cards, crèche scenes and Sunday School Christmas pageants that it’s relevance to contemporary life is easily lost in the fuzzy, Hallmark renditions of it to which we’ve become altogether too accustomed. If ever there was a story that is all about “change” it is the Epiphany story. And if ever there was a story that underscores the connection between politics and religion in human life, this one ranks high on the list. The story of three wise Middle Eastern sages who travel from what is now Iraq and Iran to Bethlehem, in our modern day West Bank, to pay homage to a Jewish baby whose birth scares the living daylights out of the sadistic, cruel, oppressive ruler Herod is shot through with the messy confluence of human politics and divine intentions.
The epiphany story that Matthew tells is quite simple, really, but legend and myth over the centuries have embellished it greatly. Matthew tells a story of three wise men from the East who saw a star in the heavens that caught their attention and sent them on a long journey. The Greek word magoi has been interpreted in many ways – magi, king, astrologer, wise person. There are many theories about who these wise men might have been – perhaps Zoroastrian priests, perhaps magicians, perhaps astrologers. It is likely that they were not kings, however, despite the legend to the contrary. The king image got superimposed on Matthew’s story through references from the Hebrew Scriptures, like the line in Psalm 72 which we read today where references to kings paying homage to God’s anointed one are interpreted in light of the Epiphany event. Most likely they were astrologers, seers whose job it was to read the heavens for divine guidance.
What is important to the author of Matthew’s gospel is that they were foreigners. They were not Jews, and yet the birth of a Jewish baby in Bethlehem got their attention and they journeyed long and far to see this child. They seemed to recognize that this birth was important for all peoples and nations including themselves. They went first to Jerusalem, which was the political and economic center of Jewish life at the time and discovered the child wasn’t there. In so doing, they alerted Herod to the birth of this important child which then started a chain of events that they probably never intended, not the least of which was the slaughter of the innocents. Herod ordered all male children under the age of two killed because he was so afraid of the potential challenge to his authority by this special child. In this story, human lust for power clashes violently with God’s intervention in human history due in no small measure to the human actor’s fear of the change God’s intervention may bring to pass. God’s penchant for being a change agent in the course of human history is revealed in this event and Herod reacts violently to any attempt to disrupt his status quo.
Like the old saying goes, the more things change the more they stay the same. At least where human affairs are concerned. But when God intervenes, change just might really mean change. The birth of this baby was no ordinary event. Matthew’s birth story focuses on the profound disruption that the nativity of this child was to have on human history. Matthew’s gospel contrasts the human expectations of what makes for a “king”, namely someone like Herod, born into a wealthy family of power and status, with a completely different kind of kingship. A peasant family’s baby, born in an obscure, small town nine miles south of the center of power, a child whose family lineage included some women of ill repute, namely Rahab and Tamar, and the foreigner Ruth. And this infant king receives foreign visitors who travel a great distance to bring him lavish gifts because these foreigners understand that something monumental has happened here and they want to acknowledge it properly.
The story of the visit of the wise sages to the infant Jesus marks the beginning of the liturgical season we call “Epiphany.” The word epiphany means a manifestation of God and often refers to those times when the divine breaks into our human world in surprising and unexpected ways. Epiphanies have a way of changing things whether we are ready for the change or not. The changes that epiphanies bring often scare us to death. Fear and change are close cousins for most of us human beings. As one monastic writer observed about epiphanies: Life never seems to prepare us sufficiently for epiphanies. By definition they come upon us suddenly, dazzling us by their raw power. They are not magical intrusions from another world, but reality, naked and without shame. Their very ordinariness shimmers with unexpected depth, which is why they take us by such surprise. (Monks of New Skete, p. 21) Epiphanies are “Aha!” moments that change things forever. Those wise men were in the business of reading the stars in the heavens. And one day they saw a star to which they were drawn inexorably. One day, in the midst of doing their regular daily work, they suddenly saw a sign from God that propelled them onto a life-changing journey.
Fear and change go hand in hand in human life. Herod was fearful, scared to death actually about the threat this baby posed to him and his place in the world. He succumbed to his fear by resorting to what he knew best – violence and oppression, trying to stomp out the one who was going to change the world as he knew it. The magi welcome the change that God is bringing into the world as they embark on their journey to the infant king and they find joy at the end of their journey. Herod allows fear to rule him and brings terror and death and destruction in his wake. There is no joy in the world that Herod controls. A world fueled by fear is a world devoid of joy. The infant that the wise men journeyed to see was one who came to bring joy into a fear filled world. But he also came to change it, and all who encountered him were changed.
In first century Palestine the infant Jesus was a miniature change agent, whose very birth began the process of change that his later life and ministry would bring to fruition. The magi were wise because they welcomed the change, and they worshipped the agent of that change. They were also generous and hospitable as they brought gifts to the one who would bring about change in their world. They were wise because they would not acquiesce to the desires of the despot who wanted to maintain the oppressive and violent status quo, choosing to go home by another road so as not to have to confront him again. They were spiritually wise and street smart as they made their way back home. In this story wisdom goes hand in hand with flexibility and receptivity to change combined with a good dose of old fashioned common sense, something that all of us need to remember as we confront changes in our lives and in our culture.
This story has particular resonance for all of you at Ascension as you enter a New Year during which time you will call a new leader. There is no doubt that new leadership will generate change in this congregation. Some new people will come, some old timers may leave, liturgical and administrative changes will no doubt follow the arrival of a new priest, and the balance of power in the congregation’s leadership may also shift. As you reflect on the Epiphany story in light of these congregational realities, I invite you to think about where Herod resides in this congregational system and how you can ensure that the arrival of a new spiritual leader will be handled as the magi responded to the infant Jesus rather than in the manner that Herod reacted and responded. God’s intervention in the life of this congregation will be manifest in the choice of your new leader. Will Ascension follow the model of the three wise magi or will Herod’s fear and lack of trust be the tone of your journey’s next phase?
In this season of Epiphany we’ll hear stories of God’s inbreaking into our human world. God still gives moments of epiphany to those who are open to them, urging us to move out of our comfort zones and into our world with courage and an attitude of joy and thanksgiving for all that God is doing. During epiphany we are invited to approach the changes that mark our journey with God with an attitude of expectant hopefulness and joy, not with fear and suspicion. We are invited to be like the three wise men, alert and attentive in the course of our daily work and daily life to an unexpected intrusion by the divine into our humdrum routine, with the flexibility and courage to follow where God leads even if that did not seem to be the plan we thought we were following.
As we move into the season of Epiphany, may we gratefully and faithfully embrace the changes that God offers us. May we live the Epiphany season with joy and courage, remembering the words of Howard Thurman:
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers and sisters,
To make music in the heart. (Howard Thurman)
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