Faith Journey (Matthew 2.1-12)

Introduction

The best present I ever got as a child was when I was about 8 years old. It was a plastic astronaut complete with space capsule. I almost wet myself and blacked out with excitement as I took it out of its wrapping. I was so fond of this toy that it went everywhere with me; in bed, on the loo, in the bath, at the table, I was inseparable from it – for all of 48 hours.

But my mum and dad took me to the amusements in Southend-on-Sea the day after Boxing Day and I left my beloved toy in a dodgem car never to see it (or anything like it) ever again. My happiness was, alas, wretchedly short-lived. (If anyone is offering counselling after the service I might take you up on it).

Christmas presents aren’t always spine-tinglingly wonderful though are they? I heard about one little girl who wrote a thank you letter to her grandparents which said, “Dear grandma and grandpa. Thank you for the gloves. They were something I wanted - but not very much!”

The tradition of Christmas presents probably goes back to the three wise men in the Nativity story who presented gifts of gold, frankincense and myrhh to the new-born king, and I’ll come back to that in a moment.

The Spiritual Quest

But first of all, I want to explore a bit with you why they went to Bethlehem at all. We know they travelled from the east – but that is a bit vague really; I mean everywhere is east of somewhere isn’t it? In fact, it probably means Babylonia, or Persia, perhaps even India – several hundred miles east of Bethlehem.

What I love about this story is the way it echoes so many other journeys I know, including my own; journeys of faith.

It seems they were just going about their everyday lives when, literally out of the blue, something caught their eye and grabbed their attention and they understood that by following the star it would lead them to a unique new king. It was something that they became aware of and which started a quest in their lives.

Everybody I know who is a Christian has a different story of how their interest in Jesus first came about – and it’s fascinating to learn about that spark, that catalyst, whatever it was, that led to the beginning of another faith journey.

Here are a few examples from people who have been on our Alpha course this last term; several guests on the course noticed something change in a close relative who had been on the course the previous year and that change sparked an interest.

Another was doing the Great North Run and he noticed the t-shirt of a runner in front of him with a message saying something like “Do the Alpha Course.” And he thought, “Yes, I’ve heard of that, I think I’ll sign up.”

Another was just browsing on the Internet for information about local churches, stumbled upon our website, and followed the link to our page about Alpha. These were their “new star moments” if you like that jolted them into beginning a journey of discovery about Jesus.

Someone I know attended a funeral at our sister church in Long Newton a few years ago, and she was suddenly struck by the thought of the inevitability of her own mortality. She thought, “I’ve got to find out if there’s a God and if there’s an eternity.” It was a “new star moment” that started something in her.

David Suchet, who plays Agatha Christies’ Poirot in the TV series of the same name, was in a hotel one night, and got a bit bored of hopping through the channels, so he picked up the Gideon’s Bible in his drawer and started reading it in the bath. It was a “new star moment” that started a journey for him and that ended in him becoming a follower of Jesus.

Most Christians can point back to a “new star moment” that first launched their quest of faith. Some of you here this evening may not have started yours yet. What if tonight God taps you on the shoulder in some way that initiates the beginning of your own personal quest?

But the story of the wise men also shows what so often happens when you start out on a journey of faith. Their quest was going quite well, they were making decent progress – when all of a sudden they come across a paranoid, controlling, pathological psycho called King Herod.

He goes absolutely ballistic when he hears from them about a potential rival and it all gets very awkward. It gets messy, so the magi have to navigate through all of that and find a way to get back on track with their quest.

That’s what happens. I have known so many people on a spiritual journey and who suddenly find it all gets disrupted. A girlfriend feels she needs to call a time out on the relationship unless he shelves his new God thing that's annoying the life out of her. A colleague at work, who was previously friendly, starts avoiding you. Family members think you’ve joined the funny farm. I even heard of two parents who wrote their son out of their will when he told them he was going to become a Christian.

The quest for faith is not often straightforward. It can get complicated. There are almost always obstacles and obstructions to overcome. The wise men, what did they do? They pushed on. They persevered. They found a road blocked with no Diversion signs but they were determined to get to where they were going, and they found a way. And in the end their star led them to the little town Bethlehem where their journey ended.

Can I encourage you, if you’re on a faith journey now to not let anything that gets in your way throw you off course? Don’t let doubts stop you. Don’t let a friend deter you. Don’t let the busyness of life distract you. Don’t let a family member inhibit you. Don’t let your pride and self-sufficiency hinder you. This is the most important journey you’ll ever make in life.

As C. S. Lewis so memorably said, “Look for Christ and you will find him. And with him everything else.” The stakes are high, eternally high. It’s so worth pressing on and finishing this journey.  And I can tell you from experience that one good look at Jesus is enough to make you dissatisfied with anything else.

Well, the wise men finally got to Bethlehem when the star seemed to stop over the place where Jesus was. And there, they bowed down and worshipped, and presented gifts.

The Gifts

Why gold? We know all about gold. It’s what we value highly. When someone makes a fortune we say “he’s struck gold.” When a child is a delight to be with we say “she’s good as gold”. When someone is kind we say “She's worth her weight in gold.” When an athlete excels in his sport we award him a medal of gold.

They gave gold because Jesus is the very best God could have given us.

Why frankincense? It's a perfumed resin from the bark of a rare tree. It was lit in the temple to symbolise prayer rising to God. The wise men gave frankincense because they understood that this child was a bridge between heaven and earth; he is the key that enables us to connect with God.

Frankincense is also used medicinally in the Middle-East to treat conditions as diverse as asthma, fever, rheumatism, gastrointestinal problems, depression and sundry inflammatory conditions. Perhaps the magi knew prophetically that this child was going to bring healing to the sick, mend broken lives, and bind up broken hearts.

Why myrrh? Myrrh is another aromatic gum from a small thorny bush that was used for embalming before burial. It is the strangest gift you could offer a new born baby. Never mind a rattle or a soft toy, here's something for the funeral...

Myrrh was used at Jesus's death and burial. The gospels say they offered him a mixture of wine and myrrh before the crucifixion deaden the pain – and he refused it. Then Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea brought about 35 kilos of it to embalm Jesus' body after it was removed lifeless from the cross.

Myrrh has an aromatic, scented fragrance. Giving such a gift to Jesus was as if to say that there was going to be something sweet and fragrant about his death.

And there was. Jesus went through hell when he suffered and died so that you and I never have to. He gave his earthly life so that we can have eternal life.

Jesus chose to die – not many people do that; some do, but not many. But Jesus is utterly unique because he is the only person - ever- to have chosen to be born.

Follow the star, wherever it leads, however complicated it gets, until you find your way to the king who for all eternity has been awaiting your visit.

Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 18 December 2016