Well, howdy. Well, I managed to pick a great time to lose my voice. There you go.
That's what vacation always seems to do, right? It's wonderful and then somehow the last day or two
you're just absolutely exhausted. And you know, I could spend my time going on and on about
jacuzzi's and excursions and scoops and I mean, you know, snorkeling and you know, paddleboarding
and getting a chance to eat all that you want and everything else, but I don't want to rub it in
your faces. So I won't bring that up at all. But you know, with all of this is then being able to
then pause and realize that after doing this for about a week is the funny part is then you also
realize that you miss home. And that's the really strange part is that as much as you may be going
on an adventure and seeing things and getting a chance to do things you don't normally do is there's
always this part of you then as you're getting toward the end where you're thinking, yeah, this
is great. I miss my bed. I miss I miss getting a chance to wake up and drink my normal coffee and
get a chance to do my normal routines. And there's a part of you that says, am I really sure that I
want to be here? And this was on my mind quite a bit as I was thinking about what was going on as
the wise men were traveling to see the baby Jesus. Now I want to make sure that we do just a little
bit of a recap of what we discussed in previous years. Who were the wise men exactly? So whenever
we hear and we read about the, you know, like the different Christmas songs and everything for the
season. And it says we three kings of Orient are, which apparently is completely and totally messed
up altogether, which number one, I don't think we're supposed to say Orient. I think that that's a
bit rude these days. But also, we don't actually know for sure where they were actually from. And
if anything, they were probably from Babylon or Persia, you know, depending on what timeframe
you're looking at for where they were at. We don't actually know for sure that they were kings. We
know that they were wise men as the term Magi or Magoi in the Greek would let us to believe. And we
don't necessarily know that there were three of them. So I'm very, very sorry. Your Advent Christmas
songs are completely off. I have just ruined your childhood. So but with it though, is even trying to
understand a bit about why did we even come up with those things in the first place? Well, see,
it turns out that there were different passages that ended up giving us the reason to believe these
particular ideas. So first of all, if you look at Isaiah 60 verse six, and it speaks and says,
a multitude of camels shall cover you the young camels of Midian and Efa and all those from Sheba
shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense and shall bring good news the praises of the Lord.
That's the reason why we imagine them coming in on camels. But then also whenever we would think
about, well, what about the idea of them being kings? Well, it says in Psalm 72 verses 10 through
11, as we read earlier, may the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute, may the
kings of Sheba and Sheba bring gifts, may all kings fall down before him and all nations serve him.
So we have reason to think of that from this passage. However, notice that Tarshish though is
from the west, not the east. So there's different reasons for why we might see it in this way. But
also in looking at the idea of what a wise person was in those days is that the idea of the Magi,
Magi gives us impression, this idea of someone who was studying the stars. Now back then,
and we've mentioned this before, is that at that time, oftentimes people thought of astronomy and
astrology as being overlapping. So they saw the science of seeing where the stars and the plants
were aligning with the idea of destiny in the future. But one of the things that we pointed
out and mentioned is that just because we may know that the stars can determine time doesn't mean
that the stars themselves are the things choosing our future, which is something that we do want
to make sure that we understand when we're looking at this. These were people who were not of a
Jewish Hebrew background. They may have just been going off of the best of what they knew. Now,
did they have the prophecies that God had revealed previously? Well, potentially. Is it possible that
they had come from a land that Daniel had lived in previously, the area where he was exiled for
Babylon? Had they been able to hear in Numbers 2417 that a star will come from Jacob and a
receptor will arise from Israel? Were they able to know from Daniel 511 that Daniel, who had been
their leader, was the one pointing to the Messiah who was to come? And were they looking to see that
the King Star and the King Planet were aligning to create what we would know of as the Star of
Bethlehem and following it to where Jesus was? Maybe. There's a lot that we do not know about
these wise people. But the thing with it is we also know that in one way or another, there was
enough that had proclaimed to them that there was a King to come and someone that they needed to go
and to see and to worship. So with that, then we end up understanding that these people who had come
in were looking for someone important. But was it important enough that they would be confident
for four years of travel? What does it mean traveling more than four years? I can tell you,
I probably could have made it to nine or ten days on a boat and after that, I think I would just
stay on shore and be like, I'm walking home. I don't think that I could have made it for four years.
