The Visit of the Magi
Watch the Matthew video, especially chapter 2 on the arrival of the Wise Men. Read the sermon I wrote for our Epiphany celebration on the Magi coming to worship the Christ Child.
I'm including the video in case you missed our Sunday morning Bible study on Matthew. I'm including the sermon in case you missed our Epiphany Festival in January or you forgot what was said. I've also added some pictures of wood carvings from a store in Bethlehem. Just remember that the Magi would have arrived in Bethlehem after the Holy Family had moved out of the stable and into a house. I always encourage people to keep the Wise Men out of the manger scene until January 12. Remove the shepherds and move the family into a makeshift home where the Magi can visit.
Isaiah 60:1-6 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. 5 Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. 6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.
Grace, mercy and peace in the name of Jesus Christ, on this Epiphany celebration of Christ’s birth. For at Christmas, we celebrate that God appears as a man. Today and throughout Epiphany, we celebrate that this man appears before the world as God. Amen.
Some 700 years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.”
When Isaiah proclaimed those words, the people had no idea just how thick and deep the darkness was going to be. Israel and Judah were still in the twilight, but the sun was going down fast on their kingdoms. In just a few generations, the Assyrians and the Babylonians would reduce them to rubble. God would discipline His people for their disobedience and unfaithfulness, and give the land the Sabbath rest His people would not. And so for 70 years His people would live as prisoners of war. For 70 years they lived as exiles in a strange land, with a strange culture, with a strange language, with strange customs, and with strange gods. It would not be easy.
Among those taken from Judah to Babylon, we know the names of four young men in particular - men who we are told were “apt to learn, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace.” (Daniel 1:4) They were among the best and the brightest, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, wanted to teach and raise in his kingdom, for his use and benefit. What Nebuchadnezzar didn’t know was that according to God’s plan, the learning, use, and benefit was actually going to work in the other direction!
These four youths whom we know as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would teach the Babylonians about the God of Israel, the one true God. And we see that in their exile, God was not abandoning His people, but was, in fact, with them. And that God was going to use this time of deep and thick darkness to proclaim His name and His glory.
And so when God saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the flames of the fiery furnace, the Babylonians learned that “there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” (Daniel 3:29) And when God saved Daniel from the mouths of lions in the lion’s den, they learned that “he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth.” (Daniel 6:26-27) With these two rescues, the Babylonians had seen some great and mighty wonders, but they hadn’t seen nothin’ yet. For God was saving His greatest rescue, His greatest deliverance, His greatest wonder, to be seen by some other wise men many generations later.
We’re not exactly sure who the wise men from the East, mentioned by Matthew, were. They mysteriously arrive in Jerusalem and just as mysteriously exit the scene - but it seems probable that they were the descendants of the wise men among whom those four youths lived and learned; who had learned of a God in Israel; who had studied about this Lord who performs signs and wonders; who had been told of the deliverance of these youths from fire and beast. And so when the star appears, they arise and head off to see the Lord who has arisen among His people. They arise and load their camels with gold and incense to go see not just “a” king of the Jews, but the true King of the Jews.
And when they arrive - after a short detour to Jerusalem - what did they see? A baby? Yes … and no. Physical eyes see a child, but spiritual eyes see the God who saved the three men from the fiery furnace, and the God who spared Daniel from the mouths of the lions. They see the God who had now come to accomplish a greater deliverance than that - the God who came to save all people from the fires of hell, and from the mouth of the devilish lion. They saw the Alpha and Omega, without beginning or end whose beginning began in the womb and whose end (for three days) was displayed for all to see on a cross. They saw the child Jesus’ hands playing with toys, the same hands that would burst the bonds of sin and dissolve the fetters of death. Jesus was probably toddling or walking around by the time the Wise Men found Him, but He was used to walking because he had once walked where the angels trod. They were looking upon this young child who had come to break down the walls of death’s fortress, and bring forth the prisoners held captive so long.
And so when they entered the house, what else could they do but fall down and worship Him, and give Him their treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gifts befitting this child who is a Prophet, Priest, and King. This child named Jesus, because He is the Lord saves. The toddler named Emmanuel for He is God with us. The youth who is heaven’s perfect Lamb.
And the words of Isaiah the prophet had come true: the Light of the world had come to banish the darkness of our sin, and give us hope.
