“Connected to God” (Matthew 2:1–12) Jan. 8th,
2012 Series B,
1. Please pray with me.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing
in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock, and our Redeemer. Amen. The message from
God’s Word this first Sunday after the Epiphany is taken from Matthew
2:1-12. It’s entitled, “Connected to God,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. In the movie Star Trek: Generations,
Captain Kirk and the starship Enterprise come upon a phenomenon in outer
space called the nexus. The nexus is a temporal irregularity moving
through space. To anyone inside the nexus, linear time has no meaning. So
Captain Kirk can easily go back and forth in time to a favorite occasion in his
life. He can go back and forth to visit a loved one who has died or relive and
change an experience. Being in this nexus can be so enjoyable, that, once
there, no one ever wants to leave. The villain in the movie is a scientist
named Dr. Soran, whose actions are cruel, cold, and violent. It’s easy to be
against him. But toward the end of the movie, we find the motive for his
cruelty isn’t money or power, but connection. Dr. Soran’s motive was to get
to the nexus, go back in time, and reconnect with his family who were killed in
a terrible tragedy. That was it. Yes, even villains want to connect in a
meaningful way. In fact, all people want to be connected. More important, all people need
to be connected to God, though many, many people don’t know it, Christ
Is the Connection to God All People Need.
3. That’s what our life’s journey is about. From the
time we’re born, we seek attention, connection, and relationships. Even as
infants, we don’t want to be left in the crib. We cry. We want to be held. When we’re alone for too long, we get lonely.
As children, when we don’t have close friends in school, life seems empty. When
we’ve had a good time with a bunch of people, it’s hard to leave the fellowship.
Even some of us men, who may not be as good about relationships as women, talk
about male bonding.
4. So we all value connection. We value
connection so much that we buy into the fairy tales that help us dream for that
perfect love. We look for that romance in which someone will love us more
than him or herself, in which that someone will understand us deeply, and will always
be there for us. But, my friends in Christ, especially our young ones, so often
this eludes us. You see, you and I will never find the
perfect connection in this world, in any person on this earth. Because of
sin, we’ll never find the perfect relationship. We will never find that perfect
connection. Never. Don’t expect your spouse or best friend to be sin free.
There will be times when, despite our best efforts, we hurt one other. There
will be times when we’re not there for each other. Now that I’ve knocked
romance out of the equation, we can get to the main thing.
5. In essence, people often look for that great
connection in the wrong places, or in the wrong person. You see, because of our sin, the nexus
between God and man was cut off. That great connection with God is there,
but we try to make that connection with someone or something other than God. The
Wise Men from the East knew this. These were people with wealth, power, and
prestige, very possibly advisors to royal courts. Yet, we hear Mt 2:2: “For we saw his star when it rose and have
come to worship him.”
6. These people leading “fairy tale lives,” these Wise Men, wanted to connect with God. They were
looking for that connection, and so they sought that star. They were
looking for that connection, so they journeyed a long way following the star.
They were looking for that connection, so they wanted to worship Christ and
have a meaningful time and fellowship with God, who had come down to earth in
the flesh. They understood, like we Christians understand, that it’s Jesus
Christ who makes our connection to God possible.
7. The Greek word epiphania means a showing, a
making known, or a revealing. The Epiphany reveals who Jesus is,
Lord and King, Son of God. Matthew mentions Herod, probably to reveal that
Jesus, not Herod, is the true King. It reveals that Jesus is the King of kings and
not your usual king. Herod is dressed in royal dignity; he’s master at the
palace. But the child the Wise Men worship in a humble setting is the true
Master. It’s not that the Wise Men had any
special, inside information. They probably had read the prophecy in Numbers
24: “a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel” (Num 24:17). Then they saw the star
and followed it. They weren’t the only ones who could see the star or read the
Scriptures. They were there, plain for anyone to see.
8. They also asked a simple question, the answer to which could easily be
found in the Old Testament. The top theologians didn’t need to be summoned, but Herod did so, and
they replied straight out of Micah about little old Bethlehem: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too
little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who
is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days”
(5:2). The information was there. The star and the prophecy were plain to be
seen. Having heard about the star and
Bethlehem, Herod and the leaders of Jerusalem don’t join the Wise Men to go and
connect with the true King. The connection isn’t made. Herod and the leaders
see competition. Herod wants to get rid of the competition instead of
seeing the truth and connecting with the one who really loves him and cares for
him.
9. On the other hand, the Wise Men see the connection. They go to
connect with their true King, who rules not with worldly splendor, but in peace
with caring and with deep, loving, and meaningful relationships. The Lord
who wants us to be with him and for all eternity that he allowed his eternal connection
to his Father to be broken when he took our sin to the cross. But because he
took upon himself our sin—which had cut us off from God—and suffered
himself being put to death, we are reconnected to God, now and forever in
heaven.
10. So as each of you reaches out to people in the
community, we make that Epiphany connection. Through our warm
friendliness; serving with our hands; hospitable, welcoming outlook; and
personal witness, we make St. John’s Lutheran Church the inviting place of that
connection for which people are looking. We turn them away from their Herod
and their Jerusalem and toward Jesus and Bethlehem. This church family is to be
that fellowship where God is revealed to people looking for meaning and
connection. This is the nexus where God makes known the true, perfect love of
Christ.
Worried about offending? Afraid of losing friendships? Fearful of
being rejected? The Lord reminds you that he will be with you. He reminds
you that in Holy Scripture, he will give you the words to share, that he will
open doors for you. God even used Herod to make the final connection
between the Wise Men and Jesus. He will use you all the more to make
connections for him.
11. Mailings, advertising, research, and personal
invitations continue to be powerful tools to connect, but the Lord teaches us
today that prayer is the foundation of connection. Snail mail,
instant messaging, spam mail, and e-mail are nice, but don’t forget knee-mail.
Yes, k-n-e-e-mail. Let’s get down on our knees and pray
like this: “Lord, I know I have often
been neglectful of my Christian responsibility to make you known in this
community. Forgive me. All around me there are people who are struggling to
make that great connection. I know they are hurting. I know they are looking
for that perfect relationship, but only through you is that powerful connection
possible. You are the source of good, deep, healthy relationships. You are the source of quality connections in
marriages, families, and friendships. So use me, Lord, to connect with people
who feel empty, forgotten, lost, disconnected.
Here I am, Lord. Send me. Use me. Give me the words to speak and provide
me discernment in taking advantage of the appropriate opportunity in time to
witness. Open those doors for me to connect others to you, and then let your
love and the Good News shine through. In the name of Jesus, I pray.”
12. Today God is reminding you of your connection to him. You don’t
need to look for a perfect love. You already have it. It has been provided
for you with no strings attached. God loves you more than you can possibly
imagine. He sent his Son, not to condemn you, but to save you, and to connect
with you, by dying for you on a cross. He’s given us the responsibility to
reveal to people in this community and throughout the world that the perfect connection
is here. It’s right here in Jesus. We’ll share with them about the star and
what’s written in Micah. They might not get the connection at first. In their
eyes, Herod at first may look like the real ruler, but the Spirit will work to
reveal the hidden God to them. We pray that the Lord would give us the strength
and the wisdom as the St. John’s family works to connect our neighbors to
Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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