1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:08,440 Let me pray for us. We thank you, Father, for the 2 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:12,920 gift of your Word and for the fact that it's open before us, 3 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:18,200 and we pray that we will see Jesus in it today for the glory 4 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:24,240 of your name, Amen. We say Happy Birthday to 2026 5 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:29,400 and Happy New Year to everybody. If you are new, my name is 6 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:32,600 Somane Megati. I'm one of the pastors here at 7 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:37,160 the church. Before I became part of a 8 00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:41,400 liturgical tradition, I actually did not know that there was such 9 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:45,800 a thing as Christmas tide. I thought it was Christmas on 10 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,520 December 25th and that was it. And when I found out that there 11 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,560 were actually 12 days of Christmas that had nothing to do 12 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:55,760 with just geese and Lords and leaping, I was overjoyed. 13 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:58,400 And that's a good idea. Let's celebrate for 12 days. 14 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,280 And so just in case you're not aware, we are still in Christmas 15 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:04,000 tide. Yes. 16 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,040 So the liturgical, you have liturgical permission to keep 17 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,840 your tree and light up at least until tomorrow evening. 18 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,840 Maybe. But I also didn't know about 19 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:18,360 Epiphany, the feast of Epiphany, which is always on January 6th. 20 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:24,120 So that's this Tuesday. This is a feast that is based on 21 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:26,880 the word Epiphany. That word is from a Greek word 22 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,320 meaning manifestation or revelation. 23 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:36,200 The feast of Epiphany celebrates the moment Christ was revealed 24 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:41,280 to the Gentiles, and it's represented by the Magi in our 25 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:43,440 Gospel reading from Matthew chapter 2. 26 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:47,120 It's found on page 757. If you want to follow along, 27 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:48,640 that's our passage for this morning. 28 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:53,800 Now, as we look at that passage together, I want to suggest that 29 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:56,920 Epiphany offers at least I'm going to mention five 30 00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:00,200 resolutions. You can add those to your many 31 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:04,160 New Year's resolutions, New Year resolutions, if you like, to 32 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:08,400 shape and guide the way that we walk with Jesus this year. 33 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,240 So I'm going to offer at least 5 resolutions to guide us as 34 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:14,400 disciples of Jesus in this coming year. 35 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,520 Now, this Christmas time, we've celebrated and heard about how 36 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:23,280 Jesus was born to Mary and to Joseph in Bethlehem. 37 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,840 While everybody else was asleep, heaven was very busy. 38 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:34,640 An angelic warrior appears to some shepherds at night. 39 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,920 They're tending their flock. And he and a host of angels 40 00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:40,160 basically announced the birth of Jesus Christ. 41 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:45,960 And outside of Jesus's close nuclear family, the shepherds 42 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:50,200 might have been the first to actually meet the Savior of the 43 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,080 world. And then Luke tells us that 44 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:57,680 eight days after that, Mary and Joseph presents Jesus of the 45 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,720 temple to be circumcised. And there's this devout and 46 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,080 righteous man who is in the temple. 47 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:08,240 He's been praying and, and, and longing for the redemption of 48 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,080 Israel. His name is Simeon and the Holy 49 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:15,320 Spirit leads him into the temple and he sees the baby Jesus and 50 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:17,440 he just bursts out in Thanksgiving. 51 00:03:17,920 --> 00:03:21,960 And the song that he sings we have in our BCP, he sings, Lord, 52 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,120 let your servant go. And I'm not sure those were the 53 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,720 exact notes that he used, but he sang that song and we sing it in 54 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:30,200 our BCP as well. We use it in our BCP. 55 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:35,200 Then as he is blessing Mary and Joseph, and he turns to Mary and 56 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,800 talks to her about how a sword is going to Pierce her heart, 57 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:43,120 the Holy Spirit sends another person to Jesus, a prophetess 58 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:46,960 named Anna, 7 years, a widow. She stayed in the temple fasting 59 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:50,440 and praying because she's also looking for the hope of Israel 60 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:54,520 and she sees Jesus. She's overjoyed and Jesus stays 61 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:57,200 on her lips for the rest of her life. 62 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,400 Everybody that she meets, she tells about Jesus, the 63 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:04,720 redemption of Israel. So up to this point every single 64 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:08,600 person that has encountered Jesus has been an Israelite. 