That is also what happened to St. Paul, who we heard from in the Epistle today. Paul’s darkness was pretty deep and thick as well. He was in the darkness of unbelief as he was persecuting the Church and trying to stamp it out, until the light of Christ shone upon him. He then lived in the darkness of blindness until he was baptized into Christ. And now, as he writes the Epistle to the Ephesians, he is in the darkness of prison for proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. But even in the darkness, God had plans for Paul, and was using Paul to proclaim His name and His glory. And so while Paul knew the darkness of sin and unbelief - knew it from his own life and heart - he also came to know that on the day the darkness was deepest that was when the light shone the brightest. When Jesus hung on the cross and the sun was ashamed to shine on its crucified Creator; as Jesus hung suspended between God and man, and His body was laid in the darkness of the tomb, as the earth shook and gave up its dead – that was the day the Light shined the brightest, the dawn was glowing with salvation, the glory of the Lord was bursting forth from the hill of the skull, as Jesus atoned for our sins and reconciled us to the Father. Or as John told us on Christmas Day, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)
And this is the Light that shined not only upon the wise men or St. Paul, but now also shines upon you and made you wise men and women and children. Not wise according to the standards and wisdom of the world, but wise with the wisdom of God, the wisdom of faith, the wisdom of the Word. For at this time and place, you are the ones walking in the darkness of sin and death, and for some of you - like for Israel and Paul - the darkness is very deep indeed. The darkness of sin that is crouching at your door and wants to have you. The darkness of sin that is attacking you.
The darkness of separation and shame. The darkness of doubt and despair. The darkness of divorce or disease. The darkness of broken health, broken homes, and broken hearts. The shadow of darkness that has been cast over your life from a loved one’s death. The darkness of feeling like an exile who will never go home. The darkness that even masquerades as the light of self-sufficiency and pride and success, but which is simply luring you in deeper. The darkness which says: you don’t need God and His Word to be wise, His life to live, or His pardon for your sin. And perhaps our eyes have adjusted to the darkness, and we think it not so bad.
But today, the Epiphany of our Lord, we hear: the Light comes to shine on us. The Morning Star has risen in your heart to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 4:6) That with the wise men and St. Paul, you know that tiny face which laid in the manger, that gory and bloody face that hung from the cross, and now that face which shines upon you in this place, as the One who was born and died for you, washes away your sins, strengthens your faith, feeds you with His own flesh and blood, and gives you peace. Peace even in the midst of darkness. For He who was with His people in the darkness of their exile, who came to live and die in the darkness for our sin, is with you in whatever darkness you face. Working in you to sustain you, and working through you to reach others - to be a light to the nations. That as the glory of the Lord has arisen upon you, so too may it arise upon them - whether wise men or beggars.
As long as we are in this world, there is going to be darkness. Satan will do his best to hide the Light of Christ and overshadow us with darkness and fear. And at times, perhaps it seems very deep and thick. But do not fear him, for he could not and cannot extinguish the Light of the world. He tried! He tried through Herod, he tried through temptation, he tried through crucifixion, he tried through persecution, and he is trying still to extinguish Him in you and snuff out your faith. But he lost, and is losing still. For the death and resurrection of Jesus defeated him, and is still winning among us. Winning every time you confess your sins and receive His forgiveness. Winning every time an adult or child is brought to the font to be baptized. Winning every time you open your mouth and eat the body and drink the blood of the crucified and risen one. Winning every time you hear the Word of God proclaimed and take it to heart. Winning every time you repay evil with good. Winning every time you help your neighbor, love the unloveable, and pray for those who persecute you.
It is believed that the Magi from the East learned about the coming Christ through Daniel. Christ is the New Testament Daniel. He is the Son of God who came down from heaven to be thrown to the satanic lion to not be rescued. To feel the jaws of sin and death come down on Him, so they would not come down on us. That when we are thrown to the lions of sin and death, He stands between us and hold their jaws shut. For this child whose birth we remember this season is the resurrected Lord over sin, death, and the devil - and in Him we are safe; in Him we will be raised out of the den of death; in Him we have a life to live forever.
Today, we remember the wise men, who followed the Light of lights to the King of kings. Today we make the same journey, to the see the glory of Christ laying in the manger of bread and wine, to have His light shine in us and through us, to blast away the darkness and live in His glorious and eternal dawn. The world says you are foolish; Jesus says you are forgiven.
