This sermon was preached at Glenwood and Canoe Ridge Lutheran Churches, Decorah, Iowa on January 5, 2020. It’s based on two of the assigned readings for the Day of Epiphany: Ephesians 3:1-12 and Matthew 2:1-12. If you’d prefer to listen to it, find it at https://soundcloud.com/stacey-nalean-carlson/.
Ephesians 3:1-12
This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—2for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, 3and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, 4a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. 5In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. 8Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.
Matthew 2:1-12
1In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, “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.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6‘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.’ ”
7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then 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.” 9When 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. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On 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. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
I’m directionally challenged, so each year when I set up my nativity scene I have to stop and really think about where the wise men should be placed. We know they came from the East, so I need to be sure my wise men look as though they’re coming from Waukon and not from Decorah. Please tell me there’s someone else out there who thinks about such things.
According to scholars, the real wise men came from Persia, today’s Iran. So consider these wise men from the East wise men from the Middle East. They were followers of Zoroastrianism, a belief system that was a precursor to Islam.1
Sadly, only one of my wise men has dark skin. The other two look like they’re from Norway instead of Iran. I try to make up a bit for the injustice by always placing the wise man of color at the front of the line. He’s the first to worship the newborn king. It’s a ridiculously small gesture in a world where Muslim people are routinely demonized and immigrant visas issued to people born in Iran dropped from 6,643 in 2017 to only 537 in 2018.2
I wonder what we think of this episode in the life of Jesus when it moves beyond the nativity scene in our home—beyond We Three Kings and The First Noel—and into the reality of life in our world today. The home of these biblical wise men is the very place where this weekend the Islamic Republic has vowed revenge following a U.S. airstrike that killed Iran’s top general on Friday. There’s talk of WW III floating around on social media as the conflict escalates.
It struck me, this time around, that Herod wasn’t the only one frightened when the wise men showed up in Jerusalem asking to see the king of the Jews. Instead, all Jerusalem was frightened with him. Were they troubled by the possibility of conflict? Did they worry about where Herod’s insecurity would lead them? Or were they fearful of these foreigners recognizing their Messiah as one to be worshiped? Were they troubled by these outsiders refusing to be deterred by distance or religion or borders and barriers of any kind?
I don’t know.
What I do know is that the fear of Herod, and all Jerusalem with him, stands in stark contrast to the overwhelming joy of the wise men when the star stopped over the place where the child was.
What I do know is that the insecurity of Herod, and all Jerusalem with him, stands in stark contrast to the trust the wise men display. They follow a star. They respond to a dream. They live not according to their own plans and itineraries but according to signs and messages sent by God.
While Herod falsely claims he wants to worship Jesus, the wise men actually fall to their knees and pay him homage, offering Jesus gifts fit for the Prince of Peace.
I don’t know what happened to the wise men after they returned home by another road. But I know what happened to the one they worshiped that day, the one whose life they helped to preserve by refusing to heed Herod’s order.
The newborn king never outgrew his humble beginnings and never stopped welcoming the outsiders who knelt at his feet. He never stopped filling his followers with joy, inspiring in them trust. He’s the king who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, who wore a crown of thorns, who died for the very ones who refused to embrace his vision—God’s vision—of a world where peace reigns and love wins.
Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, writes of the mystery of Christ, a mystery foretold by the wise men from the East who came to worship the newborn king: the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. All people share in the promise Jesus brings to the world through his life, death, and resurrection.
A commentary on Ephesians points out that in this mystery of reconciliation, the church…is to be a living witness to the power of the gospel to reconcile people both to God and each other. God’s purposes for the church and the world include that which is humanly unimaginable or impossible.3
Wise men from the Middle East welcome at the manger.
Muslims from Iran welcome in our country.
Peace prevailing in a place of escalating conflict.
Accurate nativity scenes.
A church united.
A world ruled by love.
Jesus, let it be. Amen.
1 http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=4305
2 https://www.washingtonpost.com/
3 http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=4347