Following a Star

Not Your Grandma’s Christmas

This isn’t the Christmas story most of us heard as kids around the fire growing up. It’s not the Christmas story any of us read on Christmas Eve. And, truth be told, it’s not the Christmas story we like to remember. And the lectionary, for some reason, spares us the worst part! But it is in Scripture, and it’s important to take it seriously.

Here are the troubling elements most briefly:

An easily threatened and manipulative despot who turns to violence when thwarted;

traveling and well-intentioned astrologers first duped, but then enlightened into resistance;

a family on the run for their lives given sanctuary in a foreign land.

And then the slaughter of the innocents omitted by the lectionary but necessary, I think, at least to mention, if not read.

Having named even this much, though, it’s hard not to admit that while this may not be the Christmas story we want to hear, it’s a version of the Christmas story that resonates deeply with our own times. For the magi who we read about today, following the star to where Jesus was meant more than just coming to a nice home and presenting some baby shower gifts two years late… it meant experiencing first hand the danger that was King Herod. And rather than dismissing Herod for being, well, Herod, we would do well to imagine just how much about Herod we tend to be. How much of Herod we act out. How much of Herod we live out in our own leadership.

Now let’s be clear, trying to transform this story by substituting each person’s least favorite government leader for King Herod, doesn’t do this scriptural story justice in the end… but this text is indeed very political.

Now let’s be clear, trying to transform this story by substituting each person’s least favorite government leader for King Herod, doesn’t do this scriptural story justice in the end… but this text is indeed very political.

While

The term “politics‟ itself, comes from the Greek word “Polis‟, which means the city state. According to Greek Philosophers, Politics was a subject which dealt with ALL the activities and affairs of the city state. City state was an all-encompassing term, as the ancient Greeks made no distinction between the Government on one hand, and personal and social life on the other hand. Our politics, therefore, is not just who we vote for but what we say… what we do… how we interact with other people. According to the Greeks, Politics was the total study of man, society, state, and morality.

Here are the troubling elements most briefly: An easily threatened and manipulative despot who turns to violence when thwarted; traveling and well-intentioned astrologers/seekers first duped, but then enlightened into resistance; a family on the run for their lives given sanctuary in a foreign land. And then the slaughter of the innocents omitted by the lectionary but necessary, I think, at least to mention, if not read.

Having named even this much, though, it’s hard not to admit that while this may not be the Christmas story we want to hear, it’s a version of the Christmas story that resonates deeply and troublingly with our own times. It is not an exact corollary, we should be clear, and trying to transform it into an allegory by substituting our least favorite leaders for Herod, etc., doesn’t finally do the biblical story justice. But, oh how difficult it is to miss the resonance.

We, too, have too many families on the run from their lands for fear of their lives. We, too, have too many innocents being slaughtered, whether by violence or treatable disease or preventable starvation. We, too, seem to see a plethora of leaders terrified by the prospect of losing power and willing to do almost anything to hang onto it. We, too, see all kinds of well-intentioned people manipulated by individuals, corporations, and governments via social media and countless other ways to view the world in a distorted way. We, too, see some who have become wise to the machinations of others stand firm in their resistance. So while this may not be the Christmas story we prefer, it does feel like a more realistic account of events.

But before succumbing once again to the temptation of allegory that slams our opponents and validates our own convictions, and while noting these echoes and patterns that seems consistent across the centuries, let’s note that this isn’t intrigue and machinations and plots and violence in general, or even for the gain of political power or wealth, but rather that all of this is provoked by the promise of God’s coming messiah and the salvation he will bring.

According to the Greeks, Politics was the ________ ________ of man, society, state, and morality.

What is so threatening about God’s salvation, mercy, and grace? Simply that it is a stark reminder that we need salvation, mercy, and grace. That we are not in control. That we, no more than Herod “and all of Jerusalem,” do not have the final say in how the world, or even our lives, will run.

Jesus comes, and as we heard ancient Simeon say before he died, and he will be a sign to be opposed. So it was then. So it is now.

But let’s also note that what is constant across the centuries is not simply that Jesus occasions opposition, but that he comes. That he comes in love and mercy. That he comes to save. That he comes for all, leaving out no one who admits their need. And let’s note God’s consistent action to side with the oppressed and save those who are in need. God works through the magi, God warns in dreams, God helps the family take flight, God provides shelter and sanctuary in Egypt. Very little of this is what the various characters in the story would have hoped for or planned, yet none of it is devoid of God’s presence.

So when we say that this text is political, keep in mind that we’re talking far more deeply than Red State vs. Blue State—but about our states of mind… both as a country and as individuals.

