January 5, 2003

Second Sunday of Christmas

Matthew 2:1-12

"Bright Stars in Dark Places"

     Louisa Shakkour helped write today’s sermon!  She gave me a great sermon starter that was copied from the Internet:

 “A Thought for Christmas”

 Do you know what would have happened

If it had been Three Wise Women

Instead of Three Wise Men?

They would have asked for directions,

Arrived on time,

Helped deliver the baby,

Cleaned the stable,

Made a casserole,

Given useful gifts,

And now there really would be peace on earth.

     I hate to admit there is probably some truth to this, especially the part about asking directions.  I’ll stumble around in the dark forever before asking directions.  We would all probably be better off to keep our eyes on God’s light and faithfully follow where it leads us.

     The Wise Men were doing fine until they decided to follow there own instincts.  They lost sight of the star in the sky when they wandered into the city assuming a new king would be born there instead.  Who would have expected the Messiah to appear in a little backwater village like Bethlehem?

     So the Wise Men made a wrong turn.  Wrong turns can get us into dark places and make God’s light hard to see.  When we say or do things we shouldn’t, when our actions hurt other people or ourselves, it gets dark pretty fast, doesn’t it?  When we fail to be faithful to others, when we speak with prejudice, ignore the needs of the less fortunate, allow hatred or apathy to fill our hearts, we walk in darkness. 

     It’s not that God’s light isn’t there any more, we just choose not to see it.  And if enough sinful people stumble around in the dark at the same time, society loses its moral core, communities deteriorate and nations head toward destruction.

     The prophet Isaiah spoke of this darkness many years ago (chapter 24):

 “A curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt.”

     Which is to say, for the most part, we make our own darkness. 

     The story of the Three Wise Men tells us what happens when people lose sight of God’s light.  They get off track.  They wind up in dangerous places.  They bring out the worst in people.  But the story also tells us what God does when this happens. 

     God keeps the light shining even when all seems lost.  Even when bad choices are made and wrong turns are taken, God’s love does not fail.  God’s light is there when we look up in prayer or allow ourselves to see it being extended to us through those around us.  It is there to guide us to where we need to be, to where God wants us to be, to the place of new birth, healing, wholeness, salvation.     

     This assurance is what inspired Isaiah to also say (chapter 25):

 “And God will destroy on this mountain the shroud that has been cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; God will swallow up death forever and will wipe away the tears from all faces.”

     God will wipe away our sins, our guilt and our tears.  God will pull back that which is overcast and clear skies will prevail, skies that let us see the stars.

     This is what God does for us in Jesus.  Jesus came because of our darkness to save us from ourselves, born in a dark little corner of the world, far from the glory of kings, the bright lights of human accomplishments, born to an unwed mother of a poor family in the most humble conditions.  This is how far God will go for us, through the darkest valleys, even as far as giving body and blood.

     “Arise, shine,” called out Isaiah, “for your light has come!”  And in Jesus Christ we find Isaiah’s hopes, our hopes, fulfilled.  From the book of Ephesians, we read:

 “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light.  Live as children of light - for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and true.”