Sermon January 06, 2008

There is probably more confusion and ambiguity about the Wisemen in the Bible’s narratives about Jesus’ birth than anything else. In the Greek New Testament, they are called Magi. Magi in the ancient near East were astrologers. They studied the stars and the movements of the heavenly bodies to determine the future of human events here on earth. The astrological signs you see in the newspapers are their direct descendants.

They were from Persia, perhaps India we really do not know too much about them even their number. Legend has given them names and their number three is inferred from the number of gifts. As much as we can tell is that they were pagans, non-Jews who somehow had heard that the King of; the Universe was to be born and a star miraculously guided them to the land of Judah. They get the name “Wiseman” because they had the wisdom to understand that what God was doing in having Mary give birth to Jesus was somehow the union of heaven and earth. The idea that they were Kings come from the immense value of the gifts they brought – gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Jesus and Mary had moved from the stable by this time because it says in the Bible that they found him in a house. God warns them too not to tell King Herod where Jesus is and he sends another “angelgram” or “dreamgram”.

They were Wiseman. They were seekers of truth. Though they were not Jews and saw the heavens and the universe as populated by Gods and Goddesses, they had faith that this star which called to them, beckoned to them, seemed to lead them was the sign of Divinity’s wish to reveal something wonderful and spectacular to them. Like the angels that appeared to the shepherds, this star was a sign that God was interacting with them.

They were the first gentiles; that is to say, thy first non-Jews that God beckons to worship and adore him. They are the first sign that this savior was for everybody, for each and every person that God had made. The Spirit sends the disciples out to make the name of Jesus known at Pentecost to all Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth, but here we see the Spirit’s intention.

Notice when they enter the house they see the child and somehow they are touched by God’s Spirit. Many medieval artists depict Jesus with a halo of light around him. We don’t know for sure of course. They go down on their knees to adore him. They worship him not only with their mouths and with their gifts but they worship with their bodies as well.

When was the last time you worshipped God with your whole self, with your body as well?

We Americans are, in part, estranged from our bodies. We are so much in our heads that we forget that our other senses can be put to use to experience the reality of God and aid us in our quest to relate to the Divine.

Ballroom dancing had made such a big comeback lately, I believe, because we human beings love what dancing does to us. The movement is ritualized, stylized and patterned but it is courtship and an expression of love, attraction, joy and delight just the same. We speak love and communion through the dance. We take delight in these movements because they unite us to one another.

When President Jimmy Carter visited the Peace Corps headquarters when I was a volunteer in Liberia in 1979, no one had to tell us to stand up when he entered the room. It was just a natural response to being in the presence of greatness. We rose, all of us volunteers, as though we were one body to meet the “head” of our “State”, the USA. He was not only the most powerful man in the world – there was great care among us for him because his mother had been a volunteer and he was committed to us and the mission we were on. It was a privilege and a thrill to be in his presence.

The Magi dropped to their knees in much the same way. Their bodies express what their hearts, minds and spirits all felt and experienced – awe, adoration, reverence. They knew deep in the center of their being, that in this child they were encountering God. Their bodies automatically showed their respect.

Some Lutheran Churches have kneelers. I’ve served two that have had them. They are used for confession, for prayer, and for reflection after communion. Many Christians kneel when they are praying even at home. If you don’t kneel for prayer normally, why not try it for a week or so just to “try it on for size” to see if it fits. Sometimes when we make a change in our way or manner of doing something familiar at gives added meaning to us. Kneeling for prayer can be an enrichment.

Kneeling is a posture of humility. It is a sign of ones recognition that you are in the presence of greatness in the presence of the Holy. Kneeling can help to make God more real and available. We kneel as a posture of supplication, it means we come as lesser beings before a greater being asking for something. Kneeling automatically reduces your pride – you have to humble yourself. In your body you realize that it is God who has power and not you – which is always good for us.

At our lovely Christmas program this year that the children put on, Natalie Adams danced a prayer for us. It was beautiful and very moving. It was as though she yielded her body to become a vessel for God. Her movement was speech.

The Wisemen have many things to teach us. They teach us that going to find God takes a journey. It requires devotion. It inspire us to give something costly and to abandon our pride, and worship God with your whole body

We are going to Ronald McDonald House. It is for kids but it is not just for kids. There will be Moms and Dads there who are scared for the life of their child. No one can have too many Grandmas.

Luther said “Be a little Jesus to your neighbor in need.” It is New Year’s. Lots of folks have vowed to exercise their bodies. Why not exercise yours in worship to the one to whom “every knee shall bow to every tongue shall confess.”