December 29th, 2019 - Download a Worship Bulletin Above Matthew 2:1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking "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." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: '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.'" Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then 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." When they 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. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. If you don’t know by now, road trips are one of my favorite ways to travel and explore the country and beyond. I have driven in every direction from as far West as Salt Lake City, Utah, to as far East as Portland, Maine. I’ve even traveled into Canada and Mexico from time to time. Traveling by car offers many possibilities for sightseeing and connecting with family and friends on a much more casual schedule. Of course, there will also be bumps in the road: construction, accidents, and detours alike. For me, I welcome these opportunities as part of the adventure, and sometimes I even construct my road trip route in a circuit pattern so I don’t take the same roads back - that way, I can encounter so much more of the country than if I had turned around and gone back the way I came. I took a road trip to the United Methodist General Conference this past February. I first stopped over in New York to spend some time with a clergy friend as we prepared for this special gathering of United Methodists. Then I drove down to Virginia, where I stayed with my uncle and two cousins, who asked many questions about the upcoming conference and what it might mean for the denomination. From there, I visited a couple of friends who had just moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee from Boston, and we ate and laughed and were present to the moment, even in the uncertainty of what was to come. On my way up to St. Louis from there, I stopped in Bowling Green, Kentucky for a couple of hours and explored the area, reflecting on my relationship with God and the church. Finally, I made it to my aunt and uncle’s house just outside of St. Louis in a small town in Illinois, and began to buckle down for what would be four heartwrenching days of legislative arguments and the eventual passage of the Traditional Plan, which further restricted the involvement of LGBTQ folks in the life of the church as well as increased punitive action against those who identify as LGBTQ and those who conduct wedding ceremonies for LGBTQ couples. By the end of the conference, I was exhausted. I had planned to leave the morning after the final worship service, but I ended up staying an extra day with my family, doing laundry, cooking, and cleaning - anything to help me process what had just occurred. The following day, I set off early in the morning, the mist still rising from the cornfields of that farm town in Illinois, with a music playlist in hand that I hoped would help me make sense of the week’s events. In the silence and in the music, I was able to piece together some of what had happened and begin to process my grief, moving from a place of deep sadness to a place of resolved resistance, knowing that all people should be welcome in the church, regardless of who they love and who loves them. As the miles passed by, I was first headed to Pittsburgh to reconnect with a friend with whom I’d attended church youth group so many years ago, and we debriefed about the conference and its results over a beer, trying to figure out what was next. I went to bed that night feeling less defeated and more ready to begin the hard work of partnering with God to put the church back together again. The following morning as I awoke, I knew there was a long road ahead, but a hopeful road nonetheless. In a day’s worth of driving, I’d be home. But I was coming home by a different road, forever changed, and yet, ready for what was to come. This morning’s scripture reading comes to us from the book of Matthew. In it, we hear the narrative of the wise men, who approached King Herod to learn about the newborn child who would be called the King of the Jews. They had witnessed a star rise along the horizon, leading them to wonder and to seek the divine baby to pay him homage. King Herod, who had not heard of the child, began to worry, thinking that there was competition for his position; his seat of power was threatened, and he had to think fast. He dismissed the wise men, telling them to find the boy, pay him homage, then return with directions on how to find him so that he, too, might pay his respect and worship the child. The wise men left, following the star until it stopped, marking the place where the Holy Family had made their home. They knelt down before the child and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh: the gold representing Jesus’ kingship on earth; the frankincense symbolizing Jesus’ priestly role; and the myrrh standing in as an embalming spice, a foretelling of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The wise men, in remembering their word to Herod about returning to tell him where the Divine baby lay, decided to go home instead by a different road, forever changed by their encounter with the baby Jesus. Here’s the thing: we’re never the same after encountering Jesus. We don’t come back the way we came - we’re fundamentally different. Maybe we go through a situation in our lives that causes us to dig deeper into the Bible, asking