65 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:14,440 This has kind of been a family affair until Matthew chapter 2 66 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:20,839 or we meet the Magi. Around Jesus time of birth there 67 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:26,840 was an astronomical occurrence and it was prominent and really 68 00:04:26,840 --> 00:04:30,920 huge enough that it alerted magi who were in the east. 69 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:35,480 And these magi were philosophers that were probably living in 70 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:39,440 modern day Iran or as far away as Arabia. 71 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:44,200 They specialized in astronomy and astrology and the natural 72 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:48,520 sciences. And if you are paying attention 73 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:52,520 to scripture, astrology is actually forbidden in the Bible. 74 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:58,160 Yet somehow these magi and we are not told how these magi were 75 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:01,920 expecting the birth of the Messiah and they were waiting 76 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:04,200 for his star to appear in the heavens. 77 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:09,560 And the general consensus is that star appeared before Jesus 78 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:14,280 was born, and when these men saw it, they set off for Jerusalem. 79 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:18,760 That journey from wherever they were to Jerusalem would have 80 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:24,880 taken at least two months, maybe up to six months, depending on 81 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:30,520 where they were coming from. And they arrive when Jesus is no 82 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,840 longer referred to as a babe or an infant, but as a child who 83 00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:36,480 now lives in a house with his mom and dad in Bethlehem. 84 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:42,720 They are the fulfillment of Isaiah 60 and Psalm 72, where 85 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:47,720 kings and foreigners come bearing gifts to Israel's king. 86 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:52,240 Matthew's main point here is clear, though. 87 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:58,080 Jesus came through David's line, He is for all people, for 88 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:03,200 Israel, and for all the nations. And these magi represent the 89 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:07,160 nation's foreigners, perhaps idolaters, maybe even 90 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:10,800 astrologers practicing something that Scripture forbade. 91 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:17,960 And yet God made provision for them to find Jesus. 92 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:21,400 He gave them a star and they followed it. 93 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:28,760 It's always in God's nature to make provision for us, to make a 94 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:30,640 way where there seems to be no way. 95 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:35,440 There's so many songs about that, but like the Magi, we must 96 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:40,720 resolve to follow His lead and go where He tells us to. 97 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:46,120 The invitation that was given to the Magi and that star in the 98 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:48,960 heavens extends to you and to me. 99 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:52,080 It doesn't matter what where you've come from, what you've 100 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:54,000 done, or what you've neglected to do. 101 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:59,840 Jesus is not just for insiders. He is for all people, and that 102 00:06:59,840 --> 00:07:02,320 includes you. It includes me. 103 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:06,800 He bids us to follow him. And that road might be 104 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:10,120 difficult. Imagine with me for just a 105 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:13,120 moment the road that the Magi must have taken through the 106 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:17,440 desert. They would have faced hundreds 107 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:21,360 of miles of rugged terrain. They would have faced exhaustion 108 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:25,280 and fatigue and and uncertainty, Certainly danger. 109 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:30,840 You know, there were no rest stops, no hotels, no guarantee 110 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:32,880 they'd found what they were looking for at the very end of 111 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:34,480 this. Just a star. 112 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:39,840 But day after day, step after step, they followed that light 113 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:43,040 because they knew the destination was worth it. 114 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:49,600 Maybe you don't know who Jesus is and you don't understand what 115 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:53,480 all the fuss is about. Maybe you do know Jesus. 116 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,480 But you're slowly drifting from the faith. 117 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,880 For one reason or the other. The state of the world has made 118 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:03,800 you asked questions about God's love. 119 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:07,720 Maybe your encounter with the priests and scribes of our day 120 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:11,760 have left you disillusioned. You have good questions, but you 121 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:15,520 don't have any good answers. You've experienced a lot of 122 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:18,040 hurt, and you're just disillusioned about life. 123 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:24,320 If that's you, God invites you to take the path of the Magi. 124 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:28,840 Can you make that journey to Jesus this year? 125 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,960 And I'm not talking about reading a book or two or 126 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,760 watching a YouTube video. Those are all important. 127 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:42,480 What you believe about Jesus and what you do with him is the most 128 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:45,440 important question that you will ever have to answer. 129 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:51,560 And it requires humility, honesty, a humble, deep search. 