Matthew 2:1-12 (CEB)
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea
during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. They
asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east,
and we’ve come to honor him.”
When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in
Jerusalem was troubled with him. He gathered all the chief priests and the
legal experts and asked them where the Christ was to be born. They said, “In
Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote:
You, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
by no means
are you least among the rulers of Judah,
because
from you will come one who governs,
who will
shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod secretly called for the magi and found out from
them the time when the star had first appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem,
saying, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you’ve found him, report
to me so that I too may go and honor him.” When they heard the king, they went;
and look, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood
over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled
with joy. They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother.
Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure
chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Because
they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own
country by another route.
Today is the last Sunday that we will be in the sanctuary
for some time.
Sometime in
the next month or so --- we will also be out of the Chapel
It has been over 30 years since the Sanctuary and Chapel
have been painted.
And it is
past time
The Trustees have been working hard to make sure that as we
draw closer to our 200th anniversary that our facilities look
beautiful
All of this began a number of years
ago with the refurbishment of the classrooms down in the Children’s Day In
program area
Next the
upstairs and sports fields were upgraded
That was
followed buy the construction of the Welcome Center
And then the
Fellowship Hall kitchen
This past summer they had the
exterior painted
I have not been here for all of this --- but it has been
amazing to see all the wonderful enhancements made to the physical structure
and the increased use of the building
The Welcome Center has changed this church
Thank you Ann
for your leadership and vision
It has been interesting seeing how many of you have reacted
to the Trustees decision to paint the rooms
Many of you have expressed
excitement over the sanctuary and chapel getting a facelift and look forward to
the journey we will be on the next few months
Others have not been as excited --- I was even told
"all this is going to do is
give people an excuse to stay home"
If
you need an excuse to stay home --- I can offer quite a few better ones
Regardless --- following this service we are heading off on
an adventure and will be using the fellowship hall for our worship service
It seems appropriate that our scripture today is the story
of the Magi
They leave the comfort of their homes in search of some ---
not completely known hope
What exactly drove them to go is not certain --- other than
they sensed that something was going on in the celestial bodies that suggested
that a unifying king had been born.
And not
everyone is excited by this news
They did not fully know where they were going --- or whom
they were seeking but they went --- filled with hopes and dreams for a better
future
I decided to open up some boxes that were stuck in a closet
that I had not opened since we moved here 3 ½ years ago
They were boxes of letters and notes of encouragement that I
have collected over the past 35 years
At a former church --- they had in the pews --- paper that
said: NOTE OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Each week people were invited to
write a note and the church would sent it to the appropriate person
I had to chuckle at the creative way that people criticized
the journey that the church was on these notes
My favorite by far was one that went on for two paragraphs
complaining about this or that in the worship service and ended with this
phrase
“My
encouragement is that you will do better and change”
The Magi had no idea where the “star” was leading them ---
they had to stop in Jerusalem and ask for directions.
I can hear some in their entourage saying --- WHY ARE WE
DOING THIS?
Remember what Jimmy Carter said:
None of us can know where our
journeys with God will take us even tomorrow - let alone a decade from now - so
it's a good idea to spend a few moments each day to connect with God and ask,
"Well, where do you want to take me today?"
And that is exactly what the Magi seemed to do
But not only did they seek --- the Magi came prepared ---
they brought with them gifts.
Interesting gifts --- gifts that theologians have debated
about for 2000 years ---
Gold
Frankincense
Myrrh
They brought those gifts --- seemingly --- symbolically
because the understood the nature of the king they would find
Gold ---
symbolizing royalty
Frankincense
--- worship
Myrrh ---
death
And the story implies that they were gifts of great
sacrifice
I love the story of The Other Wise Man by Henry Van
Dyke
If you have
never read it --- I encourage you too
(It
is a very short read)
If you have
--- read it again and reflect on the importance of what we bring
As we get ready to begin this journey together, we need to
ask ourselves a few questions
Why do we
come?
What do we
want to find?
What gifts
are we willing to bring?
What
are we willing to sacrifice for King Jesus?
In a few moments we are going to gather at the table
After you receive these gifts from God --- I want to invite
you to go to the side walls and take a pencil and write your hopes and dreams
for Meridian Street for the coming year.
This story of journey --- of intrigue --- birth and death
--- seems so relevant in today's United Methodist Church
Where do you want God to lead us?
Give your
dreams to God as we prepare to journey in a new way.
No comments:
Post a Comment