I don't quite get it. Apparently some people, that's actually their retirement plan. Instead of
living within retirement communities, apparently they really like the food. But with it though,
is to be able to ask this question though, how is it that we maintain dedication as we're moving
forward in the journey that we undertake? See, what was it for these wise men to be traveling
along and they don't even know for sure how long it's going to take them in the first place? They
see the star, they know they need to go, but they don't know how long it's going to take. Could you
imagine what has been happening month after month after month and they're continuing to travel and
they still have not gotten to where they're supposed to be going. Could you imagine the
conversation between them? Are you sure we should still be going? Are we sure that this prophecy,
are you sure that the heavens were pointing us in the right direction? Are we sure this is the
place to go? How often is it easy for us to feel the same way as we are following after Christ?
How often is it that we are trying to do what we know that God has called us to do and it is
frustrating, tedious. We find ourselves sometimes having a more difficult time than others do,
sometimes feel alone. We are trying our best to proclaim what God has wanted and then we see even
other Christians ignoring the things that we see are obvious. And that was one of the things that
had to have happened for them is that they needed to be of a similar mind. If you're going to be
joining on a trip together, all of you have to be encouraging each other to be strong and courageous
and to be able to say, I know this is hard. I know it is difficult, but we're supposed to keep
following. And how many times for two years that they had to finally go and continue to say,
we know what we were foretold and the star is still right there. And even to the point of knowing
now how are we going to get back home. But even more than that is to realize how did they know
what to do. You have to be traveling by night. You cannot be figuring out which direction the
star is going, except at a time when the star is the brightest. And that's the thing is that
oftentimes whenever we discover that we are in the darkness and we are wondering what it is we're
supposed to be doing that is oftentimes when the light is the strongest and the brightest. And
that's the thing for each of them was to stay focused on the light. How many other travelers
were there to distract them? How many other circumstances might have been there during the
day, during the times, whenever you can't see that star and yet to continue to stay focused on
which direction to go. But even more so, how did they even know to follow in the first place?
Because to see this alignment by itself has no significant meaning. How often is it that we are
continuing to try to look around us and try to figure out the world based on our own understanding?
We are trying to figure out what the best circumstances and the best decisions are to be
made based off of what we think makes sense. But do we take the time to take what we're seeing and
discern it through God's Word? Because the only way to understand what this meant was to have known
what the Scriptures were saying. Are we in our world today just taking things and trying to make
sense of them the best that we think? Or are we willing to take the time to take what we see and
go back to God's Word and say, God, what did you want me to do with this? What would your son have
said to do in response? What is your spirit leading us to? Not what do I think makes the most
sense? What is it that your Word is telling me to do because of this? And I find that interesting
because they were almost there. They were almost at Bethlehem. And then where did they go instead?
See, that's the thing about this, though, is that we're supposed to follow the light, not following
the power. See, that's the thing about this is that it's so interesting that as we were looking
through at the different possibilities about what trip that they were making, and they end up,
they probably went through Jericho, but there are some potential other routes that they could
have taken. But the thing is, is that if you go through Jericho, going from there directly to
Bethlehem does not require you to go through Jerusalem. The wise men assumed that the current
power would be the one to provide their wisdom. They were almost there. How often is it that we
get discouraged just before we get where God is wanting us to be? And the thing is, is that that
doesn't mean that God is no longer able to speak to us or no longer able to do as well. But how
often is it that we were just right there? And if we could have just held on a little bit longer,
instead of going a direction that feels good or feels strong or feels vocal or powerful, is that
instead, if we could have just stayed focused on what the light of God's wisdom truly is, is that
he's more than willing to lead us himself. The thing is, is that they already had a direction to
go. You know, sometimes you're just kind of like, could you just maybe read the room a little bit?
Going up to Jerusalem, if they had just paused, they would have realized that King Herod wasn't
actually a king. King Herod was not of the lineage of Judah, of David, of the kings of Judah of the
past. They would have realized that Herod was a jealous and superstitious and frightened man.
And if they had paused, wouldn't there have been an opportunity for God to reveal this is not where
to go? We know that God was able to speak later. Wouldn't God have been able to point them already?