questions about our journey. Or maybe we begin a new path in seeking professional counseling to help us through grief or depression or anxiety. Perhaps we encounter Jesus in the sunrise, or in the laughter of our spouse, or in our Sunday afternoon drives. Wherever we find Jesus, we can rest assured that we are transformed for good, for the better. When we leave everything at the feet of Jesus, we head home lighter than before, changed forever. We come home as different people, freed from the burden of our own gold, frankincense, and myrrh - freed from the gold of our ego, of believing that we are the royal ones, the ones who deserve accolade and honor. We are freed from the frankincense, the brokenness of trying to heal our own wounds rather than allowing Christ to be the Healer. We are freed from the myrrh, the heavy weight that death carries, knowing that we have eternal life through Jesus’ resurrection. And that freedom is not just for us, not just for the chosen few. This is not a freedom that is individualistic or something we can possess. Throughout this passage and the entire book of Matthew, several specific places are named, from Bethlehem, Judea, Nazareth, Rome, and parts of Greece. But in this story, the wise men are simply from the East; there is no indication of any other specific location. Their origin is left vague, perhaps as a sign that the message and life of Jesus is not just for the nation of Israel, for the select few who may claim Jesus in their heritage, but rather Jesus is for all nations. And as the wise men traveled back to their homeland, they brought back good news of divinity among humanity, they themselves forever changed. Here we see combined times and traditions: all come to see this child, regardless of where people are from. These wise men are from the east, which is a broad way of stating a foreign land - they are strangers; they could be anyone. The star had guided them to the place where Jesus lay, the Savior of all creation, the Savior to all people. But I wonder, if the star had guided them there, what would guide them back? Some say the star in this passage was the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn aligning with the constellation Pisces. Others say it could have been the light from an exploding star. Still others suggest that it could have been the Haley Comet, which was passing through Earth’s orbit in 12 BCE. Either way, the text doesn’t say anything about the star guiding them back home. But perhaps the Divine light they encountered in Christ was bright enough to bring them home by a different road. As we enter 2020 as new people in the Light of Christ, having encountered the Divine baby who would walk on water and set the captives free, we also recognize the pain that 2020 will bring. As the United Methodist Church stands in this current moment, on December 29th, 2019, clergypersons who identify as LGBTQ or clergypersons who conduct same-sex weddings may be open to a complaint system in which a trial may or may not be conducted, and bishops may or may not decide to pursue charges against the individual which could include suspension or defrocking. However, beginning on January 1st, 2020, just three days from now, LGBTQ clergypersons or those who conduct same-sex weddings who have a complaint filed against them must go to trial and must be suspended for one year without pay for the first offense, and must be defrocked for the second offense. I want to assure you that here, in New England, our Board of Ordained Ministry and our Cabinet, made up of our District Superintendents and our Bishop, have vowed not to conduct trials or take punitive action. But all around the world, our global United Methodist siblings are in danger of losing their jobs, their homes, and their standing in the UMC in areas that are more conservative. I, along with tens of thousands of other United Methodist clergy across the world, are standing in opposition to the Traditional Plan and are seeking ways of involving our congregations in the resistance movement. Today after church, I invite you to join us during coffee hour in our monthly listening session, where we will hear from one another about our thoughts and concerns as we move forward. Next Sunday, January 5th, we will have an opportunity to advocate for full inclusion of all people in the life of our church in a special project called Resist Harm, which is organized by several United Methodist caucus groups. While we could decide to go down the same road we’ve always trod, in this historic moment in the life of the United Methodist Church, we are invited to try a new road, one that offers freedom and inclusion for all. Isn’t this the message of Jesus? The Divine Star that guided the wise men to the baby Jesus two thousand years ago is the same Light that can be seen by all people, and all people are welcome to come before the child, paying homage in our own gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In our worship, we are transformed, and we are never the same, heading home by a different road. And as we navigate our future, may we look up, gaining new perspective as we follow the Divine Light into the unknown. May we seek out the Divine presence of Christ, falling to our knees in adoration and worship. May everything that holds us back be dropped at Jesus’ feet, and may we return home by a different road, transformed in the Light of Christ. Amen. - Pastor Christy Wright
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