How does one find Jesus? I mean, how can I – how can we – discover Jesus in a more meaningful way – in a way that changes daily life?
And that’s part one of the two-part question we’ve faced in each of the appointed readings since we began this season of Epiphanytide back on 6 January (at least from a bird’s eye view).
And, if I paint with an even broader brush, I believe that every time (every single time) someone walks through those red front doors, or joins us online, the questions that have driven him or her to Redeemer – the questions that keep driving us back week after week – are the same: how can I find Jesus, and how can I be found by Him?
Back on the Epiphany, St. Matthew told us about magi from the east who followed a star to find Jesus. They found the Christ-child with His mother, Mary. They knelt down (actually, the word in Greek says they fell flat on their faces), and they worshipped Him, giving Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Those were precious, expensive gifts, as you’ve heard before. If it happened today, I supposed the magi would bring a gold Cartier bracelet, a Dyptique scented candle, and some of those essential oils that apparently cure everything from bad breath to hernias. I can promise you they don’t cure COVID, because I tried!
On the First Sunday after the Epiphany, which is also known as the Baptism of Our Lord, St. John the Baptist told the crowds to get ready – that they could indeed find Messiah, because He was coming onto the scene. And last week, Jesus can be found in Galilee calling Phillip and Nathaniel to be His disciples, issuing the greatest invitation of all with just two words, “follow me.”
In this little homily, I need to make just two very brief remarks. First, a quick statement about how God delights —truly enjoys —manifesting Himself to the least expected – to the “foolish” – people of the world. And I want to make clear how that’s good news for you and for me. Then, I will say one final thing about God being most present, most effective, in the parts of our lives we’d least think or ever really want to consider.
This homily is basically my understanding of the season of Epiphany – the season of God’s manifestation – as I have come to it watching all things Redeemer on You Tube while I convalesced.
So, let’s start back at the beginning. What’s the deal with those “wise” men? Were they magicians? Were they kings? Were there three? Tradition says there were three named Casper, Balthasar, and Melchior.
Now, I love traditions, like the black-eyed peas I had on New Year’s Day, but St. Matthew simply says, “after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem…” (Matt. 2:1) – nothing more. And, technically, St. Matthew uses the word “magi” for what we have translated “wise men.” In his immediate context, the Magi were most likely well-known Zoroastrian priests from Persia. They were well-known experts in astrology and science. Everyone, even devout Jews, kept up with their work, even if they didn’t talk about. It’s kind of the like keeping tabs on the Kardashians today; everybody does it, but nobody talks about it.
Did you know Zoroastrianism still exists? I didn’t. The Wall Street Journal even ran an article last summer tracking its growth in our country. Oddly enough, it is declining in what used to be Persia, but it’s growing here. There are now about 25,000 practitioners here in the U.S. I realize this info won’t win Double Jeopardy, or score points at a cocktail party, but I found it pretty interesting.
Anyway, Zoroastrianism promises enlightenment and eternal rewards for those who never veer from the three-fold path of good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. How do you measure up under those conditions?
When I think about Zoroastrianism, of course a song comes to mind. Sorry. The religion reminds me of “You Get What You Give” by The New Radicals in 1998. They put it like this:
Don’t give up
You’ve got a reason to live
Can’t forget
We only get what we give”
Some people call this karma. If I’m glad of one thing, I’m glad Jesus didn’t come with a message of Karma. If the message of Jesus is Karma, I’ve got at least three eternities in hell based on that model. The sheer number of negative thoughts I lodged against the Internal Revenue Service during an audit one time means I’m going “down, down, down in the ring of fire.” And Johnny Cash says it “burns, burns, burns…the ring of fire.”
All of this is to say the magi weren’t kosher—they were non-Jews – outsiders…the very last people God was supposed to send a signal or a flare. And this is great news for you and me, because like many of us, they hadn’t exactly dedicated their lives to praying in the temple every day or keeping Mosaic law. They weren’t even following the right religion.
Yet, none of that was – and none of that is – a barrier to a new relationship with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. God used what they knew – a star. They were found by Him, and they found Him – the Christ-Child, and they fell down and worshiped. And it changed their daily lives right down to the core.
The very same life-giving principle is likewise uncovered in today’s reading from the gospel according to St. Mark.
Think about it this way. With all the seemingly “qualified” and dignified religious leaders to pick from in Jerusalem, why did Messiah choose Fishermen from Galilee. Fishermen? I realize fishing is a nice, quasi-sophisticated activity in Sarasota – you know, blasting through New Pass with three turbo-charged 350’s to land the big one out in the gulf. But the guys Jesus called were more like the ones you see fishing with a cane pole and chewing tobacco on the banks of the Alabama River.
Okay, I’m repeating myself; God delights in calling the unexpected. That means wherever we’ve been, and wherever we are, we have a future with God. Truth be told, we may not have a bright future at work, or even at home, but we have future with God through His son, Jesus Christ.
And, finally, not only does God call the most unlikely people, but He often speaks to the world most mightily by transforming, and then using, the very parts of our lives we like the least – the imperfections, the failures, and the baggage.
There are at least a few people here, and some who are watching now, who know me extremely well – I mean they know the “good, the bad, [and] the ugly.” And I can tell you that when they see me standing here a priest, after they get over the sheer shock of it, they open themselves to the gospel, because they know that only God could pull off something like this!
And I’m not ashamed of that one bit – that God Almighty would use me, a “miserable offender,” as the old Prayer Book put it – that God would use you – to spread the news of His boundless, redeeming love. It was St. Paul who said, “The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom” (I Cor 1:24).
It turns out the New Radicals were partially right: “You’ve got a reason to live.” And that reason is Jesus, because He didn’t come showing us a three-fold way to climb our way up to heaven with good thoughts. No, He came down to give heaven’s glory to us, proving that He is the way, the truth, and the life.
And Christ still calls “one and all; ye who follow shall not fall.”
Sermon preached by the Rev. Charleston D. Wilson
Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota Florida
24 January 2021
3rd Sunday after the Epiphany