130 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:55,840 Following what Jesus has put out there as signs that point to 131 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:59,520 Jesus. When you do this with the intent 132 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:05,280 to discover the truth, then it means that you will go to where 133 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:09,640 the conclusion leads, even if it makes you feel uncomfortable. 134 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:15,120 But the invitation is also for those of you who are faithfully 135 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:19,360 following Jesus. You're not sure where the road 136 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:21,720 ahead leads. God doesn't give us a map. 137 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:25,960 We wish he did, but he doesn't. You've prayed prayers that 138 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:28,120 haven't been answered in the way that you've hoped. 139 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:30,360 You've waited for a long time for things, and you're 140 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:33,080 wondering, does this waiting even matter at all? 141 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:37,240 Loneliness, spiritual dryness, all sorts of problems left, 142 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:41,760 right and center. Again, God always makes a 143 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:45,360 provision, especially through His, through his Son Jesus 144 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:48,480 Christ. So he invites you to walk the 145 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:54,880 path of the Magi. So this year will you resolve to 146 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:58,760 follow his lead and go wherever he sends you. 147 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:06,520 The Magi arrive in Jerusalem and they go to the place where kings 148 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:12,440 are born to the palace. They tell Herod about the birth 149 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:14,640 of the King of the Jews. Where is he? 150 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:17,560 We want to go and worship him and he is troubled. 151 00:10:17,560 --> 00:10:22,920 He is agitated, panicked. He was the so-called King of the 152 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:24,400 Jews. He wasn't even Jewish. 153 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:27,960 He was an Edomite and it was the Roman Senate that had put him on 154 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:30,760 the throne of the King of the Jews, not God. 155 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:35,920 He was not God's chosen for his people and he had extreme 156 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:40,720 paranoia, especially about rival claimants for his throne. 157 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:46,240 This is why he murdered his wife, her mother, and three of 158 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,920 his sons. He was so prone to extreme 159 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:53,080 violence that Caesar Augustus is reported to have said it is 160 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:55,760 better to be Herod's pig than his son. 161 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:01,440 So when Herod hears that a rival king is born, he panics. 162 00:11:01,560 --> 00:11:05,240 He does not rejoice. He calls the chief priests and 163 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:07,880 scribes, asking where the Messiahs to be born, and they 164 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:11,640 quote Micah. And knew, O Bethlehem in the 165 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:15,000 land of Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, 166 00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:19,560 for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people 167 00:11:19,560 --> 00:11:23,760 Israel. And then Herod secretly summons 168 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:28,560 the Magi, and like a wily snake he says to them, Go, please 169 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:33,520 search carefully for the child, and when you find him, come back 170 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:37,600 and tell me where he where he is, so that I too may worship 171 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:40,320 him. Lies, of course. 172 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:46,840 I want you to notice that the Magi did not have Micah's 173 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:49,320 prophecy. If they did, they would have 174 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:54,520 just gone to Bethlehem. They had only a star. 175 00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:00,480 But the priests and the scribes had something better than a 176 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,720 star. They had the Word of God, a 177 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:07,960 clear, specific prophecy about where the Messiah would be born, 178 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:14,360 and yet they missed it. While Simeon and Anna were 179 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:18,240 praying and longing for the redemption of Israel, these 180 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:22,560 ones, the ones entrusted with teaching and interpreting 181 00:12:22,560 --> 00:12:25,560 Scripture, did They completely were oblivious to this. 182 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:31,040 These were the most biblically literate people of their time. 183 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:37,000 But their hearts were asleep. And I know that it grieves God's 184 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:43,280 heart that those most familiar with His Word often fail to 185 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:48,200 recognize when He acts. Because being close to Scripture 186 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:55,160 does not guarantee that you're close to God and Herod. 187 00:12:56,480 --> 00:13:00,080 Notice he doesn't doubt the prophecy, he actually believes 188 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:03,280 it. He's convinced that the Christ 189 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:07,280 has been born. But rather than rejoicing than 190 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:10,400 rejoice, he plots. He hears God's word and 191 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:14,840 immediately opposes it. Like the serpent in Eden. 192 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:17,040 He says, did God really say that? 193 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:21,200 Let's let's change the outcome. Let's make it different. 194 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,880 Herod feared disruption. And in a sense, he was right to 195 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:29,920 fear disruption because the coming of Jesus does disrupt. 