Arise, Shine, Your Light has Come! - Epiphany 2022

2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 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.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘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.’ ”

7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 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.” 9 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. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

The Powers of the World Attempt to Co-Opt the Pilgrims

Herod is a fascinating fellow. He is King in Judea, but in many respects, he is simply a puppet king under the reign of Caesar Augustus, Roman Emperor. Herod was known for his extensive building projects and his homages to Caesar — the guy had a reputation for extravagance and for being seen as powerful under the larger imperial system. Think of him as a high performing mid-level manager.

And see, that’s the rub with Herod. He seems, according to historians, to have put on airs of grandiosity and success, but as we also see here in the Matthew text, he’s afraid. Afraid of being usurped. Afraid of being found out as a fraud, a not-quite-good-enough king.

We all know people who operate this way. We even do it ourselves at times. We put up a front, a good show of how fine our taste is, how luxurious our holidays are, how insightful and worldly we can be. Some of this may be true, like in Herod’s case, he really did make significant improvements to the construction and strengthening of Judea’s infrastructure. But it is clear that he was seeking to be admired by ones with greater power.

Imagine it’s New Year’s Eve and you’ve set up all the best decorations, laid out the finest feast, collected all the best poppers and fireworks, put an amazing playlist of music together, all set for the best party — the party that everyone will talk about and say how great a host you are. Imagine that your guests start to arrive, dressed up, ready to celebrate, and they compliment you on your party planning skills. The night is going well.

Now, enter our magi, the wise men, from the east. Or perhaps for the sake of our illustration, some very attractive, well dressed people from out of town, New Yorkers or Parisians perhaps. They knock on your door and while you invite them inside (with your friends gawking in the entryway)…they kindly tell you that they think they have the wrong address and ask if you can direct them to a neighboring home, who it appears is also having a party. Now, you hadn’t noticed that — you thought your party was going to be the talk of the town. But then you look out down the street and realize that your neighbor’s house is filled with light and music and laughter — clearly those folks are having a LOT of fun.

You again beckon the visitors in, but they again kindly refuse. So you switch up your tactics: Alright, my friends, go find the party you are looking for. I’m sure it will be wonderful. And, when you get there, would you please say hello to the host for me. Tell them I would love to bring over a nice bottle of champagne and wish them a happy new year.

The smartly dressed strangers depart and you here them murmur something to themselves. You wonder what they’re thinking, you wonder what that other party is like.

I had a friend in high school who was notorious for keeping his options open every weekend, so that the best invitation he got, he could take. He was a “maybe” kind of guy. And it drove me batty. Come on, be content with my friendship — we’re doing cool things, come on!

That’s where Herod sits. He’s thinking, oh, maybe there’s a new king in town who will take my position, take my power. You see, there’s a subtle difference between the fear of missing out on the fun and full blown murderous envy.

Herod feels threatened. He must have expected these wise sages to be coming to pay homage to him, as he has done all this great work on behalf of the empire. Employee of the month! Puppet ruler of the year! So when the magi arrive and ask about someone else, Herod feels the ground shake beneath his feet.

Now, let’s get back to our fictional New Years Eve party.

Overwhelmed with Joy

Here is where the party starts to get good. The visitors have kindly departed from your house and are making their way to the neighbor’s party. In their minds, they’ve dodged a bullet — whew, that guy back there was a bit intense. Think he might be jealous?

The travelers make their way quickly toward the light that shines from their host’s home. You know that feeling, when you’ve arrived at your destination and relief sets in. Ahh, yes, this is what we’ve been searching for.

Now, if we’re keeping things honest, the second house is a bit more shabby than the first. The lights are bright, but also they’re a little disheveled looking — one strand of Christmas bulbs hangs in the wind. There’s a plastic manger on the front lawn, but it’s missing Joseph and the angel looks like an old cabbage patch kid with wings glued on.

But just like arriving at the house of Christ, the magi don’t care. They have come to where the light is shining, they have reached their destination, and they are, according to Matthew, “overwhelmed with joy!”

