Sermon Tone Analysis

Peering off into the expense, it became a familiar road.

Each star a road marker byu which he could trace a path.

Knowing the changing of the seasons brought a shift in the map did not worry him.

His vigil each night always led with a sense of expectation, a hope for something new.

Though his vigil now was shorter, as his assistants would take the longer darker watches of the night awakening him when something was seen or noted.

To see the streaks of light that happened, to see the changing of the moon and the exclipse.

To know that the firmament was alive and mioving delighted him.

And each night he hoped, what might happen, when might it happen.

To say he was awaiting one star would be to simplify the complexity of the astrology he practiced.

He had always assumed that when a star would appear it would be enfolded in the bewelled belt of the sky and therefore possibly hard to find.

So when he looked west that night and saw not a pinpoint of light, but a star of unequal brightness appearing.

His apprentices excited and looking to him to confirm their suspicions, to tell the story of this star to reveal the voice of the heavens.

Stumbling down the stairs off his roof he went to proclaim what he discovered, but before he could get too far into the street he could hear the others of his caste, the other magi yelling.

The omen had come, the sign had been given, and the magnitude could only be kingly.

It would not be an omen of the quality of the harvest, it would not be an omen of success in a future war.

This was so other, so unique in the history of the magi that it could only mean something big.

The call to immediate saddle the camels, prepare the treasure chests and to journey west was given.

Not a moment was to be lost, for a king has been born.

Which star are you waiting on?

The magi as a caste or class were a group of astrologers who made a living and a life out of the study of the stars.

Then the interpretation of what they saw informed what the counseled kings with.

Contrary to popular myth, it is unlikely that they are kings.

While they were likely advisors to kings, they would be wealthy and esteemed in Persian society and when arriving in Jerusalem would appear as Herod's equals, or perhaps appear as even more wealthy than Herod.

Thus he would have a mixture of awe, wonder and jealousy that such men would come to his court but not to see him, but to see an infant king supposedly born in his land.

Believing the universe has information for you -

horoscopes, psychics, intrepreting the weather, current events

We look at the stars and feel like a tiny speck in the great cosmos, we stand by the giant sequoias and we feel the height of an ant, we swim in the ocean out of sight of land and we feel as insignificant as one more drop of water.

Around us creation and the world remind us of our finitude, our limits, our insignificance, and so we turn to the cosmos, or the earth, or to other people to find a beacon, a point of light by which we can navigate.

Is there anything more scary than being alone on a snowy mountain so far removed from man that any effort to yell or be seen is pointless, or out in the middle of the ocean adrift with no one even looking, or hurtling away from earth in space alone and cut off.

Since the dawn of time man has sought the answers the universe seems to withhold.

Kings have sought the stars, the bones, the animals, the weather to give them an indication or an advantage over an adversary or decision.

Few have ever

We seek the unknowable because we hunger for answers, we hunger for knowledge, we hunger for purpose

nsignificance, and so we turn to the cosmos, or the earth, or to other people to find a beacon, a point of light by which we can navigate.

Is there anything more scary than being alone on a snowy mountain so far removed from man that any effort to yell or be seen is pointless, or out in the middle of the ocean adrift with no one even looking, or hurtling away from earth in space alone and cut off.

Since the dawn of time man has sought the answers the universe seems to withhold.

Kings have sought the stars, the bones, the animals, the weather to give them an indication or an advantage over an adversary or decision.

Few have ever

I remember as a teenager in my room at night, lying awake wondering questioning, God if you are real.

God if you are real show me.

If you are real make this girl that I like, like me back.

If you are real make me a faster runner, if you are real tell my parents to ditch the curfew.

The question is not one isolate to teens.

The question

The Wisemen what this star, this sign was.

Herod wondered if these guys were just crazy.

But if this king was real what would happen to him

We await God to reveal himself to us

We expect God to reveal himself to us

We hope that God is real

You may have been a believer in Jesus for years but yet doubt still plagues you, or youve been investigating God but have been waiting for him to part the waters for you, and your sign has not come.

What is the sign you want God to perform to prove he is real to you?

EXPECTATION!

Journey towards something

Each step towards the west that their camels trod brought them one step closer to having answers.

They had not expected this star, but now that it had come there was much left to wonder.

What would such a bright star mean, why compared to other stars this star stood static.

There had been stories of the day the sun stood still, rumors of the heaven held still.

But this was the first instance they had seen.

They saw the sign of the star, they believed they knew what iot mean, they hoped they would find it to be true

What woyuld cause a man to leave his home, pack up some riches and go find a king of a far off kingdom, did they hope to broker peace, to make an alliance, or did they hope to find a King whose birth caused a star to come low, a star to shine brighter, a star to lead before them to the foot of a manger where this new king of power lay

What is the journey you have been called into?

Is it one of destination or fulfillment?

Is it location or relationship?

Is it for you or for all mankind?

What are you journeying towards?

The Magi, followed a sign and had a definite destination - however they knew not what they would find, or better yet who they would find there.

Was the sign wrong - did they trust their own logic over the sign

Looking for a king in the palace of Herod - and not finding the king they looked for

Herod would have been livid 0 here are these wealthy travelers looking for the king of Jews and asking the self proclaimed king of the jews where to find him

On their journey they sought help and they brought gifts

Imagine looking for a king in a palace

.

Where are you settling for the wrong king?

There is a King who is preached but he is not Jesus.

He is proclaimed asJesus, but this King wants primarily to make you comfortable in this life, to fill your bank account, and to test your faith.

This king is the preaches happiness.

That your should be happy, healthy, and wealthy.

That your best life is now, but the best is yours to decide.

Tale of the bird in the poop - Monk walks down the hill from his home to the church, finds a bird, can not bring him in.

sticks him in a pile of fresh poop.

A king is waiting

Matt 2:9-11

Who is the king you are looking for?

Is the king you worship waiting for you?

Is your mortgage offering you forgiveness, is your king desiring to bless you regardless of performance at work, is your king seeking you best even if you aren’t sure if it will immediately make you happy.

Where are you settling for the wrong king?

There is a King who is preached but he is not Jesus.

He is proclaimed asJesus, but this King wants primarily to make you comfortable in this life, to fill your bank account, and to test your faith.

This king is the preaches happiness.

That your should be happy, healthy, and wealthy.

That your best life is now, but the best is yours to decide.

Tale of the bird in the poop - Monk walks down the hill from his home to the church, finds a bird, can not bring him in.

sticks him in a pile of fresh poop

Invitation to meet the King -

The manger is both cradle and throne, simple and sacred.

It has replaced the mercy seat as the place where the Lord dwells, he has traded gold and finery for straw and wood.

The worship and service of priests for a teenage girl and some shepherds.

The king has come to the people, so the people might meet and worship the King of Kings, creator of the universe,