196 00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:32,040 The world is not as it should be. 197 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:35,640 And the only one who could put it right is the Messiah. 198 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:40,000 And the way that Jesus does this is by confronting what's wrong. 199 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:43,400 This means he's going to upend injustice, he's going to tear 200 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:47,440 down idols, and he's going to dethrone anything that rivals 201 00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:50,880 God. Jesus does not come to decorate 202 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:56,240 our lives, He actually comes to reorder them entirely. 203 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:00,880 The tragedy is that when we become so comfortable in our 204 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:05,480 brokenness, so accustomed to the status quo, that when Jesus 205 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:10,360 shows up, his healing becomes something we resist. 206 00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:15,120 We've built lives around our dysfunction. 207 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:20,760 We've normalized sin. We've called darkness lights and 208 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:22,560 so when grace comes up, it shows up. 209 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:23,920 It doesn't feel like a gift at all. 210 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:30,760 It feels like a threat. May we not be like Herod who sat 211 00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:34,600 in judgement of the Word rather than submit to it. 212 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:39,040 May we not be like the priests who's and scribes who were 213 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:45,080 asleep at the wheel this year. Will you resolve not only to 214 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:49,800 know God's word, but to be surrendered to its holy 215 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:56,280 disruption, trusting that what Jesus dismantles, he will heal? 216 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:02,560 Will you resolve this year never to hear His word and respond 217 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:10,480 with Did God really say so? The Magi continue their journey 218 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:13,640 to Bethlehem and they're following the star, and when 219 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:17,960 they see the star settle over the house, Matthew tells us that 220 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:21,760 they rejoiced exceedingly, with great joy. 221 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:27,520 It's like layered, overflowing, uncontainable delight that just 222 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:34,200 spills over. Sometime I think before 2020, I 223 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:36,720 can't remember when, when it was I was driving my wife to an 224 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:40,800 acapella rehearsal and I saw, we both saw this woman at AT 225 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:43,120 junction, a red light T junction. 226 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:44,360 And she's standing at the corner. 227 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:49,400 She has earphones, Airpods in her ear and she's listening to 228 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:53,640 music and she is dancing like there's no tomorrow. 229 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:59,120 Her arms are flailing. She's twirling around and nobody 230 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:01,240 can hear this music for her and she doesn't care. 231 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:04,680 And my wife and I just sat watching her until the light 232 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:07,040 turned green. It was fascinating to watch, and 233 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:09,280 I've convinced myself she was listening to gospel music 234 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:11,080 because what else can bring that kind of reaction? 235 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:15,440 It was so good to see. And so when I read this passage 236 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:19,120 about how they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy, I 237 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:21,120 thought about this from when I thought about myself. 238 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:26,800 When was the last time I rejoiced like that over Jesus, 239 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:32,200 if ever? And now I don't think that this 240 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:36,040 is the constant, steady joy that Paul says that every believer 241 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:38,800 should have at all times. This is something more 242 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:42,520 explosive, something more woo. And there are places in 243 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:45,280 Scripture where that happens. Jesus himself experiences that. 244 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:51,480 We all know what joy feels like. I have rejoiced exceedingly with 245 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:54,840 great joy before over other things, over many things. 246 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:58,000 And I imagine that we all have, in one way or the other. 247 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:02,320 We rejoice when our team wins the championship, when the baby 248 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:07,000 is born healthy, when the offer letter arrives, when the 249 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:09,760 surprise party is actually a surprise. 250 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:13,200 I threw my wife a birthday party in May when her birthday is 251 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:15,280 actually in August. It was great. 252 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:20,040 I got points for that. We know how to cultivate joy. 253 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:22,359 We set reminders. We talk about it with our 254 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:25,359 friends. We countdown the days we visit, 255 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:28,079 the memories. We look at the highlight reels. 256 00:17:28,079 --> 00:17:31,120 We share the images. We invest time and money and 257 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:33,960 plan and protect what brings us joy. 258 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:37,840 And when we don't protect what brings us joy, we know that life 259 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:39,840 can be so hard and becomes depressing. 