By another way

Instead, this day we hear the most profound theological reflection on the coming of Christ Jesus among us: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.

What better thing could we want or need than this news?

And it truly is Good news.

God not aloof, but coming in a way in which we can recognize him.

And there have been people coming to him from the first days of his appearing.

Luke tells of the shepherds in the fields who come, even though they may be ones who were regarded as contemptible by regular society; they are outsiders.

Matthew tells of the visit of the magi, who were also clearly outsiders, in a different way.

They came from outside of Israel; some say from Jordan, others think as far away as Persia (present-day Iran).

They are called magi, a strange word which has been variously interpreted to refer to magicians, astrologers, sooth-Sayers, astronomers, philosophers, or simply wise men.

They are not Jews, not people of the Promise, completely outsiders.

And yet they are welcomed, apparently as easily as a neighbor dropping in.

It is surprising that Matthew, who throughout his Gospel stresses Jesus' connections with his Jewish heritage, is the one who tells of these foreigners who become the first to recognize Jesus for who he is, the first to worship Jesus, the first to offer him gifts.

They were searchers, looking here and there for answers.

And the gifts they left indicate that they felt they found that which they sought.

The three gifts seem to point to three aspects of the life of Jesus: gold fit for a king, frankincense for his office as great high priest between God and mankind, and myrrh which points to his death and burial.

They tell the truth of the situation, not with words as the prophets of old, but with these objects.

Then their task is done and they prepare to leave.

But an apparently off-hand comment by Matthew is still full of meaning.

Matthew says that they “left for their own country by another way.”

The reason first given for this is Herod's murderous intent, but there is a second reason also.

They cannot go back just as they were.

Now that they have been in contact with the center of all that is, they cannot travel the same old ways.

They have been enlightened by this contact; they have been changed with this encounter.

We would love to know what happened next with them, but they have served a particular purpose in this second chapter of Matthew, and after all, Matthew's subject is not the magi, but Jesus.

All we know is that they went home “by another way,” changed and carrying back something more precious than the gifts they had brought with them.

There always have been people searching for truth.

These days the big word is “spirituality”.

Those who are searching may think that churches are too cumbersome and carry too much baggage from the past, and so will try to make up their own path, in effect, their own religion.

Lots of things that are good in themselves can be twisted into a new faith.

Here are just two samples:

Some have turned the management of their health into a religion.

Perhaps we have run into this kind of person who are very anxious to tell us how their life has been changed by eating certain foods or gulping down a particular vitamin or dietary supplement, or following the advice of a particular guru.

It can feel like such persons are proselyting us for a new religion.

A good thing like care of the earth can also be turned into a religion, complete with its own high priests and sacrifices.

In many other ways, we can try to manage our lives and try to keep control of everything.

It will not work.

The love of God in Christ Jesus cannot be controlled by us, but wants to entice us into letting him control us.

What should we be doing?

The first thing, the crucial thing, is worship.

As one of our carols phrases it:

Then entered in those wise men three,

Full reverently upon their knee,

And offered there in his presence

Their gold, myrrh, and frankincense.[LBW56.5]

It becomes a stewardship question, doesn't it?

Are we giving gifts that befit a king, or leftovers?

Are we acknowledging that Jesus is the center of existence and our connection with God, or are we trying to make our own way and listen to other priests?

Are we willing to endure the death of our wants, and in their place receive new life with the risen and ruling Christ?

One of our beloved 19^th century carols has a misleading line.

In Away in a Manger we sing

The little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.

Our Gospel lesson reminds us that the Word became flesh.

And that means he is human in all of the ways of our human bodies.

“No crying he makes” is in a sense a denial of Christ's humanity.

Babies make demands on us; we have only to look at and listen to any young parents to know that!

Their lives get completely re-arranged.

So Christ is come as a baby to re-arrange the lives of not only Mary and Joseph, but also the lives of the wise men, and every other who in their stumbling search for truth, are encountered by the Lord Jesus.

Like the wise men, we leave this place and travel on “by another way.”

The old stars grow dim, and we need a more trustworthy guide.

The worldly wisdom fails, and we need truth secure.

There are so many things that need to be done, things that spring from our being together here.

All of those things begin with worship.

Let the heights of heaven adore him,

Angel hosts his praises sing;

Powers, dominions, bow before him

And extoll our God and King.

Let no tongue on earth be silent,

Every voice in concert ring

Evermore and evermore.

Whatever the seeking that each of us is doing,

whatever twists and turns have brought us together, know this:

when we come to the manger and kneel with whatever gifts that we carry,

we will travel on “by another way.”

And that other way is the way to life. Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.