Picture the greeting at the door (it’s Joseph, maybe that’s why he’s not in the manger scene). With open arms and bright smiles, the travelers are welcomed in. Sure, they’re overdressed, but they don’t care and neither do the other partygoers — this is where they all belong, celebrating the newborn king (or in this case, the new year)!

The travelers lay down the gifts — fine spices and healing balms (or perhaps a gift card to the Chrysalis for a spa day). Gold, wealth, fine offerings and bounty to be shared. They enter and find that the light only grows brighter as they follow their host towards the crowd.

Amidst the laughter and music, the clinking of glasses and the wonderful smells of the holiday, the visitors enter the living room and find a newborn baby in the arms of its mother. The light has grown even stronger here, if that is at all possible.

And it is here that the travelers come to rest. They set down their gifts, their casseroles, their coats, and their heart’s burdens. They have arrived at their destination. And they celebrate, they find joy, they laugh and hold the child and embrace one another — this is life, this is hope, this is love with friends and strangers, all gathered together to celebrate.

Meanwhile, the Herod neighbor down the road is stewing. Sure, he’s got lots of nice guests, the string quartet he hired is just warming up, the mulled cider is filling his immaculate home with a lovely scent. But he’s worried — who are these guys to turn away from my house?

Well, he thinks, at least I will be invited to come ring in the new year with my neighbor. Certainly they will find it a privilege to be offered this nice bottle of champagne and at the fact that I’ve stooped down to wish them well.

Sadly, we know that Herod does not go to visit Jesus. In fact, both the wise men and the Holy Family have to flee his murderous advances. Because we find him on the days after the celebration, still broiling at not being invite, still worried that his power on the block will be threatened. And he transfers this rage into action — he sets out to eradicate any threats.

Subverting the King, going the other direction

What do we do with Herod? What do we do with this unruly neighbor who feels spurned in his own game of new years eve one-upmanship?

Here is the kicker for this text and for the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The way of Jesus directs us to subvert the powerful ways of the world in order to embrace a loving, light-filled welcome of all who enter our doors, all who come across our path, all who are in need of love and care and hope and restoration. By welcoming the magi, the Holy Family welcomes a much broader group of people into the family of God — this is where Jesus begins to blow open wide the racial, social, cultural, and ethnic boundaries that had been in place. The guests enter in, find welcome, share the celebration.

In fact, I honestly believe that if Herod had humbly ventured to visit the Christchild, had offered his gifts, his love, his homage to Christ, he would have been welcomed too. Instead, though, Herod is more concerned with securing is own position and making sure that the Roman Emperor knows who the true king of the Jews is.

The Gospel of Jesus undermines these kinds of power plays.

Let’s finish the story of the wise men — they receive a vision to not return to Herod. Instead, they take another road home.

Roads were a product of the Roman Empire’s power in this and many other regions. Likely, Herod may have helped orchestrate the building of this and many other roads in the region. So what’s happening is that the wise men are using the powers of the Empire to escape the reaches of the Empire’s puppet.

God directs these wise travelers to find another way around. Subversion of the powers that would seek to overwhelm, to murder, to claim our allegiance — this is central to the Gospel of Jesus.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus goes on to teach: blessed are the poor, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Jesus’ kingdom is totally an upside down, subversion of the powers, utilizing imperial strength and technology and reach to spread a message of radical acceptance and love.

Sorry, Herod.

Sorry, neighbor.

Let’s also close our party story — the travelers depart under the cover of night. Thanks to the first, jealous neighbor’s directions, they’ve figured out a different path home. All that is left in their wake are tracks in the snow. The Herod neighbor is furious, but cannot do a thing to them. They are gone, their joy and celebration made complete.

Friends — will we let the message of Jesus Christ challenge all the other powers that seek to hold us, influence us, imprison us? Will we let the love of the light of Christ shine when the world says darkness and despair? Will we welcome foreigners into our homes, embrace them as dear friends, and share our cup with them?

We practice this radical hospitality, subversive action, and deep love as we gather at the table. May we, like the magi, come and see and celebrate the Christ.