FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, ATLANTA, GEORGIA

Communion Meditation by Dr. George Bryant Wirth

Epiphany Communion

January 4, 2009

CHRIST AT THE CENTER: THE FAMILY OF FAITH

ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

INTRODUCTION

Several years ago, during the month of December, I found a card which I liked so much that I’ve never sent it to anyone. Here it is, and this is what it says:

“If the three wise men had been women they would have:

- Asked for directions

- Arrived on time

- Cleaned the stable

- Made a casserole

- Brought practical gifts”

Now according to the original story recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, the Bible does not say that there were three of them, but rather that “wise men from the East” (however many they were) brought three gifts to the Christ Child – “gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Neither does the text tell us that they actually came to the manger in Bethlehem. Matthew says instead that “on entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother and they knelt down to worship Him,” indicating that they probably did not arrive exactly on time but rather many months later when Jesus had been taken to His home in Nazareth (read Matthew 2:13-23)…which is why we celebrate this story during the season of Epiphany, after Christmas is over.

And just one thing more by way of introduction: although most of us might agree that women are more prone to ask for directions than men (which is surely my own experience), those ancient travelers from the East came to Jerusalem asking the question “Where is He – the Child who has been born King of the Jews?”

You see, in their search for Jesus, the wise men were asking for directions, and so are we still today.

I

Now, sometimes in our journey through life, we wind up heading in the opposite way of where God wants us to go. In the Gospel of Matthew, lets call it “the path of fear,” and that is what King Herod was all about.

When the wise men came to him asking Where is the Child who has been born King of the Jews? For we have observed His star at its rising and have come to pay Him homage (2:1-2), did you notice Herod’s reaction? The Bible says that When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him (2:3).

Why was that true? Because Herod had been appointed by the Roman Emperor as “King of the Jews,” and he knew that this Child to be born in Bethlehem could and would rival his authority and control of the entire region. So King Herod was afraid, together with all of the people around him who had already witnessed his paranoia and insane destruction.

During his reign, Herod ordered the deaths of his uncle and brother-in-law, his wife and two of his sons who somehow had threatened him. And as Matthew reports, Herod ordered the slaughter of all of the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or younger, to make sure that the Christ Child would be eliminated.

And even though, as December’s cover story of The National Geographic Magazine describes him (see National Geographic Magazine,, December 2008 – “The Real King Herod: Architect of The Holy Land”), saying that King Herod was one of the greatest builders of his time, constructing palaces and developing cities and restoring the Second Temple for the Jews where the western wall still stands today (I saw it with my own eyes three months ago) – even so, when he heard the news about this Child, Herod was afraid, and all of Jerusalem with him.

On an international level, that kind of fear is wreaking havoc right now in the Middle East, where retaliation and revenge seem to have no end, as people are militantly moving in the opposite direction of the peace which God wants and wills for them. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. And that is our hope and heartfelt prayer, as well as our Christian conviction and calling to reach out to the people who are suffering there.

On a national scale, we also know what that kind of fear can do to us here in America. In 1981, after the March 30 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, Secretary of State Alexander Haig stood before the TV reporter and asserted “As of now, I am in control here, in the White House…”

Truth be told, he wasn’t. But although there is no comparison to be made between King Herod and Alexander Haig, the reality is that when we face a crisis of that proportion, we cannot always control everything that happens.

Such was the case after September 11, 2001 when all hell broke loose in those terrorist attacks, prompting the economist Donald Ratajczak to write an article for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution entitled “Fear Factor Only One Segment of Our Ailing Economy” (From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, October 14, 2001, page C3).

And so it is today in the midst of our financial meltdown. To be sure, we can, we must and we will find long-term solutions for this crisis. But in the short-run, even with the smartest economists, the best bail-out programs and the most effective stimulus packages, the fear factor has hit this nation again. And as people of faith, we need to believe that God will lead us back in the right direction.

Dr. Joanna Adams, Pastor of the Morningside Presbyterian Church here in Atlanta, a leader in our denomination and a close personal friend, she made this observation in one of her sermons years ago:

“Sometimes I watch the Travel Channel. You see a lot of people who are relaxed on the Travel Channel. No one seems to be worried that his or her suitcase has been sent to Peoria instead of Acapulco. They sit beside the pool, looking as if they had enjoyed a sauna and a massage earlier in the day. A smiling waiter in a white coat is leaning over to hand them a frosty drink with a little pink umbrella in it.

I like to think that all the trips I take will be like that. I like to think that the journey of the rest of my life will be something like that. But life is not the Travel Channel. There are terrible and challenging problems to deal with and real fears to be faced. As someone wise has said, ‘In this business called human life, it’s hard to get twenty-four smooth hours in a row.’” (From a sermon: “The Complaint Department” by Dr. Joanna M. Adams, September 29, 2002)

II

Exactly so! And that is why as Christians traveling now into another new year, we need to believe and know that God can and will give us directions in the way He wants us to go. And the word which the Lord has already given to guide us in our journey of faith is called “Trust.”

Trust is printed on all of our money. Trust is the core of every loving relationship between family members and friends. Trust is essential for nations to live together in peace. And for those of us who believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, trusting in Him will lead us forward into the future, holding on to faith and hope instead of being held back by fear.

That’s what happened to the wise men, you know. Coming from the East, probably modern day Iran, they traveled all those miles to Jerusalem where they ran head on into King Herod, who was afraid of the Child they were seeking, and so were all the people with him.

But instead of letting that fear hold them back or drag them down, the wise men followed the star in the sky which led them to the place where they found Jesus. And bowing before Him, they presented their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Now, if you remember the way the story is told, Matthew concludes saying: Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, the wise men left for their own country by another road (2:12).

My friends, those profound words do not reveal all of the great mystery of God, but they tell us enough to know that if we ask the Lord for directions and then trust in Him, He will show us the way to go.

Do you believe that today? Do you? A couple whom I married back in the 1980’s believe it, and they said so in their Christmas letter which came in the mail this week. They have been blessed with wonderful children and the gift of love between them which is inspiring to me.

But in the midst of their great joys, they have also walked through the valley of the shadow and faced sorrows in their lives, just like most of us. And thinking of them all these years, this concluding paragraph brought tears to my eyes. Please listen:

“Life cannot be mapped out in advance. Our journeys inevitably present us with things we can’t understand – illnesses, traumas, losses and miracles…life is a journey of discovery, not certainty, and the best way to make it is simply to take it.”

CONCLUSION

That’s what the wise men discovered, following the star which helped them find Jesus. And as we find Him, and are touched by His presence at this communion table today, as we trust in Jesus to lead us forward on this journey of faith, if we listen ever so carefully, we will hear Him say over and over and over again –

Do not be afraid!

Do not be afraid!

Do not be afraid!

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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