Saturday, January 06, 2007

Sermon Starters: Epiphany 2007

I'm preaching tomorrow at College Wesleyan. Cheesy title: It's 2007, but the Kingdom's a Comin'

The goal is to combine remembrance of the visit of the wise men with the first sermon of the New Year.

The gist of the sermon goes like this:

Introduction


  • New Year's Day not a Christian holiday per se, but for Christians a good time to hit the reset button on their walk with God.
  • Jan. 6 is Epiphany in the Christian calendar, at one time Christmas was celebrated on that day, in fact today the Orthodox churches are celebrating Christmas.
  • The West often celebrates the visit of the Wise Men at Epiphany
  • The Wise Men: differences between Matt. 2 and our Christmas plays: no mention of 3, Jesus is probably at least a year old, star may be an angel, astrologers
  • Many things of note, including things the Spirit may say uniquely to you: Jesus as a new Moses, foreshadowing that the gospel will reach the Gentiles
  • Focus this morning: seeing what God is doing in the midst of so much busyness.

Point 1: The wise men looked up when everyone else was just looking around.

  • nothing of this recorded elsewhere, star, wise men, murder of babies
  • Golden Age of Roman literature, pax Romana,
  • end of Herod's tenure, rebuilding the temple, murder of wife and children
  • baby born, Savior of the world, Lord of the universe, God on earth
  • Are we looking to what God is doing?
  • Are we showing others the star?
  • Are working to make His will on earth as it is in heaven? In Marion? In the United States? In the world?
  • Are we working to see people change from the inside out? You can't force people to follow the star.
  • Are we working to set up structures in our world that embody the love of our neighbor and thus of our God?

Point 2: The wise men didn't just see, they followed.

  • The priests knew enough to find out where the Messiah would be born--but they didn't run to Bethlehem
  • Mary was there, but we do not read of her following Jesus later in Matthew. In fact, when she and Jesus' family interrupt Jesus' ministry, he ignores them, calling the crowds his mother and brothers.
  • The priests are the type of the person who knows with their head the things of God, but they don't make it into their lives. (Reminds me of my children completely oblivious to the mess they are creating as they make their merry way through the house)
  • much of this is a matter of the Holy Spirit, we can only put ourselves "in the right place," that means being a part of the church, praying, reading the Scriptures, taking the sacraments, etc...
  • We would come a long way if, like the wise men, we could recognize who the king is. This king does not currently demand our all, but one day he will. Right now he is asking for it.
  • Does Christ's presence in your life have the same impact that your boss does when s/he walks in the room? the governor? the president of the US?
  • Is there a disconnect between what we say we believe and our lives? philosophers who say religious language really isn't about reality, story of Afghans who killed daughter because of custom, despite the Quran... where have we dismissed God's will?

Point 3: The wise men didn't just follow, they worshipped

  • Herod knew Jesus was the king, knew what that meant, tried to kill him anyway.
  • That's stupid--to fight against God, running toward a Mac Truck?
  • Herod is a type of the moral idiot, the person who not only is aware of what God asks, but actually fights against it.
  • Amazing when people get caught lying, stealing, cheating, having an affair etc... and they get angry at the person who caught or exposed them.
  • No one deserves mercy... that's part of the definition of mercy. By definition, what we deserve is justice (example of the student who cheated and then was upset that the professor changed their grade after he confessed)

Conclusion:

  • There's a lot going on in our lives right now
  • Don't be like Herod.
  • Don't be like the scribes.
  • Be like the wise men.
  • moments of personal reflection on our lives in the new year

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