There is a beautiful old tradition about the star in the East. The story says that when the star had finished its task of directing the wise men to the baby, it fell from the sky and dropped down into the city well of Bethlehem. According to some legend, that star is there to this day, and can sometimes still be seen by those whose hearts are pure and clean. It's a pretty story. It kind of makes you feel warm inside.

There are other legends about this story of the wise men from the east. For instance, how many wise men were there? In the old days in the east, they believed that there were 12 men who made the journey, but now most everyone agrees there were three. One old legend even tells us the names of the three. Melchior was the oldest of the group, with a full beard. He gave the baby the gift of gold. Balthasar also had a beard, but was not as old as Melchior. He presented the gift of myrrh. The youngest of the three was Casper, who had no beard yet, but did present the gift of frankincense to the baby. Yet another legend goes on to tell us that after seeing the baby, the three continued traveling as far as Spain, telling the world the good news about what they had seen. These stories bring the wise men a little more to life, and add some color to the meaning of Christmas. They can also get in the way.

The problem with legends is that sometimes they add color to stories that don't need any additional color. In fact, sometimes legends are so colorful, they are unbelievable, and can end up making the entire story unbelievable as well. Kind of like that star falling in the well. It makes you warm inside. It also makes you wonder. I am not out to ban legends, but I do think it might be worthwhile to hear the story one more time, the way it was told the first time. I need to hear it anyway, and you are welcome to listen along if you like. (Read Matthew 2:1-12).

Now that we have heard the story from God's Word, we can break down what is fact and what is fiction. Artists have often pictured the Magi, or Wise Men, as worshiping the infant Jesus alongside the shepherds in the stable at Bethlehem. It makes a lovely picture, but this is fiction. The fact is, that we do know they arrived a number of months after Jesus' birth, for Jesus had already been circumcised and presented in the temple, and Mary and Joseph were now in a house in Bethlehem, not a stable. There were three wise men: Fiction. We don't know how many there were, or exactly where they came from, and we certainly don't know their names. And we know that they returned home in the east after their visit. Not westward to Spain.

The Wise Men were kings: Fiction. The fact is that they were magi, who were a class of priests, astronomers, and astrologers. They were advisors to the king, very likely in Babylon. During the captivity of Israel, Daniel was in charge of the Magi. It is very possible that they originally learned of the Messiah from him. The star that guided them was some sort of planet, meteor, or comet that must have been around by chance: Fiction. The fact is that the star which guided them was a special creation of God, a heavenly body which He used specifically to bring about his purpose of bringing these men to worship his Son.

And that really brings us to the important point of this event. These important men from far away, from a heathen background, who were not of the chosen Jewish race, had embarked on an extraordinary journey to come and worship a newborn King. They worshiped Jesus and presented Him with costly gifts. There is some rich symbolism in those gifts that we can learn from. The first gift in GOLD. That is a gift fit for royalty, fit for a king! It wasn't something common folk would normally exchange with each other. It was the most precious of metals intended for the noblest of people. It reminds us Jesus was the King of the Jews, the King of Kings! How fitting! The second gift was INCENSE. Incense was regularly used in connection with worship at the temple. Its smoke rising to the heavens symbolized the God-pleasing prayers of the people ascending to the throne of God. That reminds us of Jesus' divinity. He is true God! The third gift was MYRRH. It was an aromatic resin used in perfume and in the embalming process. It also serves as an anesthetic when mixed with wine. That is why the Roman soldiers offered Jesus wine mixed with myrrh while he hung on the cross. This gift points us to the fact that Jesus is a human being and reminds us of his suffering and death! Yes, as a man, Jesus would die. He would die for us.

That is the symbolism we see in the gifts of the Magi. We cannot say to what extent they, at the time, understood the symbolism that is so clear to us now, as we look back at their gifts to the Christ child. Perhaps they just wanted to give the infant King the most special gifts they could possibly bring from their homeland. Whatever their motive was, God used their example to teach us what true worship is all about. It is about Getting on our knees before the almighty Lord of all, and giving Him our very best adoration and praise, because He is the King of kings, true God, and loved us enough to become true man and suffer in our place. Worship is giving God our best gifts that show and symbolize He is our God-Man-Savior-King of Kings!

Is that what worship always is for us? Do we always come here fully realizing and understanding that we are in the presence of the Almighty God who created heaven and earth: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Do we always realize we are in the presence of his Son who gave up everything to become one of us and die on the cross in our place? Do we worship Him as if we know and believe He is the King to whom all other kings must bow down? Do we praise and adore Him as One who should have banished us to eternal death, but instead has loved us back to life and granted us a full pardon?

Well, what thoughts run through your mind after our service? "Wow, what an amazing God we have!" "I love the Lord! I cannot wait to enter his house again to worship and adore Him!" "I wish I had more to give Him!" "I'm glad I had to struggle through that difficult hymn of praise because it made me feel that I have done my best for God!" Or do your thoughts sound more like this: "I didn't like any of those hymns, because I didn't really enjoy the melodies." "I loved the hymn…it was such a beautiful melody that made me feel good." "Boy, I didn't really get anything out of that sermon." "I didn't really get anything out of the readings." "I loved the sermon. That's the only thing that I really come here for." "Why did we have to keep standing up and sitting down?" "These services get so boring. I want something more exciting that will keep my interest!" "It is so far to come here to the LAC. This wasn't really worth my trip. Maybe I'll skip next week!" Do you think the wise men returned home talking about what they got out of their worship experience? Were they saying, "Boy, I really got something out of that!" or "That was kind of boring and anticlimactic after our long trip. I really didn't get anything out of that." "I don't know if that trip was worth it."

No, they didn't. The wise men knew what worship is all about. We are not the subject of worship, God is! Worship is about getting on our knees in front of the One who deserves our adoration. It is about praising God and giving Him our best! The Magi were changed by their experience. We know that because they listened when God directed them to return home by another route. They listened to what God said because they respected Him. This opportunity changed their lives as it changes yours. Worship is you giving what you owe and deserve to a God who deserves your praise. Worship is not about what you can get out of it. It is an opportunity for us to get down on our knees and thank God for his love to us. Worship gives us an opportunity to step into the presence of the Almighty!

Today we are celebrating Epiphany. That means a revealing of light to you and me. We can identify with the Magi, because like them, we were lost in the darkness of our sin. We live dead end lives that only want things for ourselves. But God sent his Son to this world to give you and me light. To give us forgiveness. He has forgiven and pardoned you for everything. That is the only reason we are even permitted to be in his presence to tell Him thank you. His undeserved love for us has changed our status before Him, and changed our lives! So, We Better Get On Our Knees and worship, praise, and thank the almighty Lord who became our brother so that we could live with Him forever! Amen.

Back to the Epiphany page
Back to the Pastor's Messages page