Arise, shine, for your light has come! Amen.
I'm including the video in case you missed our Sunday morning Bible study on Matthew. I'm including the sermon in case you missed our Epiphany Festival in January or you forgot what was said. I've also added some pictures of wood carvings from a store in Bethlehem. Just remember that the Magi would have arrived in Bethlehem after the Holy Family had moved out of the stable and into a house. I always encourage people to keep the Wise Men out of the manger scene until January 12. Remove the shepherds and move the family into a makeshift home where the Magi can visit.
Festival of the Epiphany of Our Lord at Epiphany Lutheran Church on January 6, 2010
Isaiah 60:1-6 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. 5 Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. 6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.
The Light in the Darkness
Grace, mercy and peace in the name of Jesus Christ, on this Epiphany celebration of Christ’s birth. For at Christmas, we celebrate that God appears as a man. Today and throughout Epiphany, we celebrate that this man appears before the world as God. Amen.
Some 700 years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.”
When Isaiah proclaimed those words, the people had no idea just how thick and deep the darkness was going to be. Israel and Judah were still in the twilight, but the sun was going down fast on their kingdoms. In just a few generations, the Assyrians and the Babylonians would reduce them to rubble. God would discipline His people for their disobedience and unfaithfulness, and give the land the Sabbath rest His people would not. And so for 70 years His people would live as prisoners of war. For 70 years they lived as exiles in a strange land, with a strange culture, with a strange language, with strange customs, and with strange gods. It would not be easy.
Among those taken from Judah to Babylon, we know the names of four young men in particular - men who we are told were “apt to learn, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace.” (Daniel 1:4) They were among the best and the brightest, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, wanted to teach and raise in his kingdom, for his use and benefit. What Nebuchadnezzar didn’t know was that according to God’s plan, the learning, use, and benefit was actually going to work in the other direction!
These four youths whom we know as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would teach the Babylonians about the God of Israel, the one true God. And we see that in their exile, God was not abandoning His people, but was, in fact, with them. And that God was going to use this time of deep and thick darkness to proclaim His name and His glory.
And so when God saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the flames of the fiery furnace, the Babylonians learned that “there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” (Daniel 3:29) And when God saved Daniel from the mouths of lions in the lion’s den, they learned that “he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth.” (Daniel 6:26-27) With these two rescues, the Babylonians had seen some great and mighty wonders, but they hadn’t seen nothin’ yet. For God was saving His greatest rescue, His greatest deliverance, His greatest wonder, to be seen by some other wise men many generations later.
We’re not exactly sure who the wise men from the East, mentioned by Matthew, were. They mysteriously arrive in Jerusalem and just as mysteriously exit the scene - but it seems probable that they were the descendants of the wise men among whom those four youths lived and learned; who had learned of a God in Israel; who had studied about this Lord who performs signs and wonders; who had been told of the deliverance of these youths from fire and beast. And so when the star appears, they arise and head off to see the Lord who has arisen among His people. They arise and load their camels with gold and incense to go see not just “a” king of the Jews, but the true King of the Jews.
And when they arrive - after a short detour to Jerusalem - what did they see? A baby? Yes … and no. Physical eyes see a child, but spiritual eyes see the God who saved the three men from the fiery furnace, and the God who spared Daniel from the mouths of the lions. They see the God who had now come to accomplish a greater deliverance than that - the God who came to save all people from the fires of hell, and from the mouth of the devilish lion. They saw the Alpha and Omega, without beginning or end whose beginning began in the womb and whose end (for three days) was displayed for all to see on a cross. They saw the child Jesus’ hands playing with toys, the same hands that would burst the bonds of sin and dissolve the fetters of death. Jesus was probably toddling or walking around by the time the Wise Men found Him, but He was used to walking because he had once walked where the angels trod. They were looking upon this young child who had come to break down the walls of death’s fortress, and bring forth the prisoners held captive so long.
And so when they entered the house, what else could they do but fall down and worship Him, and give Him their treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gifts befitting this child who is a Prophet, Priest, and King. This child named Jesus, because He is the Lord saves. The toddler named Emmanuel for He is God with us. The youth who is heaven’s perfect Lamb.
And the words of Isaiah the prophet had come true: the Light of the world had come to banish the darkness of our sin, and give us hope.
