Sermon by The Very Rev Chris Yaw, 1/8/2023, Matthew 2:1-12
"Trust the Magi(c)"
I have a friend who was constantly tired, edgy, and stressed because of his workload at a company he founded -
And he was much more tired, worried and stressed before he heard this story...
Once upon a time, a man named Ted came to the company lunchroom, sat down next to his friends, opened his lunchbox and said, "Oh no, a cheese sandwich! I hate cheese sandwiches!"
Nonetheless, Ted scarfed down that sandwich.
The next day Ted came into the lunchroom, sat down next to the same group of people, opened his lunch box, and exclaimed, "Oh no! Another cheese sandwich! I hate cheese sandwiches." But he went ahead and choked down the sandwich anyway, his friends looking on with concern. The next day, same thing, Ted walks into the lunchroom, opens his lunch box, and once again says, "Oh no, another cheese sandwich, I hate cheese sandwiches!!"
At that point, one of his friends, said "Ted, why don't you talk to the person who packs your lunches and tell them you don't like cheese sandwiches, who makes your sandwiches?"
"Oh," said Ted, "I do."
After hearing that punchline, it finally dawned on my stressed-out friend that his fatigue and worry were largely due to his own making: he owned the company and he could decide his own workload - or, more precisely, what kind of sandwich he wanted to eat...
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Lightbulb moments like this come to mind as you and I commemorate the Feast of the Epiphany - which is a Greek word meaning 'manifestation' or 'revealing' - and invites us to look for the ways God is making God's presence known in our lives.
And our icons are there 3 wise men -
Whole, we sang about 3 kings, this is a much newer term, coming to us in the 5th century...
But do you know what the original term is?
I bet you do...
Magi.
And do you know what word we get from Magi?
Magic!
That means, the word Magi carries a connotation of delightful mystery - an air of ethereal possibility and unknown, divine intervention.
Basically, what Kevin McCarthy's House Republicans have been looking for all week...
But that is a whole other sermon...
The Magi, perhaps from Persia, practiced a religion known as Zoroastrianism, or the only other Faith group around at the time that was monotheistic. The Magi likely derived their wisdom from their ability to read the skies, interpret dreams, delve into the mystical, spiritual elements of the universe and of our humanity. This story is mentioned only in the Gospel of Matthew, so there's not a lot of information we have on who these wise men, or magi, were.
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How many of us have ever been to worship with our friends at St. John's Armenian Church? Or any Orthodox church?
I ask because, historically speaking, there is a fundamental theological distinction between the evolution of these churches of the East, primarily orthodox churches, and our churches, Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, etc. of the West.
Churches of the West have historically been preoccupied with figuring God out. We have a habit and history of intellectual inquiry and investigation from Augustine to Anselm and beyond, of wanting to know - scientifically and philosophically, who is this God? What exactly is the Trinity? Where, actually, is heaven?
If you've ever wondered these things, congratulations, you're a child of the West, it's just the water we swim in.
Contrast this with the development of Churches of the East...
Walk into an Orthodox church and take a wiff... Incense... isn't that what hippies use... to open up a different reality... then gaze up at the towering walls - there are pictures, icons, telling fascinating stories of mysterious saints who had mystical encounters with the Divine.
Then open your ears to the chanting, in another language, a mysterious language... What are they saying? What kind of otherworldly music is this? Oh yes, they are chanting Praise to God, we correctly assume, but in a strange way.
And it dawns on us that these guys aren't as obsessed with figuring God out - as they are with bowing down and saying, 'Worthy is the Lamb, holy is name, we have found the Messiah, come let us adore him.'
The story is told about two theologians, one from the West and one from the East, who are each given a bright red rose in full bloom.
The theologian from the West takes the rose back to his room where he puts it on his table, one he has turned into an examination table. He commences to pull the rose apart, petal by petal, taking copious notes and making detailed sketches about the flower until he's produced a wonderful 12 volume, theological treatise, on the rose, the remains of which lie there wilting on the table, fit now, only for the compost bin
The theologian from the East, meanwhile, has taken his rose back to his room as well. This is where he has also been busy at his table... which he has turned into an altar... and he is busy cutting and sewing a tablecloth, from the finest cloth available; washing out a crystal vase, and shining a silver plate - so that upon the pressed and fitted tablecloth, there might sit the shiny, silver plate holding the sparkling crystal vase, so gently caressing the delicate and beautiful rose, across from which the theologian sits, not taking notes or making sketches, but in deep contemplation, meditation, and gratitude, for the wonder and beauty of that rose.
And so where do the 3 wise men come from?
