Matthew 2:1-12 Journey of the Magi
James Tissot
January 3, 2021
Epiphany
We call today Epiphany.
The definition of epiphany is:
“A sudden, intuitive perception or insight
into the reality or essential meaning of something,
usually initiated by some simple, homely,
or commonplace occurrence or experience”
Today we hear the story about
wise men from the East who came to
Jerusalem
looking for Jesus so they could honor
him
They saw a simple star and somehow they
knew that the Messiah had been born.
They had an Epiphany.
We don’t know too much about these guys.
The story doesn’t mention their names,
the names Caspar, Balthazar and
Melchoir
were made up in the 6th
century.
We don’t know that they were kings,
that was made up in the 3rd.
It doesn’t say anything about robes and
camels
that’s all from someone’s imagination.
We don’t even know that there were
three of them,
it just makes it clear that there were
more than one.
People have supposed these wise men to be kings,
astrologers, magicians, Zoroastrian
priests.
People from China, Iran, India and
Syria
have claimed them as coming from their
countries.
The story of these people takes up just 12
little verses in Matthew’s gospel,
but it has created a lot of folklore
and inspired
a lot of stories throughout the ages.
Probably because at its core, it’s so
interesting.
At its core, it’s a story about people who followed a star,
a hope, an inspiration.
They were obviously people who were
willing to take risk
and engage in a little bit of whimsy.
It’s the story about people who had the
courage
to follow an unsure and uncertain thing
with certainty.
It’s the story of people who were
willing to follow
God’s lead wherever it took them.
Those wise men.
They left their homes, their
comfort,
the things that they knew,
they followed the star.
So, since they heard this call from God, they were
sure
of course, they were positive
in what they were doing.
They knew the whole time they
were doing the right thing.
They always felt confident
and secure, right?
Probably not, but we don’t
get to see those parts.
T.S. Eliot, wrote a really wonderful
poem about the three Wise
Men, called
The Journey of the Magi. It’s been one of my favorites
since college, I’ve always wanted
to read it on Epiphany,
but I never have, but since
I’m leaving I can indulge.
I’ll just read you the first
part of it.
You can read the rest on your
own.
Journey of the Magi by T.S. Eliot
The Journey of the Magi
“A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.”
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of
shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.
I always loved this because it fills in the rest of the
story
with a reality, with the difficulty
and the
un-sureness of the trip they
took.
The feeling along the way that
maybe the journey was silly to take.
The doubt that comes before
the confidence.
You should read the rest of
the poem.
It’s wonderful.
I’m kind of following a star myself these days
Leaving everything that’s
comfortable and secure
and uprooting my family and
going into somewhere
unknown that I feel God’s call
to.
And I have to tell you I do
not feel confident.
I don’t feel sure and
positive that I’ve made the right choice.
I’m not positive that I heard
that call the right way.
Like in the poem, I can hear
“the voices are singing in my ears that this
all was folly.”
But God has never promised us sure things,
or unwavering confidence, or
a lack of doubt.
God just promises to be with
us until the end of the age.
Now, not everyone needs to follow a star into public
ministry,
Or move across the country,
that’s just my star.
But everyone is invited to
follow some sort of star.
Or maybe you’ve already
followed your assortment of stars.
Maybe your star is staying in
the same
place for the first time in
your life,
and figure things out where
you are.
Maybe your star is
rediscovering your faith.
Or maybe it’s helping another
person you wouldn’t normally help.
Maybe your star is a career
choice, or a hobby, or a change in life.
Maybe it’s going to a protest, or a meeting,
or writing a letter, or
running for office.
Maybe it’s forgiving a
friend, or contacting a neighbor,
or reuniting with a family
member.
We are all called to do
something that leads us on
a different path, a different
direction a different way.
None of those things are a sure thing.
All of those things contain
risk and vulnerability.
All of those things are a bit
of folly.
All of us feel a sense of
doubt when we’re doing
something different or
uncharacteristic.
But I
do think that God needs people who will
follow those stars wherever they might
go.
God needs people who are willing to
follow
uncertain things with certainty and
commitment.
Of course, God always loves us if we
decide not
to go
to the weird and strange places.
But I
think God sometimes wants to lead us
into
the unknown and the strange.
The story of Jesus is a story of God’s light coming to
earth.
But the light of Jesus needs
to be shared with others,
its purpose is to inspire, to
ignites hearts and minds
to do things that we would
not otherwise do.
To have that “sudden, intuitive
perception or insight”
To see and do things differently.
God needs us to be open to have those
epiphanies that stir us and move us
Those moments that can also be painful
and difficult.
and full of uncertainty and doubt.
The ones that change our minds forever.
God needs people who are willing to
travel by another road,
by a completely different way
to follow the light of Christ.