That is also what happened to St. Paul, who we heard from in the Epistle today. Paul’s darkness was pretty deep and thick as well. He was in the darkness of unbelief as he was persecuting the Church and trying to stamp it out, until the light of Christ shone upon him. He then lived in the darkness of blindness until he was baptized into Christ. And now, as he writes the Epistle to the Ephesians, he is in the darkness of prison for proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. But even in the darkness, God had plans for Paul, and was using Paul to proclaim His name and His glory. And so while Paul knew the darkness of sin and unbelief - knew it from his own life and heart - he also came to know that on the day the darkness was deepest that was when the light shone the brightest. When Jesus hung on the cross and the sun was ashamed to shine on its crucified Creator; as Jesus hung suspended between God and man, and His body was laid in the darkness of the tomb, as the earth shook and gave up its dead – that was the day the Light shined the brightest, the dawn was glowing with salvation, the glory of the Lord was bursting forth from the hill of the skull, as Jesus atoned for our sins and reconciled us to the Father. Or as John told us on Christmas Day, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)
And this is the Light that shined not only upon the wise men or St. Paul, but now also shines upon you and made you wise men and women and children. Not wise according to the standards and wisdom of the world, but wise with the wisdom of God, the wisdom of faith, the wisdom of the Word. For at this time and place, you are the ones walking in the darkness of sin and death, and for some of you - like for Israel and Paul - the darkness is very deep indeed. The darkness of sin that is crouching at your door and wants to have you. The darkness of sin that is attacking you.
The darkness of separation and shame. The darkness of doubt and despair. The darkness of divorce or disease. The darkness of broken health, broken homes, and broken hearts. The shadow of darkness that has been cast over your life from a loved one’s death. The darkness of feeling like an exile who will never go home. The darkness that even masquerades as the light of self-sufficiency and pride and success, but which is simply luring you in deeper. The darkness which says: you don’t need God and His Word to be wise, His life to live, or His pardon for your sin. And perhaps our eyes have adjusted to the darkness, and we think it not so bad.
But today, the Epiphany of our Lord, we hear: the Light comes to shine on us. The Morning Star has risen in your heart to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 4:6) That with the wise men and St. Paul, you know that tiny face which laid in the manger, that gory and bloody face that hung from the cross, and now that face which shines upon you in this place, as the One who was born and died for you, washes away your sins, strengthens your faith, feeds you with His own flesh and blood, and gives you peace. Peace even in the midst of darkness. For He who was with His people in the darkness of their exile, who came to live and die in the darkness for our sin, is with you in whatever darkness you face. Working in you to sustain you, and working through you to reach others - to be a light to the nations. That as the glory of the Lord has arisen upon you, so too may it arise upon them - whether wise men or beggars.
As long as we are in this world, there is going to be darkness. Satan will do his best to hide the Light of Christ and overshadow us with darkness and fear. And at times, perhaps it seems very deep and thick. But do not fear him, for he could not and cannot extinguish the Light of the world. He tried! He tried through Herod, he tried through temptation, he tried through crucifixion, he tried through persecution, and he is trying still to extinguish Him in you and snuff out your faith. But he lost, and is losing still. For the death and resurrection of Jesus defeated him, and is still winning among us. Winning every time you confess your sins and receive His forgiveness. Winning every time an adult or child is brought to the font to be baptized. Winning every time you open your mouth and eat the body and drink the blood of the crucified and risen one. Winning every time you hear the Word of God proclaimed and take it to heart. Winning every time you repay evil with good. Winning every time you help your neighbor, love the unloveable, and pray for those who persecute you.
It is believed that the Magi from the East learned about the coming Christ through Daniel. Christ is the New Testament Daniel. He is the Son of God who came down from heaven to be thrown to the satanic lion to not be rescued. To feel the jaws of sin and death come down on Him, so they would not come down on us. That when we are thrown to the lions of sin and death, He stands between us and hold their jaws shut. For this child whose birth we remember this season is the resurrected Lord over sin, death, and the devil - and in Him we are safe; in Him we will be raised out of the den of death; in Him we have a life to live forever.
Today, we remember the wise men, who followed the Light of lights to the King of kings. Today we make the same journey, to the see the glory of Christ laying in the manger of bread and wine, to have His light shine in us and through us, to blast away the darkness and live in His glorious and eternal dawn. The world says you are foolish; Jesus says you are forgiven.
Arise, shine, for your light has come! Amen.
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