We, too, have too many families on the run from their lands for fear of their lives. We, too, have too many innocents being slaughtered, whether by violence or treatable disease or preventable starvation. We, too, seem to see a plethora of leaders terrified by the prospect of losing power and willing to do almost anything to keep it—including the sacrifice of other people’ wellbeing. As Democrats and Republicans point fingers at one another over the current Government Shutdown, 800,000 people are out of work (or at least not being paid for their work).

And, as the state of affairs currently stand, if the shutdown does indeed drag on for weeks and months or even years as has been suggested it might… even in just February we may see the problems escalate—several articles came out just yesterday talking about the food assistance program, SNAP, or Food Stamps running out of money in February with only 60-70% of the needed money to make it through February… that would mean each of the 19 million households in America who receive SNAP benefits would potentially receive a cut of about $90 each in February to how much food they can purchase at the grocery store… and in March there would be no funding remaining. And I can tell you that this would mean a LOT of hungry people in Perry—our little town is already strapped for food assistance.

But this is true politics—where we see direct correlations between what happens in the palace and what occurs on the streets. And at times, yes, we as the church are called to make a stand and come to the aide of our neighbors. Some times these issues are fuzzy—feeding people is not a fuzzy issue.

Whether you are for the wall or against—people need to be fed. I don’t suggest this often, but I’d encourage letting our representatives know that this is an issue that needs to be solved somehow. We as the church are called to make a stand and come to the aide of our neighbors. Some times these issues are fuzzy—feeding people is not one of those fuzzy issues.

But this is pol

So while scripture today from Matthew may not be the Christmas story we prefer, it does feel like a more realistic account of events as we hear of leaders pushing their agendas sometimes at the very real cost to the ordinary person’s livelihood.

We, too, see all kinds of well-intentioned people manipulated by individuals, corporations, and governments via social media and countless other ways to view the world in a distorted way based in fear of the “other”.

We, too, see some who have become wise to the machinations of others stand firm in their resistance. So while this may not be the Christmas story we prefer, it does feel like a more realistic account of events.

We, too, have too many families on the run from their lands for fear of their lives. We, too, have too many innocents being slaughtered, whether by violence or treatable disease or preventable starvation. We, too, seem to see a plethora of leaders terrified by the prospect of losing power and willing to do almost anything to hang onto it. We, too, see all kinds of well-intentioned people manipulated by individuals, corporations, and governments via social media and countless other ways to view the world in a distorted way. We, too, see some who have become wise to the machinations of others stand firm in their resistance. So while this may not be the Christmas story we prefer, it does feel like a more realistic account of events.

Lessons From Herod

But let me throw some caution out there again. Before we go ahead and take these issues and compare it to scripture and start slamming our opponents and validating our own convictions—I want to suggest that we instead take this story and hold it up as a mirror to our own individual politics—to our own ways of interacting with the world. When I am faced with the story of Herod I meditate on three very specific questions, and I’d encourage you to do so as well:

The first question is this: What is it about the world that frightens me?

Question 1: What is it about the world that __________ me?

And I ask this because the whole horror of this story that Matthew tells about stems from fear. The author of the gospel tells us that when Herod heard news that a new King of the Jews had been born that, “he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;”

Herod had been appointed by the Romans… he wasn’t a king of David’s bloodline. Herod had likely already killed others who had placed some claim to the throne. For one kingdom to have two kings meant civil war—and that does not lead to a prosperous state. Which is probably also why Jerusalem was afraid with him. Jerusalem was, after all, the seat of power for Judah. Jerusalem was where you lived if you had power and wealth. And the idea of a new king coming not from the big city but from Sumner, Oklahoma threw people into a tizzy. How might that affect the stability of the rich and famous if someone who did not have wealth and power… someone who had a heart for the poor came up and became the new king. There was reason for Jerusalem, particularly the elite of Jerusalem, to be concerned.

But “what is about the world that frightens me?” is an important question to ask ourselves. And I don’t just mean being afraid of spiders… I am talking about fears regarding our own livelihoods. Whether we realize it or not, fear unfortunately can drive a lot of our decisions. In particular, fear drives a lot of our really bad decisions. And it’s not that the fears are unfounded either—often times there are really good reasons to have the fear. But knowing and naming the fear is important. Perhaps what frightens you is:

Someone getting mad at you.

The possibility of losing your job.

The stock market crashing.

Getting older.

Running out of money.

Running out of time.

Getting sick.

Left-wing radicals

Right-wing radicals

Battling with a sickness.

People who sit on the fence.

Republicans

Children who make noise in church!

Not having any children in church.

Or something else entirely.

