The Gift That Mattered Most

the-gift-that-mattered-most-matthew-2-1-12-1-8-2017-website-version

Today is a snow day.  We’re sorry we can’t gather in person.  Attached is today’s homily, as well as a self-guided communion exercise.  In the attached PDF, there is also a Sunday School lesson about Epiphany.  We hope you will stay safe and warm!  Bob 

 

The Gift That Mattered Most
Bob Stillerman
A Sermon for Sardis Baptist Church
1-8-2017
Matthew 2:1-12

It’s fitting that the Advent and Christmas seasons are bookended by expressions of kingship. Real kingship. God’s kingship.

Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday of the liturgical year, is an acknowledgement of the Lordship of Christ. We are reminded that it is not the powers and principalities of this world that rule us, but rather the love and grace of the Christ, and the new definitions and possibilities of kingship such love and grace create.

After Advent and Christmas, we enter into the season of Epiphany, the time when Christ’s kingship is revealed not just to the residents of Bethlehem, but to and for all the world.

What symmetry! We close Ordinary time with an acknowledgment of Christ’s kingship. We wait expectantly for such a kingship to arrive. And then we learn once more how to recognize its presence.

But we’re from the West. And over the years we’ve paid more attention to Luke’s Gospel. We’ve thrown the wise men into our nativity sets, and our choirs like to sing We Three Kings once in January, and the definitions of Frankincense and Myrrh make for good trivia questions. But otherwise, we haven’t had much use for the Epiphany story. Besides, we’re a week into January, and our Christmas decorations need to come down – Belk is already telling us to get ready for Valentine’s Day. We’re busy people, and too often, we ask, “Why bother with Epiphany?”

Here’s why:

The Epiphany story is a microcosm of the entire Gospel: When we recognize the power and presence of God in our lives, we are met with overwhelming joy. And when we allow such joy to fill our hearts, we are given the power to transform a broken present into a promising future.

Wise men or magi from far-away lands came seeking the new born king. They arrived in Jerusalem, and they made their way to Herod’s Palace – the face of the Roman Empire in Palestine. They walked into the gates, and there in front of one of the world’s most powerful men, they said: “We’ve come to pay homage to a new king, a child.”

What!?!

Imagine a herd of foreign dignitaries coming to Washington or London, asking to see the President or the Queen, and saying, “Hey Sir/Madam, we’re wanting to know if you would point us to the new source of power, the real source of power. We want to pay him homage. We want to offer our whole selves to him.”

Herod is frightened by such news. And so are the powers and principalities of today. In a very direct way, (though we’ll miss it if we don’t pay attention), the wise men put the world and the world’s leaders on notice: “There’s a new source of power, and we’re going to follow him. And guess what? He’s not going to be found in a traditional place like a palace or a city hall. He’s going to be among you and me.”

The wise men follow the star, and eventually they meet the child and his mother. All too often, we remember that they brought him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And to be sure they did. But these were the second gifts they offered.

The text tells us that when our heroes arrived, they were overwhelmed with joy, and they knelt and paid homage to the child. In other words, just like the shepherds, and just like Elizabeth and Simeon and Anna, the wise men recognized immediately that they were in the presence of God. And in such recognition, they offered Jesus their very lives. They recognized that in this child was a person who would devote his every thought, his every action, his entire self to the will of God. They recognized that here was someone whose power and presence could transform the world in a way that earthly powers could not. And so they knelt. And they exclaimed, “My Lord!”

Then, and only then, did they offer Jesus their fine gifts. That’s really important. It’s important because Jesus is not to be served like an earthly king. Earthly kingdoms require treasures and other tangible goods to create a sense of credibility. The wise men are not worthy servants because they present valuable goods. The wise men are worthy servants because they present their whole selves. Herod and other kings value things. God’s kingdom values the heart.

In Matthew’s Gospel, the Epiphany story is a catalyst for recognizing God’s power and presence, and for recognizing kingship. The child will grow to become a prophet and a healer and eventually, Messiah. A centurion, and a few blind men, and a leper, and some fishermen, and a few tax collectors, and a bevy of other believers will follow the example of the wise men. Upon encountering the Christ, they will see in him a power and a presence that is beyond this world. And they will stop in their tracks. And they will offer their allegiance. And they will proclaim: “God is present in the world!” And in such presence, they will find a broken present transformed into a promising future.

The wise men traveled far and wide. They brought many gifts, but the one that mattered most was the gift of their whole selves.

In the year ahead, we too, will travel far and wide. And while this church will gladly accept your gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh (especially the gold!), there’s an even better gift to give: ourselves.

This much is certain: God will be revealed in 2017. But if we are to experience an epiphany in this place, it will only come about if we offer ourselves as living sanctuaries and servants to a new king, the king who comes as a child, and offers us a world of love and grace.

My Lord! May it be so!!! Amen.
Snow Day Communion 1-8-2017

It snowed. Well sort of. But snow days won’t deter our communion.

You can do this by yourself, or with other members of your household. Or you could even call a friend and exchange the words over the telephone, or a text, or even Facetime or Skype.

What you’ll need:

Something for bread: your morning toast, a Lance cracker, a dinner roll, a Skittle, whatever you can find.

Something for juice/wine: water, or orange juice, or milk, or anything you’ve got on hand.
Words of Institution:

Okay, here goes:

Communion at Sardis is not just a meal. We hope it’s a reflection of our hospitality. And so one might ask the question, “Who is welcome at this table?”

All are welcome. Protestant, Catholic, Baptist, recovering-Baptist, no matter! Believer, doubter, somewhere-in-between, no matter. All are welcome, any and every time we gather (physically or virtually).

Since this table is virtual, imagine your friends at Sardis. Picture someone sitting next to you. See their face. Remember a positive experience you’ve had with this person. Think about how you’ve shown them love, or they’ve shown you love. Got the picture? Now offer God thanks for this person.

And just like that, where two are gathered, so too is the Christ.

Many years ago, Jesus gathered the disciples for a final meal. During dinner, he took a loaf of bread, and he broke it, and he said, “This is my body for you! Take and eat.”

And after dinner, he poured a glass of wine. And he said, “This is my life-force, poured out for you! Take and drink”

Each time you eat this bread, and each time you drink this wine, you proclaim that I am with you, and you are with me! And each time we share this meal, we reach back through space and time to remember a humble but special invitation to a table – a table that is always open.

Friends, this is the bread of Christ. Take, eat, and remember Christ.

Friends, this is the life-force of Christ. Take, drink, and remember Christ.

And friends, know this: There is always room for you at Christ’s table.

Amen.