But that's the thing about this is that because they were so insecure about just listening to what
God had to say, and that they turned in a direction that they thought made the most sense, is that
instead, how many children born over those two years had to suffer because they struggled just a bit
with that faith. And that's the thing about this is that we are oftentimes looking for someone or
something to somehow make sense of God's calling and God's direction for us, instead of just listening
to his word ourselves. That's one of the things about this is that to be completely fair, I sometimes
fear that this hour on a Sunday morning is the only time that you may be hearing God's word. As much
as I do my best to read it and meditate on it and say what is worthwhile, I am still not the light.
I am not God's word. This is why you are continually being encouraged to spend time with others in
groups or in classes or one on one or especially directly to be in God's word yourself. Because
each and everything that I say should always be taken back by you to God's word itself. Because
he is the one to truly direct your paths. But even more than that is to realize that Christ is not
just someone that belongs in this bubble that we have here in this building and among just these
people. See that's something that we oftentimes forget is that we need to stop assuming that Christ
is only ours. The thing is is that we in many ways have been brought up. How many of us in this
place in this building were brought up with stories and little archbooks that discussed all the
different things about Jesus and God and the Bible. I didn't even know that archbooks were Lutheran
and I grew up outside of Lutheran Church. I'm like thank you Lutherans. This is awesome and honestly
they were great. But the thing is how many people didn't grow up in that specific vein. Didn't have
it continually handed to them. We're not baptized as children and continue to be brought up in the
church. And yet we get upset when they first hear about God and Jesus and his spirit and they're
still trying to unpack that. And we assume that they would have no interest in knowing who God is
because if they did, wouldn't they be Christian already. But maybe they are on a path that takes
time and they need people to walk alongside them and to encourage them to keep on that path. Because
maybe they haven't gotten to the child yet. But that doesn't mean that they won't get there. But how
oftentimes do we just give up. Well it didn't work out. I guess they're just not interested. But the
thing is is that we do know that many people do think that there is such a thing as goodness and
righteousness and wisdom in the world. So if we truly believe that Jesus embodies all of those,
then why would we be afraid to trust that his word will lead them itself. And that if we just
continue to proclaim what God has shown us, that God's spirit can do the work. See that's the thing.
Is that not everybody has grown up in the same background, the same experiences, but that's
okay. We can use their experiences to show them that Jesus is the one they've been waiting for.
The hurt, the frustration, a world that is continually frustrated and angry with itself. And we
know how much treachery and how much corruption and how much anger and warfare is around us. Just
as God has proclaimed. And what kind of Messiah do we have? Do we have a Messiah that looks to harm
others, to treat them with contempt for being different? Do we have a Jesus who wants nothing to
do with anyone who hasn't already gotten their life together first? Or does he meet them first and
then teach them out of grace and hope and love? Don't we think that the world around us would
love to know that? And then maybe if we sat there and said, would you like to know? And they say,
you know, I'm not interested. Is to say, I understand and still look for another opportunity again.
Because that's a thing. Maybe we need to spend more time listening than we do speaking. The thing
is, is that the story will lead people to see their need for a savior as they draw closer. The thing
is, is that we as the Christian church, we spend a lot of time talking. We spend a lot of time
saying what we think that everybody needs to hear from us. But maybe if we take the time to hear
from them and understand why it is that they hurt, why it is that they're frustrated, why it is that
they're scared, what it is that they keep wishing that they could see and know and hear from God,
then maybe as we hear God's word more and more, we will realize that it speaks to all of those
things. Is that if we are in this word and listening to what the people in our world are going through,
we would be able to see how God's word speaks to them. Instead of thinking that our words and our
ideas are the ones to dominate. See, the thing is, is that as we continue to draw closer to who God
is, to hear his word and to keep walking closer, then we know the path to bring others along with
us. So the truth is, is that I don't know where the wise men originally came from for sure. I don't
know all the background. Were they pagan wise people using astrology to somehow try to figure out
what was going to get them closer to God, maybe. But what I do know is that as they continued to
follow the light of Christ, is that God brought them to know him in spirit and in truth. So maybe
we as the people privileged to have started with knowing his word from the beginning. Maybe we
could just be patient with people who didn't start there. And instead of spending so much time
making sure that we have power and authority with our words, we could spend time letting God's
word be the thing to lead and guide them closer to who God is. May God's word continue to lead
and guide us. And may we share it with the world that needs to hear it, even as much as we do.
Thanks be to God.