"Home by Another Way"

Sermon on Matthew 2:1-12

Rev. Caela Simmons Wood

First Congregational UCC, Manhattan, KS 

January 3, 2021

Stars. Dreams. A journey. 

A tyrant schemes. 

Wise ones bow down in joy. 

The shadows of violence and empire encircle. 

Stars. Dreams. A journey. Epiphany. 

I’ve always loved the story of the Magi because these outsiders take center stage in an unexpected way. The story shows, right from the beginning, just how earthshaking Christ’s birth was. Not only do emissaries come from afar to greet the young child, but their journey captures the attention of the King. From the beginning of the Jesus story we are told by angels that he will be an earthquake - a force that shakes the foundations - and now, in the story of the Magi, we begin to see this play out. 

No matter how much we might want to keep our faith personal, private, or apolitical, it is clear from the Jesus story that this cannot be. 

Not even able to walk and talk yet, young Jesus is already drawn into the political realm whether he likes it or not. He is seen as a threat to the Empire, and the King wants him dead. He reminds us of so many others who are made into “political issues” - people of color, LGBTQ people, women, immigrants, people with disabilities, and so many others who become “issues” and political footballs in the halls of power. 

Often, we humans end up being political whether we like it or not. 

The story of Epiphany is like that. You can read it all warm and fuzzy with a star gleaming overhead and kind strangers visiting from afar. Mary, Joseph, and the babe are nestled up snug with cuddly cows nearby. Gifts are exchanged. All is calm. All is bright. 

But the subplot of Herod lurks in the shadows and it’s not so easy to dismiss. He attempts to use the Magi to gain access to Jesus and we all know it’s not because he wants to “pay him homage.” The Magi may be foreigners, but they understand what’s going on. When they are warned in a dream to avoid Herod, they do so to protect the infant Christ. 

The story ends with the phrase that’s been circling around and around in my head as we move into 2021. We are told that after they are warned in a dream to avoid Herod they return “home by another way.” 

2020 often felt like a year in exile. Routines disrupted. Isolation. Uncertainty. We’ve all wanted, so desperately, at times to be able to simply flip a switch and go back to “the way things were.” To go home. 

And yet - we also remember, if we’re being honest with ourselves, that the Before Times were far from perfect. Violence against our neighbors, xenophobia, white supremacy, misogyny, economic systems that lead to death, and many other sins that plague us.

If we go home by the same route - if we simply try to go back to the way things were - we will be running right back to Herod. What might it look like to go home by another way instead?

What if we, each of us, step into 2021 with great intention? As we return home together, we can build a new home that is more just, more peaceful, more equitable, more kind, more life-giving for all people and all creation. 

Some of this rebuilding is on a grand scale, of course. We will all be a part of conversations within organizations as we decide what type of home we want to inhabit together on the other side of this pandemic. What systems might we create that allow for flourishing for all creation?

Some of the rebuilding will be much smaller - the way we each structure our days, interact with our neighbors, balance the many demands on our time. How might we rebuild our own lives in ways that lead to abundance and peace?

There are so many ways to intentionally begin to walk that path that leads home. And we go forth with the knowledge that God is still journeying alongside us - still speaking to us just as the Magi were given wisdom in their dreams. 

One of the practices I’d like to invite you into for the coming year is to use the star word you’ve received. These star gifts can invite us into prayer, contemplation, wonder, puzzlement, and deep joy. I’ve invited Greg Eiselein to share with us a very brief testimony about what his experience of his star word has been like this year. Greg, we’d love to hear from you now. 

*****

Thank you, Greg. Friends, we’ll close this time of listening by holding silence for just one minute. It would be a good time to just hold your Star Gift in your open palms and receive it as a gift for Epiphany. For the new year. An invitation to ponder how we might all go home by another way together. With God journeying alongside us. 

Still speaking, still loving, still saving now as always.