260 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:45,040 There's no outlet for goodness. How often do we do that with 261 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:48,480 Jesus? Do we set reminders around Him? 262 00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:50,680 Do we talk to our friends about Him? 263 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:55,040 Do we countdown the days and the hours and the minutes before we 264 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:57,960 come to church on Sunday to worship, hear His Word, and 265 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:02,440 feast at the table? Do we long for His appearing, so 266 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:06,200 much so that we revisit the good things that He has done for us 267 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:10,120 and give Him thanks and rehearse His goodness and celebrate Him? 268 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:15,840 The Magi rejoiced with great joy because they had arrived at 269 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:20,200 Jesus this year. Will you resolve to do the same, 270 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:26,440 To take every opportunity to rejoice over Jesus? 271 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:31,360 We need joy in our lives, y'all we really do. 272 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:38,080 So come for the Epiphany party. When the Magi enter the house 273 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:41,160 and see Jesus, they don't hesitate. 274 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:44,160 They fall down and they worship him. 275 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:48,640 In the ancient world, it's customary for envoys from 276 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:52,200 foreign nations to travel long distances to honor the birth of 277 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:55,480 a new king, and they would have lavish gifts as part of that 278 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:58,680 journey. These were diplomatic acts of 279 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:00,560 respect. They were acknowledging the 280 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:03,720 legitimacy of this king and aligning themselves with that, 281 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,760 with the king. But the magi do more than pay 282 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:12,240 tribute. They worship the king By falling 283 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:16,040 before the child Jesus. These wise men make a bold and 284 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:20,680 dangerous declaration. Their highest allegiance is no 285 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:26,240 longer with the kings of their own land, but with the one born 286 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:30,240 king of the Jews. This act of worship, it's a 287 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,840 reorientation of their loyalty. They recognize that they will 288 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:37,120 still continue to work under earthly rulers, but their 289 00:19:37,120 --> 00:19:40,600 ultimate obedience now belongs to a greater sovereign. 290 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:44,280 If you've been coming to rest for a while now, you will know 291 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:49,040 that we keep emphasizing Jesus is king, Jesus is king, Jesus is 292 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:52,280 king. If the book of the books of 293 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:55,240 first and second kings teach us anything, is that there will be 294 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:58,440 king after king after king after king, but only one king that 295 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:00,480 remains seated on the throne all the time. 296 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:08,000 That is Jesus. And notice for the Magi, their 297 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:10,000 worship begins with their bodies. 298 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:13,800 Before they open up their treasures, they fall down. 299 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:18,320 Worship involves your whole self, everything about you. 300 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:22,520 It's not enough for your heart to be kneeling if your body 301 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:25,360 isn't kneeling. It's not enough for your hands 302 00:20:25,360 --> 00:20:28,080 to be lifted up if your heart isn't raised up. 303 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:32,840 Biblical worship is holistic. It matters what you do with your 304 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:36,720 body, with your mind, with your emotions and your words, but 305 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:41,480 oftentimes your body posture leads the rest of you. 306 00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:48,560 This is why in church, we kneel and we stand and we bow because 307 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:51,360 the shape of our body shapes the rest of us. 308 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:56,680 And so I encourage you, do this not just while we are gathered 309 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:59,960 here, but at home too. Worship with your body. 310 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:04,960 Kneel down, prostate yourself before the Lord, Bow down, bow 311 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:07,640 low, clap your hands as you sink. 312 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:09,640 Even if you have no rhythm, the Lord loves it. 313 00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:13,440 It's fine. Dance, dance in your closet, Put 314 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:15,360 on that worship music and dance to the Lord. 315 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:20,200 Get your body involved in the worship and let that lead the 316 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:23,320 rest of you to the correct posture as well. 317 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:29,760 Now that rejoicing the Magi felt resulted in them falling down in 318 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:33,480 bodily worship, but then they also opened up their treasures, 319 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:37,440 and they gave the very best to Jesus. 320 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:44,160 They offer him gold, and gold in the Bible is associated with 321 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:47,880 kingship. They offer him frankincense, and 322 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:52,040 that in the Bible is associated with prayers and offerings to 323 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:56,320 God. They give him myrrh and that is 324 00:21:56,320 --> 00:22:00,680 associated with consecration and it was often used to prepare a 325 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:05,760 body for burial, burial. Now, even if the Magi Magi did 326 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:10,480 not know the the the imports of the symbolism of their gifts, 327 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:14,720 their gifts actually proclaim that Jesus is king, that he is 328 00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:18,480 God, and that he is the Savior of the world. 