Here Come The Kings!

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Here Come The Kings!

Isaiah 60: 1-6;
Matthew 2: 1-12

Epiph= any has a long and unusual history. It is in fact a Christian Festival which is old= er than Christmas. It is thought that the festival of Epiphany began in Egypt = to displace the pagan festival of the Winter Solstice which was celebrated on January 6, in Egypt and December 25 in Rome. The word “epiphany”, a= s you well know, means “a revealing” It is an appearance, insight, or experience which makes God real to us. By the time the Western Church in Ro= me adopted December 25th for Christmas, the emphasis was growing on January 6<= sup>th being associated with the visit of the Magi; the revealing of God to the Gentiles; to the whole of humankind.

So he= re come the Kings of Christmas! Yes, from Babylon, from soft, sensuous Babylon they came. Babylon, soft and fat on an overabundance of food and drink was being lulled to sleep by over-indulgent preoccupation with pleasure, rotting away. But some, at least, were looking for something with greater meaning. And th= ey were in that caravan moving over moor and mountain toward Bethlehem. Their camels loved the soft sands of the desert. But they objected to the roc= ky, waterless wastes that drew from them marks of their passing in footprints of blood.

But s= omething drew them on, these kings, as night after night they left the shelters to w= hich they had retreated from the blazing heat of the day, and once again set out= on the hard, tedious journey. Did a star lead them on? Surely it was more than= a star. Did not hope draw them forth into a wondrous new experience of hospit= ality? Does the star bit tax your imagination? They were probably quite sophistica= ted in their observa-tion of the stars and imagined what we cannot. We have so lighted the earth that the heavens are eclipsed and we look forever down at= our feet - so earth bound -that we miss the awesome ways to go at life!

Who w= ere these men with gifts so rare? Surely not Kings as tradition dictates. Probably “scholarsR= 21; as Eugene Peterson suggests; probably well educated for their time in medic= ine, religion and astrology. They would have that inner curiosity about what was happening in the skies. They were certain that something unusual was about = to happen in the universe. And after all, the Roman author Suetonius had writt= en: “There spread over the East an old established belief that men from J= udea were fated to rule the world.” These men wise would wonder about that. The sophisticated and politically astute would laugh at such a notion. But these men humble, vulnerable and wise, looking for something better in this life, would consider carefully such a message. For them, possibilities were endless in the universe.

So on= they came, these Gentile strangers, while those who should have needed no guidan= ce to find the Babe of Bethlehem, the scribes, priests and the Pharisees, thoroughly familiar with the words of their own prophet missed him. Had not= the prophet proclaimed: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little t= o be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be= ruler in Israel…?” Those who should have known, missed him! They above all should have welcomed him with gladness and shown him hospitality! But t= hey were afraid of what was about to happen. It was change of cosmic dimensions= and King Herod could think of nothing to do about it except kill babies!

What = thought these visitors from afar as they encountered the humble scene? Did they wonder: is this wha= t we have been seeking in these months of tedious travel - this poor scene - this mother, father and child - these poor people - in such a small village? Apparently no such thoughts crossed their trusting minds. They understood w= hat we cannot about that humble scene. They brought their gifts to the child. B= ut did they also bring some new and unique meaning to that scene?

Is it= not a story of remark-able hospitality! They were showing hospitality to the stranger! After all, these scholars belonged to a larger and distant world.= No small village folk are they. They are cosmic characters. They are tied to t= he universe. They welcome this stranger. Welcome to the universe! You are the Child of Bethlehem, but you are so much more. And you will be an alien in y= our own land. This they had learned from King Herod. John the Baptizer would sa= y of his cousin Jesus: “The one who comes from above is above all; the one= who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The o= ne who comes from heaven…testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no= one accepts his testimony.” John, reflecting on this would write: “= He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all= who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.” These wise men understood this and welcomed him to the universe! They welcomed him as the God-presence and voice in the universe!

Well,= who are the hosts and who are the guests in this scene? How dependent is the world on scho= lars with vision and with soul. They are the hosts. They invite the Babe of Bethlehem to be a person of the universe! Welcome to the universe! Generati= ons later St. Paul would develop a theology of the Christ of the Cosmos in his letter to the church at Colossae. It raises serious questions. Is he then t= he only God-presence and God-voice to be welcomed by the universe? I don’= ;t think so. These voices are all around us, and we would know it if our eyes = were not so glued to the ground. There is a complete story being woven here. In = the beginning the author of Genesis dreams of a universe that is alive with int= elligence, creativity, and the possibilities of love and compassion and peace. Lonelin= ess is at the center of the universe and in the soul of the creator, which is countered in a creation of persons, creatures and beauty in an image of fellowship and being connected and dependent upon each other.

And n= ow there is this guest of the universe. And what about Joseph and Mary, and all the visitors to the stable - are they not hosts also? Oh yes, they are! What gr= and hospitality, when poverty and simple life receive important people without embarrassment! We are changed when we encounter the graciousness of the poor. The wise men knew that,= and they were changed, and so they had to go home by another way! Their lives w= ere changed forever. They had to be part of saving the Child of Bethlehem. And = they were. And where are we?