January 4, 2026

Matt 2:1-12

Tuesday begins the season of Epiphany. A season of illumination. A season of brightness in the midst of darkness. It’s a season of light. Sometimes by now our decorations are taken down. You have my permission to keep em up. You are celebrating Epiphany, illumination, a season of brightness in the midst of darkness. It’s a season of light. This whole celebration starts because of light, a star shining up in the sky. But what’s more amazing than that star, is the people of who saw that star. Magi from the East. We’ve got that wonderful song, As with Gladness Men of Old, did the guiding star behold; As with joy they hailed its light, Leading onward, beaming bright; So, most gracious Lord, May we Evermore be led by Thee (we’ll be singing that during communion). These men of old are often referred to as kings, But nowhere in that text from Matthew chapter 2 are they referred to as kings. In fact, ML wrote, they were not kings, Herod did not treat them as peers at all. He didn’t give them any courtesy that you would give a fellow king. Nor does it say that there were three of them. There were three gifts for sure, but not three magi, sorry to ruin the picture for ya, but facts are facts, I guess. Sometimes we are so familiar with that story we forget what it actually says… and it doesn’t say a whole lot.

All we really know is that they are very different. They are so different from anybody else in this Christmas story. They came from another land from the East. Foreigners, they don’t worship in the temple, they are astrologers who watched the night sky. So you can see the amazing part of this story, this guiding light that leads to the Christ child is revealed to these men who are so very different than anybody else. And then they become the ones who point it out to the rest of the world.

These wise men, magi from the East. They see the shining star in the sky and they follow it all the way to Jerusalem. They’re looking for a new king, and of course, where do they go? They go looking in the king’s palace (duh). And they ask King Herod, Hey where’s the one born King of the Jews? Now if you think about that, that takes some guts, doesn’t it? To walk up to King Herod, the King of the Jews, and to say to King Herod Hey King, have you seen the King anywhere? And you notice how King Herod responds to that… NKJ translated that verb as “disturbed.”  Another way to translate that verb it is, to be “frightened, to be terrified, to be troubled.” King Herod, he was disturbed, he was frightened, he was terrified, he was troubled, why? Well, because he’s the king and now there’s a new king that has been born. And Herod doesn’t understand it. So Herod is afraid. Herod is afraid that a new king will take his place in Judea. But that is not why this king came. This king has not come to gain political power, political clout in Judea. But to gain a place in our hearts. Herod has the power of Rome behind him, but this new King… Well, He’s got ultimate power. He has power of God because He is God. Herod rules with an iron fist, but not this King, He rules with Love and Forgiveness. Herod doesn’t understand it, and Herod is afraid. So Herod speaks with the religious leaders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law and he speaks with them not so that he can understand Him, not so that he can believe in Him, this new King of the Jews. He speaks to those religious people so that he can find that new King and destroy Him. And the religious leaders they knew, they knew the scriptures, the Word of God, and it points the way. This new King will be born in Bethlehem in Judea for this is what the prophet has written, “But you Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are by no means least in the rulers of Judah for out of you become a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.” The Word of God points the way.

But don’t ya think that those magi would’ve been totally mystified by the religious leaders in Jerusalem, why didn’t they go to Bethlehem?? These seriously learned theologians, why didn’t they just drop everything and hightail it on that relatively short trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to also worship that “ruler who will be a shepherd of My people Israel.” Well, they must’ve mystified at that. They knew the scriptures but they didn’t act on the scriptures. The Word of God pointed the way, but there was no change of life for them. It was all in the head and no heart. But the Word of God points the way to the magi. The magi were not all head, they knew something special was in Bethlehem. And they head to Bethlehem, following that star in the sky until it stops at a house. And they enter that house of Mary and Joseph and they kneel in worship before King Jesus. These foreigners! These non Jews. These astrologers. They are so very different and they get down on their knees and worship Him.

Well, still that star shines. That hasn’t changed in over 2,000 years. Still that star shines for God’s people. It still leads people to the Savior. And still Jesus says I’m gonna show you Myself, My Word will point the way. It’s Epiphany in two days after all. We don’t hear it often, it means to make manifest, to reveal. And it’s exciting and God can’t wait to reveal His Son to us! His Word points the way to the Christ child, to Jesus. He’s a little baby, adored by shepherds and later by these wise men. The Word of God points the way to Jesus living and preaching, and teaching, and healing and loving. The Word of God points the way to a cross, to a body dying there for you and for me. He’s winning salvation for all who would believe in Him. The Word of God points the way to the tomb. That tomb that is not only open, but it’s empty, because Christ is risen and He is victorious. Life has beaten death. The Word of God points the way to His table and invites us to partake of that foretaste of the feast to come. Just a little piece of bread, it’s just a sip of wine, but it IS the body of Christ, it IS the blood of Christ. It IS forgiveness, and life and salvation. The Word of God points the way to that baptismal font and He says you are mine. You are My child and I will love you always. And, all along the way that Word of God is pointing the way to heaven, to eternal life, to that heavenly feast with the angels and the saints and the Son of God. And where there will be praise and there will be glory and there will be heavenly glory and peace forevermore. The Word of God points the way.

And when you have been shown the Christ child and when you have been in His presence, and when His light has shined upon you, when the Word of God has shown you and the Word of God has pointed the way, then, then God has a way of changing you. I mean that happened with those magi. That light of the stars shining on the Savior, the sight of their Lord, young as He was, being in the presence of their God, their hearts were changed and they bowed down. They humbled themselves and they worshiped that child. They were changed. It’s what happens to us, when the light of the Savior shines on us. It’s what needs to happen to us. We need that change because sometimes, sometimes the sin in our hearts leads our eyes to look at inappropriate things and it leads our lips to say inappropriate words and it leads our ears to hear inappropriate things and it leads our feet to go to inappropriate places. I mean, It can’t be all head, and no heart, like those theologians in Jerusalem. We need to be changed. We need the light of the Savior to shine on us and to change our hearts. And His light does shine, doesn’t it? The Word of God does point the way, doesn’t it? And you have been changed, haven’t you? Because you have seen the Christ. I mean not two weeks ago we were here singing Joy to the World, Away in the manger and Silent Night. You have seen the Christ come into the world for you and you’ll share in the Sacrament at this Altar. And you’ll share it again today. You have tasted of His salvation. You have heard that story again and again and again. The Word of God has pointed the way. How Jesus came and He lived and He died and He rose. How He forgives, how He redeems and saves, how He loves. You know, you know, that story so well. Because Jesus has shined His light on you…. and you are changed because of it. By the power of God’s Spirit we are changed. God has revealed His Spirit to us. He is a humble baby in a manger. He is a toddler, worshiped by wise men. He is a servant-Savior dying on cross. He is a mighty Savior, risen and ascended for us. He is our Lord and He is our salvation and He, at His Epiphany has changed us to be His. We know the scriptures, we act. And we now get to share that, oh we can’t help but share that.