329 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:25,400 So this year will you resolve to worship Jesus with your whole 330 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:29,520 self and to offer him gifts worthy of him? 331 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:34,520 Who is God, who is King, and who is Savior? 332 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:42,920 The last thing that I want to talk about is this * Every time 333 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:45,800 I preach on this passage, I just get stuck on this star because 334 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:49,120 it is so strange. It's a very weird start. 335 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:53,400 It rises, it appears, it leads, it settles over a house, it 336 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:57,360 guides people to Jesus. A giant ball of gas in the sky 337 00:22:57,360 --> 00:23:01,240 doesn't usually act like that. Matthew does not explain it. 338 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:07,000 I'm not going to try to, but when I was younger, I wanted to 339 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,800 be a star. Not a, not a ball of gas in the 340 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:15,480 sky, an actual * I would practice what would happen when 341 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:19,920 I got my first Oscar, you know, for best actor in a leading 342 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:21,600 role. Practice the speech. 343 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:25,240 I first of all, thank God, but then also my awesome talent 344 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:29,840 because I'm the star. You know, of course, I'm older 345 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:32,520 now. My tastes have changed, but the 346 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:36,320 truth of the matter is I am a star. 347 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:41,280 And so are you, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. 348 00:23:42,360 --> 00:23:44,560 But we're not stars unto ourselves. 349 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:49,120 Jesus said, you are the light of the world. 350 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:54,440 Let your light so shine before others that they might see your 351 00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:58,520 good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 352 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:06,480 Like the star that led the Magi, we are supposed to shine our 353 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:11,240 light so that others will be guided to King Jesus. 354 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:15,880 So this year will you resolve to be Jesus light in the world? 355 00:24:18,360 --> 00:24:22,040 We will do our best to provide you with ample opportunities for 356 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:26,720 you to follow God, for you to surrender to His Word, for you 357 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:30,160 to rejoice exceedingly with great joy, come to the Epiphany 358 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:34,520 party, for you to worship Him with your whole life, and to 359 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:38,360 give generously and shine as a light to the world. 360 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:41,760 It'll happen through our Christian Formation cohort. 361 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:45,080 The registration is open, and yes, this is a shameless plug. 362 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:48,560 Please sign up for this. It'll happen through our Just 363 00:24:48,560 --> 00:24:51,640 Christianity course that starts in February. 364 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:55,080 It'll happen in our Foundation class, which is open to 365 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:58,160 everyone, though it's targeted for newcomers. 366 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:02,320 It'll happen in the many acts of mercy that will invite you into 367 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:04,280 serving our community in various ways. 368 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:07,200 It'll happen on Wednesday evening when we come together to 369 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:10,560 pray and focus on Jesus as we walk together through Lent, 370 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:12,960 practicing repentance and renewal. 371 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:17,240 Holy Week is going to draw us to Jesus as Savior of the world. 372 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:22,560 And then Easter will erupt with joy, like the magi rejoicing 373 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:24,640 greatly. We'll celebrate the resurrection 374 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:28,040 hope and the fact that sin is conquered and defeated. 375 00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:31,480 And then Pentecost. We will be reminded the Holy 376 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:35,200 Spirit has been poured out on us and he empowers us. 377 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:39,360 He gives us and he guides us and sends us into the world, just as 378 00:25:39,360 --> 00:25:43,960 God guided the magi. And when we enter ordinary time, 379 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:48,760 we will rediscover that there's nothing ordinary about a life 380 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:53,240 that is conformed to Jesus In our everyday rhythms of prayer 381 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:55,560 and community and worship and mission. 382 00:25:55,720 --> 00:26:01,440 We will keep learning to be stars that shine, to lead others 383 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:04,520 near and far to the King of all nations. 384 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:08,680 Will you go on this journey this year? 385 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:19,710 Let's pray. Father, you have set a path of 386 00:26:19,710 --> 00:26:24,510 righteousness be for us, and You have asked us to walk in it. 387 00:26:26,430 --> 00:26:30,550 We pray that You would guide our feet to follow your leading 388 00:26:30,630 --> 00:26:35,480 wherever you take us, so that through your Son Jesus Christ, 389 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:38,840 you will be worshipped and glorified. 390 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,400 It is in Your name that we pray. Amen.