The West? No... The East!
And it's a good thing... Had they come from the West, what do you suppose these 'Three Kings' would have brought the infant Jesus?
A box of Pampers, a crock pot full of chili, and a pack-and-play portable crib to get that baby out of the hay!
No, it was not 3 kings, but mysterious Magi who came from the East...
These magic men who came, not by GPS on their smartphones, or even primitive maps of a cartographer's making, but by a mysterious heavenly light - bearing gifts of Gold for the King of kings, myrrh, used to embalm one who was destined to die, and frankincense, yes, incense to worship... to bow down in homage and praise - how else would you behave in the presence of the Divine?
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As some of you may know, I've been in serious conversation with a friend of mine, a very bright, well-educated, and spiritually aware woman who is not a Christian, but who has asked me to unpack Christianity for her.
And she's done this because, as we both talked about recently, there's just something about every one of us that's spiritual. Like an arm, leg, or mind, there's a part of us that is Spirit. Like it or not, it's just how we're wired.
This manifests itself regularly: 'Don't walk by that house, it gives me the creeps!'
Why did I buy that car? It just felt right.
Why did I marry that guy? I feel like we were destined to be together - as soulmates.
None of these things are logical - because humans are not always logical -
We do not always rely on our intellect-
But we live much of our lives on intuition, conscience, feelings, and according to an inner voice...
We have a spiritual side - designed and destined for epiphanies...
And so, the point of this sermon is to encourage us to get in touch, more deeply, more nearly, with our spiritual sides, with that still small voice that advises us, guides us, pushes us towards the good, the right, the loving, the forgiving... towards God.
Poet Mary Oliver has written, "The heart has many dungeons, bring the light! Bring the light!"
I like to think that this is what the Magi were up to... when they set out upon their journey, led only by a hunch, a feeling, a strange light, an invisible force of attraction, the Spirit, drawing them to the object of all of our lives, which is God.
So, Epiphany is this great feast that invites us to quicken our stride towards God; what does that look like for you and me?
Epiphany is that Awakening to the voice of God who is in our midst, and who is yearning for us to draw more nearly to God.
Epiphany is when we look for manifestations of God at work around us. How has God been at work in you, and the things around you? What is your inner voice saying to you?
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I went to a funeral this week, somebody close to my age, who had battled cancer for 20 years.
Robin and her family had been carrying this burden together, and the beauty of that entire experience is the grace, the dignity, and the faith with which they addressed this horrible disease year in and year out, through endless treatments, doctor visits, and medication changes - the way they chose to address this challenge, which nobody asked for or ever wanted, served as an epiphany for everybody who knew this family.
I asked her husband Mike, "How did you muster the fortitude to be so faithful, day in and day out, for so long?" He said, "What else could I do? The voice is pretty clear at times like this, you know what to do - the right thing, the faithful thing, to care and support the love of my life on her house of need."
Yes, the inner voice is pretty clear at times like that, and I thank God for people like Mike, and like so many in our church, who embody this faithful obedience in difficult times - you are doing the right thing, the obedient thing in choosing compassion and selflessness in your time of trial - if that's you, please be encouraged that your faithfulness through adversity is inspiring those around you, as you heed the inner voice of love and compassion.
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This is the time of year when many of us make resolutions for the year ahead - lose weight, eat better, exercise more - you know all those resolutions you made last Saturday night that you've already broken by now...
The people who research these things find an important correlation when we make resolutions based on the outer voices, the popular resolutions to get healthy, for example, and the resolutions we make based on our inner voice.
People who attempt change listening to the outer voices of societal or familial expectation are trying to do the right thing for the wrong reason, and unsurprisingly tend to fail.
But those who make their resolutions based on a deep-seated conviction that they are following an inner light, that still, small voice - and are acting from the inside out - that's where needful, effective change occurs.
So, what is that inner voice saying to you today?
How are we listening to our bodies?
How are we listening to our hearts?
How are we opening ourselves up to the light, as the Magi did?
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Earlier this week, your staff held one of its tri-annual retreats, and this topic came up.
I've been your rector for 15+ years.
I came here because an inner voice led me.
Not an audible voice, but an alignment of circumstances, a harmony of personalities, a puzzle piece that did not have to be forced into place...
And I will stay here until that voice calls me elsewhere.
Don't worry, there are no pending announcements...
But I will do my best to listen for and to that voice, knowing that we have a very helpful spiritual side, and that we are called to live from the inside out, trusting in the work of God, not the work of man, to lead us.
Star of wonder, star of night, guide us to that perfect light.
Amen.