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Epiphany
The Good News Written
From the Wisdom of Margaret Gooding
“Some bright star shines somewhere in the heavens each time a child is born. Who knows what it may foretell? Who knows what uncommon life may yet again unfold, if we but give it a chance?”
Matthew 2.1-12 (NRSV)
1In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, [magi] from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” 7Then Herod secretly called for the [magi] and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”
9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
The Good News Proclaimed
Preached by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkinsat the Sunshine Cathedral on Sunday, January 3, 2010.
The second star to the right shines in the night to tell you that the dreams you plan really can come true.
Reminds us of the words of that well-known great prophet, Jiminy Cricket: When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires will come to you.
If your heart is in your dreams no request is too extreme; when you wish upon a star as dreamers do.
Of course, stories about the magic and hope and possibilities represented by the heavens aren’t limited to Peter Pan and Pinocchio.
Every day people read their horoscopes to see if the stars have good news for them, the promise of love or good fortune or reconciliation.
Famous people in the US sometimes will get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In New York, in front of the Lucille Lortel Theatre on Christopher Street, there are stars in the side walk commemorating great playwrights. When people become nationally or internationally known for singing or writing or acting or dancing or playing an instrument, we call them “stars”.
In ancient China, the philosopher Lao Tzu was conceived in an unusual way… or so the story goes. His mother was impregnated by a falling star.
In Greek and Roman mythology, stories were told of a man named Hercules… whose father was the mightiest of all gods, and whose mother was human. Hercules enjoyed both a human and a divine nature. After a life of wondrous deeds and miracles, Hercules died very painfully, but his divinity could not be killed, and he took his everlasting place in the heavens, among the stars.
About 40 years before the birth of Jesus, there was another star story. Julius Caesar had died and had been declared divine. His nephew and adoptive son was his heir and ruled as Augustus Caesar. Augustus, being the son of the divine Julius, was called “divi filius”… son of a god. This son of a deity celebrated his late father’s life with a festival and at that festival a comet was seen in the northern sky. That comet was believed to be the soul of Julius Caesar ascending to the heavens and being received by the other immortal, divine spirits, and Augustus took the comet to be not only a sign of Julius’ resurrection and ascension, but also a sign blessing his reign as the new Lord of the empire, the new king of all kings, the new emperor.
Matthew probably didn’t know about Lao Tzu. He definitely didn’t know anything about Peter Pan or Pinocchio. But he did know the story about Hercules… the person with divine paternity who was resurrected to eternal life in the heavens among the stars.
And Matthew definitely knew about Julius Caesar, who was declared divine and who was believed to have ascended to the heavens to watch over the world, as his divine son, Augustus, then ruled his Realm.
Matthew also knew the Hebrew Bible… where stars on occasion get an honorable mention.
He knew Numbers 24.17 that says, “ a star will rise FROM Israel…”
He knew Isaiah 60, which begins, “Arise! Shine! Your light has come and the glory of God rises upon you. See… the LORD rises upon you and the LORD’s glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light… All [will] assemble and come to you… all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Eternal.” (Isaiah 60.1-4, 6)
Stories from ancient Greece, from Hebrew prophetic literature, and from Rome… all declaring stars to be signs of good fortune, a bright future, and divine favor; Matthew knows these stories, and borrows from them to tell one of his own. He uses the imagery of a star in the heavens suggesting someone’s importance. He even borrows the imagery of people coming from the east bringing gifts of incense and gold to pay homage to the hero. Matthew is saying about Jesus that a star is born.
He uses the story to be very inclusive… Persian astrologers coming from what we today would call Iran are the heroes of the tale. They don’t covert to Matthew’s religion; practicing their own tradition they find and follow a heavenly sign, pay tribute to the young Jesus, and then protect Jesus by going home a different way. Just as they are, they part of the heroic, divine narrative.
The story isn’t historical, of course. Stars don’t rest just a few feet above someone’s house for goodness sake… and, if they did, then Herod shouldn’t have had any trouble finding Jesus himself. Someone would have noticed, “hey, isn’t that Joseph and Mary’s house with a star right over it?!” And word would have gotten ’round to Herod, if he had really been looking for an infant messiah.
And, history shows that Herod was a little crazy, but he was no fool and he was a strong leader… he wouldn’t have sent strangers who just wandered into his court to perform a fact finding mission. No the story isn’t about literal history… the story is about Matthew’s perception of the truth… and Matthew’s truth is that Jesus is a star… and what makes him a star, a person of such profound grace, dignity and authority, is that he lived a life that was life-giving to those who knew him, and even to many who merely heard about him.
Jesus was a healer, a teacher, a symbol of compassion, a model of courage and peaceful strength, he demonstrated that one need not be the mythical Hercules or the imperial Caesar to be God-filled… a carpenter’s son from an occupied rural territory could be filled with the love, the grace, and the presence of God… and he could show lepers and prostitutes and children and widows and beggars and rebels that they, too, were children of God, filled with God, loved by God. Jesus was a star to Matthew, and what made him a star was that he helped others feel like stars. He showed people that they, whoever they happened to be, had sacred value. Jesus was a star who shared his light with the world… and Matthew honors him with a star-studded story, and seems to invite us to follow the star that will lead to the Christ in each of us, so that we too will know our sacred value and will share divine Light with the world. This is the good news. Amen.
The Good News Affirmed
Divine Light guides me throughout this New Year.
Divine Light shines on possibilities for my life.
Divine Light shines on opportunities in my life.
Divine Light fills me with hope and happiness.
And I share the light with the world!
Amen.
The Good News Repeated
“Look out into the universe and contemplate the glory of God. Observe the stars, millions of them, twinkling in the night sky, all with a message of unity, part of the very nature of God.” Sai Baba
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