Stars
for Our New Year
Sermon preached by the Reverend Larry Young
January 2, 2005
Scripture:
Isaiah 61:10-62:3 and Matthew 2:1-12
It’s
fitting that we think about the Magi on this first Sunday of the new
year, as we transition from Christmas to the season of Epiphany. The
Magi are generally included in our nativity scenes and in our thinking
about the events of Jesus’ birth. Yet we know they were the
last to arrive at the manger by a matter of weeks or more likely months.
So the Magi are for us the symbols of the Epiphany season—the
season when we celebrate that the light of Christ which came to us
at Bethlehem is now shining out into all the world—and yes,
into our lives as well. In returning to their home in a distant part
of the world, they symbolize that Christ’s light has gone out
to be a light for all peoples.
But
have you ever stopped to ask yourself, why did the Magi bother to
make the long and arduous journey to Bethlehem in the first place?
We know the star they sighted was a sign to them of a potentially
very significant event—perhaps the birth of a great person.
As astrologers it was their business to call attention to significant
heavenly signs. But couldn’t they have been true to their vocation
by just writing up a news release for the local press “Brilliant
Star Seen Heading West” and then speculating on the possible
meanings it might have? They could have done that without getting
out of their chairs. Why did they choose to invest themselves so fully
in pursuing this celestial sign?
I
think it was because they had to in order to be faithful to their
own highest sense of destiny. For them an exceptional star wasn’t
just something to write about. It was a key to divine forces at work
in the world. It could have great meaning for their lives, as well
as the lives of others around them. Maybe they could stay home and
write news articles about lesser stars, but this one demanded that
they pursue it at whatever cost in order to discern its meaning. Only
in that way could they keep faith with their own sense of vocation
and destiny.
Well,
we’re not astrologers; yet we know, at least in our better moments,
that the stars we choose to follow have everything to do with the
meaning our lives have. A key part of the Christmas message is that
we are persons of great worth—persons whom God loved enough
to send the Christ for our redemption. The poet William Wordsworth
once wrote, “Trailing clouds of glory do we come from God,
who is our home.” So if our lives have
(continued...)
"Stars for Our New Year" Sermon
by Rev. Larry Young, Jan. 2, 2005
that
kind of meaning and destiny, what stars do we need to be following
to be true to who we are meant to be? What are the things we need
to think about and care about and act on to keep faith with the highest
and best us whom God has so loved? On this first Sunday of a new year
let’s ask ourselves, what stars will we choose to follow in
2005?
Now
granted this is not an easy assignment. There are a lot of stars out
there competing for our attention and some of them glitter a lot,
no matter how burned out they may really be. Ours is the challenge
of sorting out which stars are worthy of our pursuit. Some years back
when computer dating services were new on the scene, a unique pocket-size
device called “The Love Bug” was patented by an enterprising
man. Basically it was a beeper device which you would program with
information about yourself and about what kind of person you desired
to meet. The way it was supposed to work was that whenever you would
get within range of someone whose Love Bug input matched your specifications,
both beepers would go off and you would meet someone who should be
right for you! Well, it seems clear we are not programmed to pick
up on God’s signals for our lives in the neat way the working
of that invention would propose. We have to work harder to tune in.
But I believe a God who so loves us does give us signals and points
us to stars in our sky. If we persist in our pursuit of them, we will
be led in the journeys of the spirit that are in sync with our intended
destiny.
Today
is a time to ponder the stars for our new year. For each of us this
is a very personal quest. Yet there are some predictable life arenas
where most of us are likely to find stars we need to follow. One of
those is the role we play and how we matter in the lives of those
closest to us. We’re not likely to be doing much to save the
world if we fail to be a positive force for our nearest and dearest.
In our Christmas letter this year, Jean expressed her gratitude for
my support through her back surgeries and recuperation during the
last twelve months—and yes, that has involved a lot of hand-holding,
errand-running, meal-fixing, and driving to appointments. I really
appreciated her more public acknowledgement. But given the situation,
I can’t imagine not doing all that for a life partner. That’s
what it means to live in love. I’m sure you’re likely
to see it the same way with your loved ones. One of our stars points
to how we live with those we are closest to.
Another
star is likely to point to what we contribute to a wider circle of
persons whom our lives touch. How are we using our gifts and talents
for the benefit of others? How does our investment of our time and
energy in our work or our community activities contribute to others’
well being? How do our personal value choices impact those who know
us—and for that matter, how do they impact our larger society?
Last Sunday Brad challenged us to consider what role we are playing
in the life of our church. Are we furthering Christ’s mission
by how we live out our membership in Christ’s family?
(continued...)
"Stars
for Our New Year" Sermon by Rev. Larry Young, Jan. 2, 2005
Is there a star for us to follow in the world out there beyond the
immediate sphere of our own lives? This is one of the hardest and
most intimidating arenas for us to think about. So much of that world
seems like a giant mess to us—the world of gang wars, and economic
injustice, and political corruption, and wars in Iraq and conflict
in the Middle East and Darfur, and rampant AIDS and other
diseases. Because
it’s so hard to see what we can do about such conditions, we
are tempted just to wash our hands of any responsibility for the world
at that level. But friends, I don’t see that we can be let off
the hook that easily by a God who gave His only son because that God
so loved the world. Christmas is a message that God cares passionately
about the world and its redemption, and calls us to share in that
redemptive work, no matter how challenging it may seem. To me that
means we are called to care about our world even when we don’t
know what we can do. We may well need to study and reflect and pray
about world situations until we are given some insight on how we can
act for good. I see a star here that will not let me rest apart from
my efforts to follow it.
Perhaps
as you allow the light of Christ to shine on you, you’ll become
aware of other stars that make a claim on you—stars that you,
like the Magi, feel called to follow because of how you see who you
are meant to be as a beloved child of God. When we take Jesus seriously,
his light has a way of bringing our lives into perspective, and we
get a sense of the things that matter most. So as you come to his
table this morning, I invite you to come asking that your stars for
a new year might become clearer to you. May God give all of us strength
for the journeying we need to do in 2005.
Notes:
© Larry Young, 2005. Permission is given for brief quotation
with attribution. All other rights reserved.
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