Maybe there are several items that frighten you… that cause you anxiety and stress to at least some degree. Or maybe it’s not something that comes to mind right away… maybe it will take some pondering to figure out. And maybe it is something that changes from day to day or week to week.

But whatever it is, answering the question, “what is it about the world that frightens me?” is important to help you understand what is driving some of your decisions.

Now we ask the first question to get to the second questions… because this is where we really start to get to the heart of the matter:

How do I respond to what frightens me?

Question 2: How do I respond to what _______________ me?

As we look at King Herod and his fear—he was deeply concerned that he would be shown as a fake king. And so his response to his fear was to try to eliminate the possibility of anyone even being reminded that he was not of King David’s line. It’s much easier to remain in power if there are no contenders to the throne.

Granted, where you and I are concerned slaughtering hundreds and thousands of little kids is probably a bit more than any of us would do. So thinking about some of our earlier suggested fears as examples for us today… if something that frightens you is people getting mad at you… does that mean that you end up

always being nice, even when tough love might be needed?

refuse to stand up for yourself when you’re being bullied

try not to talk as little as possible with others to lessen the chances of someone getting upset with you.

Or another one, maybe its the fear of losing your job. And there is a whole variety of different reasons what might cause us to fear losing our jobs.

But maybe we suck up to the boss

Or we put down our co-workers to make ourselves look better… even in small ways.

Or suck up to the boss

Or we tote the company line instead of saying what might be “right” even if it is unpopular.

Maybe you put your head down and try to not draw too much attention to yourself.

There are lots of ways that we can deal with that which frightens us. There are some ways that are healthy… and some that are not so healthy.

You can also do these two questions in reverse. If you feel like you may have made a poor decisions… go back and try to figure out why. There’s a good chance that you had some nagging fear driving it.

And that brings us to our final question:

How can I respond in a way that reflects hope of Christ?

Question 3: How can I respond in a way that reflects the _______ of ___________?

The story of Herod and the magi isn’t about political intrigue, plots, violence, or even political power or wealth. Those were certainly the sources of fear for Herod and we aware of the violent response that came from that fear. But ultimately this story was provoked by the promise of God’s coming messiah and the salvation he brings.

The idea of God’s coming to the world… the idea of God’s saving act—of spreading mercy and grace to all people is in and of itself threatening. But what is so provoking… so threatening about that? The threat is the stark reminder that we need salvation, mercy and grace. It’s the reminder that sometimes we are indeed driven not by our high morals but instead by fear and anger. It is a reminder that we are not in control. That we, no more than Herod and all of Jerusalem with him, do not have the final say in how the world or even our own lives will run.

What is so threatening about God’s salvation, mercy, and grace? Simply that it is a stark reminder that we need salvation, mercy, and grace. That we are not in control. That we, no more than Herod “and all of Jerusalem,” do not have the final say in how the world, or even our lives, will run.

And yet, the old WWJD is important—what would Jesus do. Even after we have messed up, we can ask ourselves how to respond in a way that proclaims our faith in the hope of Christ. How we can seek forgiveness, atone for our failures, and try again.

Conclusion

As we seek to live in a way that proclaims the hope of Christ to all the world… as we look to the heavens to follow that star… we will stumble over and over again. We will find ourselves filled with fear for one reason or another… and the more that we try to lie to ourselves… and the more we say we are not afraid, the deeper that fear sinks into us.

The more we say we are not _______, the deeper that ______ sinks into us.

That is not to say that we shouldn’t try to live as good of a life as we can. that we should just give up on helping our neighbor… of caring for the sick, vising the imprisoned, clothing the naked, and feeding the hungry. Christ comes into the world so that we can recognize our fears--recognize our failures—and more importantly that we may know that God helps us, cares for us, visits us, clothes us, and feeds us.

Jesus comes, and as we heard ancient Simeon say before he died, and he will be a sign to be opposed. So it was then. So it is now.

God braves the fears of all the world, so that we may know what it is to live in spite of fear.

But let’s also note that what is constant across the centuries is not simply that Jesus occasions opposition, but that he comes. That he comes in love and mercy. That he comes to save. That he comes for all, leaving out no one who admits their need. And let’s note God’s consistent action to side with the oppressed and save those who are in need. God works through the magi, God warns in dreams, God helps the family take flight, God provides shelter and sanctuary in Egypt. Very little of this is what the various characters in the story would have hoped for or planned, yet none of it is devoid of God’s presence.

God braves the _______ of all the world, so that we may know what it is to ______ in spite of ________.

And while this may not be the warm Christmas story that we would hope it would be—that as we follow that star we hear a very real story for a very real world.

Let us pray...