Sermon from Sunday: Determined to Follow the Light Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12 December 28, 2014 Rick Marson Union UMC During the season of Advent we often call upon the prophetic writings of Isaiah. Christians traditionally interpret many of Isaiah’s statements as Messianic prophecy—where we see Jesus as the fulfillment of the Isaiah’s writing. We typically see today’s reading, as if it were written specifically to the baby Jesus. Isaiah 60:1-6 1Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. 5Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6 A multitude of camels shall cover you . . . They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. I said earlier that, most often, Christians link these scriptures to the birth of Jesus. But for the moment I would like to consider what the passage says about light . . . and darkness. It says, “darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples.” And, “Nations shall come to your light.” But John, the evangelist, adds a qualification to Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah, saying, “the light has come into the world . . . and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19). What is the nature of this thick darkness that engulfs the world, and why on earth would some, if not all, people be tempted at times to choose darkness to the light? I mean, really, who is going to turn off the only flashlight in a completely dark room? Who indeed? You and I would certainly never be that foolish! 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; [Why would such news be frightening to a siting king? Think about it, if you were a productive, albeit sometimes violence-prone, king of Israel, why should you be frightened by the good news? You are a Jewish king, of the likes of King David and King Solomon; not some pagan appointee of Caesar in Rome. This Savior that was coming was your Savior! And, you had rebuilt the city of Jerusalem, modernizing it. You had completely rebuilt Solomon’s Temple, which had been destroyed centuries earlier by invaders! You had two sons who you were grooming to replace you as king someday . . . and then some men . . . rich men . . . wise men . . . foreign rulers . . . came to town asking to see the new-born king. They said they had been following this child’s star from other lands . . . you probably wouldn’t feel threatened by this if you were the current king; now would you? If you have done any significant reading from 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings, you know that many a royal transition was accompanied by jealousy, ambition and violence. Herod was not nearly as violent as King David! If you were Herod, why should you be worried about some ancient prophesy? You were the legitimate king of Israel? And it says, “All Jerusalem was frightened with him.” Why would all Jerusalem be afraid of such good news? Remember, as John said, “people loved darkness, rather than light.”] So 4 calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he [Herod] 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.”’ [So the religious leaders were working with King Herod, telling him that it was Bethlehem where the new king would be born, according to the Scriptures. Perhaps they felt as threatened as Herod did! . . . Was no one in favor of the Light?] 7 Then 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.” [Men loved darkness, rather than light because their deeds were evil! Herod did not want to “pay homage” to this wanna-be king—Herod wanted to kill him. But he couldn’t just come out and say that. Herod preferred darkness to light; because his heart and his deeds were evil!] 9When they [the wise men] 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. [Now I have a couple of logistical questions here. Why did the wise men have to stop in Jerusalem in the first place, and ask for directions to the child, if they had been following the star all along? It’s almost as if the star was hidden for a while, forcing the wise men to come into Jerusalem asking provocative questions, thus alerting the king of this threat to his power. And could not king Herod, and the scribes and chief priests see the same shining star that these wise men had been following for months? I believe the star was visible for all to see—light had come into the world . . . for everyone; but the darkness was so deep . . . that most men actually preferred the darkness. It is not so hard . . . to prefer the darkness. All you have to do is close your eyes! Anyone can do it! You and I can do it!] 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. In retrospect, we can see how the story of the wise men following the holy star dovetails with the Isaiah prophesy about the Messiah—the “gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh,” and Nations” and “kings” being drawn “to the brightness of your dawn.” It is also clear that the darkness into which the light of God was coming, was not a physical darkness, but rather, a spiritual blindness, one based upon jealousy, envy, and the quest for power, the desire to be in control. That is a very . . . deep . . . darkness, which can cover even a penetrating light. Another way to read Isaiah’s prophesy is as if we were its beneficiaries: 1Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. And there is only one thing that can keep the glory of God from shining upon us, illuminating our lives—that is . . . if we love the darkness, preferring it to the light . . . because our deeds are evil. When we choose to be jealous of others, people sitting in front of you in the pew . . . we are preferring the darkness over the light. When we criticize others, and judge their motivations . . . we are loving the darkness! When our words speak with subtle deception and manipulation, protecting our own affairs . . . we, like King Herod . . . are intentionally avoiding the light. And these intentional actions, our willingness to walk in such moments of darkness, will have a blinding effect in other areas of our lives, as well. All of our judgments will be affected. I am relatively certain that King Herod was not intentionally trying to kill the Son of God. He didn’t really believe this child was the Son of God. He was only doing what any one of us might do: protecting what he had built, preserving it for his children. Herod was just doing what he had done all of his life—maintain and consolidate his power! But, who among us does not act in their own self-interest? But, be warned . . . intentionally choosing the darkened path will . . . always remove us from the will of God . . . Always! And it is so easy to prefer the darkness . . . All we have to do is . . . close our eyes . . . and the darkness will have won! But . . . the Light is always there! 1Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. And all we have to do is . . . open our eyes . . . look for the light to shine upon our path . . . choose to walk in the light . . . preferring it to the darkness. In the next several weeks I am going to be talking the treacherous path of navigating the darkness; about practical ways of walking in the light, and how to avoid the natural, human temptation to prefer the darkness. It is a message that I feel is absolutely crucial to the life and health of our church, this church. Please don’t miss it! The Light of God is shining in the world around us; but it is enveloped by darkness. The only way to overcome darkness . . . is by intentionally following the light . . . and being determined to walk in it!
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 17:43:58 +0000
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