Sharing in the journey and gifts of the wise men

Short sermon preached at the 8am Eucharist, St Alphege, Solihull.
Sunday 4th January 2009 (Epiphany celebrated).

Readings: Isaiah 60: 1-6 [Ephesians 3: 1-12] Mathew 2: 1-12

On the Holy Day of the Epiphany our gospel reading tells us the story of the wise men from the East who come to see the child Jesus.
It is a remarkable story, not least because there are so many aspects of it that seem unlikely or surprising. Would God really mark the birth of his Son with a new star in the night sky? It is certainly surprising that the wise men, who seem to have nothing to do with the Jews or the Jewish religion, interpret the star in the way they do. It is even more surprising that they understand this far away event as so significant that they must respond to it by making a long and uncertain journey. But somehow this far away event takes a powerful hold on the wise men. Against all odds they embark on the journey. Against all odds they are eventually successful. When they finally reach Jesus they are overwhelmed with joy. They pay homage and give most precious gifts to the child when they find him.
It seems to me that there are similarities between the journey made by the wise men and the journey of faith, the spiritual journey, that we each make with our Christian lives. First of all, it all seems so unlikely. It seems so implausible that a baby born in a far away time, in a far away land, could be the cause of such a great journey, a journey that ultimately reorders our whole lives. Then the guides for the journey seem so frail. The wise men were guided by a star, a very faint light in the sky, only visible at night and only on a clear night at that, and how could they read such great meaning into this star? Similarly we are guided and drawn by our faith, which can seem very frail and faint and week, and scarcely seem enough basis for a great spiritual journey.
But despite all this the journey goes ahead. No doubt there are dark moments and difficult periods, and times when we almost lose heart. But in the end we do come to Jesus. We do find Jesus, present in our hearts, in our neighbours, in the scriptures and in the sacrament. And when we find Jesus there is overwhelming joy. Our purpose is complete. Then, there is the opportunity to bring gifts to Jesus. Let’s think for a minute about the gifts we can give to Jesus. Gold makes us think of our money, our talents and our time that we can use in the service of the church and of other people. Frankincense makes us think of incense, our worship, and all the prayers that we can bring to Jesus. Myrrh reminds us of the tomb and of death. It reminds us of our sufferings that we can offer to Christ, of the “letting go”, the “losing” and the “dieing” which we often experience as we follow God’s path for us. All of these are valuable gifts that we can bring to Jesus. They are all contributions, which he can use, better than we could ever imagine, in the building of his kingdom.
So as mediate on the wise men, let’s think about our own journey of faith towards Jesus. Despite the frailty of our faith let’s follow where God leads. Let’s be ready to offer Jesus gifts, even costly gifts. Above all let’s be confident that in the end, even though it all seems so unlikely, we will reach Jesus. We will be overwhelmed with joy.