Sermon Tone Analysis

*Message:* Wise Men                            *Newport** Baptist Church*

*Scr:* Matthew 2:1-12                          *Date*: 2006-12-17               

*Intro:*   Story – one woman’s Christmas journey…

·         /It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree.

No name, no identification, no inscription.

It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so./

·         /It all began because my husband, Mike, hated Christmas--oh, not the true meaning of Christmas but the commercial aspects of it: overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute, the gifts given in desperation./

·         /Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties. . . .

I reached for something special just for Mike./

·         /Our son Kevin was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended.

Shortly before Christmas, there was a nonleague match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church.

These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only things holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue-and-gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.

/

·         /As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear.

It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford./

·         /We ended up walloping them.

As each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat./

·         /Mike shook his head sadly.

"I wish just one of them could have won," he said.

"They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them."

That's when the idea for his present came./

·         /That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.

On Christmas Eve, I placed an envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me.

His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas.

Each Christmas, I followed the tradition--one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year giving a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas./

·         /The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas.

It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.

As the children grew, the envelope never lost its allure./

·         /The story doesn't end there.

We lost Mike due to cancer.

When Christmas rolled around, I was so wrapped up in grief that I barely got the tree up.

But on Christmas Eve I placed an envelope on the tree, and in the morning it was joined by three more./

·         /Each of our children had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad.

The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation, watching as their fathers take down the envelopes./

* *

*Explanation – *What is Christmas really all about?

Last few weeks

Joseph – told what would happen and was obedient

Mary – privacy, plans, neutrality all disrupted by God’s actions

Shepherds – invited and responded

 

Wise Men – Magi – Greek word - Men of Wisdom who studied the stars

No idea of their names, their origins, or even how many of them there were – tradition says 3 because there are 3 gifts.

Why were they considered wise?

Wisdom is a thing which many say is difficult to find…

Proverbs 9:10 - 10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

*TS – *Look at their journey and their joy as a way to find wisdom and to rediscover the real meaning of Christmas

 

*1)       **The wise men’s journey (2:1–8): They travel to Jerusalem.*

/there’s a great deal of Internet research and revisionist thinking going on about these characters in the Christmas story.

Some of have suggested that things would have been considerably different if these wise men had actually instead been wise women.

If it had been ‘Wise Women’ instead of ‘Wise Men’, they would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought practical gifts from Baby’s-R-Us, including diapers, wipes, bibs and formula.

But that’s an entirely different story….../

a)       Their public meeting with King Herod (2:1–6)

i)         The magi’s request (2:1–2): “Where is the newborn King of the Jews?”

(1)     They knew who they were looking for

(2)     They knew how to find him – star

(3)     They knew what to do when they found him – do we know?

/story I heard about a mother who was running furiously from store to store on Christmas Eve … trying to get those last-minute gifts.

Suddenly she realized she’d lost track of her little 3-year-old son.

In a panic, she retraced her steps and found him standing with his little nose pressed flatly against a frosty window.

He was gazing at a Manger Scene.

\\ When he heard his mother call his name, he turned and shouted in innocent glee: “Look Mommy!

It’s JESUS!

Baby Jesus is in the hay !” \\ The harried mom grabbed his arm and jerked him away, snapping, “We don’t have time for all that!

Can’t you see that Mommy’s trying to get ready for Christmas!?!”/

ii)       The monarch’s reaction (2:3–4)

(1)     His concern (2:3) : Herod is greatly troubled!

(a)     Herod is threatened with replacement

(b)     Knew Jewish history – rebellious people

(c)     Was aware of Jewish prophecy – warriour king messiah

/legend  - time Satan and his demons were having a Christmas party.

As the demonic guests were preparing to depart, one grinned and said, "Merry Christmas, your majesty!"

At that, Satan replied with a growl, "Keep it merry my friend.

If they ever get serious about it, we’ll all be in trouble."/

(2)     His command (2:4) : Herod demands that the Jewish priests tell him where the Messiah will be born.

iii)      The ministers’ reply (2:5–6)

(1)     The place (2:5) : In Bethlehem!

(2)     The prophecy (2:6) : This was the prediction of Micah the prophet (Micah 5:2).

b)       Their private meeting with King Herod (2:7–8)

i)         Herod’s demand (2:7) : He asks them when they first saw the star.

ii)       Herod’s deception (2:8) : He says, “When you find the child, tell me, so that I can worship him, too.”

*2)       **The wise men’s joy (2:9–12): They rejoice when they find the child.*

/A small boy was writing a letter to God about the Christmas presents he badly wanted.

"I’ve been good for six months now," he wrote.

But after a moment’s reflection he crossed out "six months" and wrote "three".

After a pause that was crossed out and he put "two weeks".

There was another pause and that was crossed out too.

He got up from the table and went over to the little manger scene that had the figures of Mary and Joseph.

He picked up the figure of Mary and went back to his writing and started again: "Dear God, if ever you want to see your mother again…!".../

a)       Journey is for giving, not for getting.

b)       The witness of the star (2:9) : It leads them to the very house where Jesus is living.

i)         Knock on the door, Mary perhaps opens it… who are you?

ii)       Explanation would have been strange at best…

iii)      Um well… we’re um… how much do you know about stars?

c)       The worship by the wise men (2:10–11): They present him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

/Gifts are funny things – wisdom – men listen up  - “What not to Buy Your Wife” \\ Although the only person a man usually shops for is his wife, the whole experience is a stressful one.

I’ll pass on what not to buy her: \\ 1. Don’t buy anything that plugs in.

(Like a new vacuum cleaner).

Anything that requires electricity is seen as utilitarian.

\\ 2. Don’t buy clothing that involves sizes.

The chances are one in seven thousand that you will get her size right, and your wife will be offended the other 6999 times.

"Do I look like a size 16?" she’ll say.

Too small a size doesn’t cut it either: "I haven’t worn a size 8 in 20 years!" \\ 3. Avoid all things useful.