"Home By Another Way" - Matthew 2:1-12 (January 6, 2019)

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Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘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.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 

“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.” ’

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then 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.’ When 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. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

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If you’ve followed us on Facebook recently, you will have undoubtedly witnessed the antics of the Wandering Wisemen.  The Wandering Wisemen are three miniature lego-like figurines along with their trusty camel, Hezekiah, who have been, well, wandering since the beginning of Advent, seeking the newborn King.  They have gotten into some quite tricky predicaments along the way.  They have found themselves stuck in the kitchen cupboard binge-eating almonds and dried apricots.  They’ve taken a detour to play a friendly game of Candy Land.  They’ve gotten stuck in the dishwasher and found that, while shaken by the experience, their crowns had never sparkled so brightly.  Tempers flared when the other two companions discovered that Balthazar had eaten all the cookies intended for the Christ-child.  As they continued their journey, they did daily yoga sessions to keep limber, although Hezekiah did suffer a mild back sprain from an ambitious attempt at “downward camel.”

Alas, finally, today, they have reached their destination!  Today is the beginning of the Season of Epiphany, the liturgical transition between Advent and Lent.  Today, the Wandering Wisemen need wander no more, for they have arrived!

Although the antics of the Wandering Wisemen give us some much needed laughter, the cause of their journey is actually rather dark.  They were on a mission to locate a child that their boss wanted dead.

You see, there was a cruel tyrant who always felt insecure about himself.  So insecure, in fact, that he was scared of a baby.  And people who are insecure lash out.  He had been told that this baby would grow old and save the people that he enjoyed oppressing.  He, after all, was a political leader who thrived on oppression.  Things worked best for him when the people thought he was their savior.  But this baby was about to change all of that and he would have none of it.

So he called three wise men and told them to find this baby so that he could “pay him homage,” which is a very euphemistic way of saying he wanted to kill him.

So the wise men set out and wandered, guided only by a mysterious star that hovered over the direction they had to go.

They found the place (a house, we’re told), and inside of it is Mary and her child (there is, interestingly enough, no mention of Joseph).  With little fanfare but much reverence, the wise men kneel and pay homage to their true king, and not the insecure and whiny one that sent them here.  After giving the baby their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, they depart.  However, they avoid Jerusalem, deciding to openly defy the wishes of the tyrant who sent them.  They were warned in a dream of his sinister intentions and go home by another way.

Home by another way.  It’s a curious phrase, a beautiful one.  How many times in our lives have we reached our destination by a path we never could have predicted?  How many times have we had our GPS’s recalculate, sending us a different route with its own wonders and challenges?  

As we begin a new year, one that marks the 60th anniversary of this congregation, we look back, as the wise men certainly did, and reflect on what brought us here.  What “star” brought you here?  A star, perhaps in the form of friend who first invited you.  Or perhaps a star in the form of your parents who bring you here.  A star, perhaps in the form of moving to this neighborhood or doing a Google search for a congregation that is open-minded and welcoming.  Whatever form your star is, it led you here today.  And here we are, with the no-longer-wandering wisemen, worshiping the newborn king.

But where do we go from here?  What dreams will come to us in this new year that might lead us home by another way.  What recalculations might the Holy Spirit give us as we seek to be faithful in both old and new ways?  

So, my prayer for us as we begin this new year together is that we, like the wise men, might be attentive to the dreams God will send our way.  I pray that we might dream together about how God is calling us to pay homage to this newborn King.  And perhaps these dreams will show us how to lift our own star to show others the God that calls them home, even if it is by another way.

In the name of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.  Amen.

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Stephen Fearing

Stephen was born in 1988 in Cookeville, TN, where his parents met whilst attending Tennessee Tech. Shortly after, they moved to Dalton, Georgia where they put down roots and joined First Presbyterian Church, the faith family that taught Stephen that he was first and foremost a beloved child of God. It was this community that taught Stephen that it was OK to have questions and doubts and that nothing he could do could every possibly separate him from the love of God. In 1995, his sister, Sarah Kate, joined the family and Stephen began his journey as a life-long musician. Since then, he has found a love of music and has found this gift particularly fitting for his call to ministry. Among the instruments that he enjoys are piano, trumpet, guitar, and handbells. Stephen has always had a love of singing and congregation song. An avid member of the marching band, Stephen was the drum major of his high school's marching band. In 2006, Stephen began his tenure at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC where he majored in Religion and minored in History. While attending PC, Stephen continued to explore his love of music by participating in the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Jazz Combo, Jazz Trio, as well as playing in the PC Handbell ensemble and playing mandolin and banjo PC's very own bluegrass/rock group, Hosegrass, of which Stephen was a founding member (Hosegrass even released their own CD!). In 2010, Stephen moved from Clinton to Atlanta to attend Columbia Theological Seminary to pursue God's call on his life to be a pastor in the PC(USA). During this time, Stephen worked at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Silver Creek Presbyterian Church, Central Presbyterian Church, and Westminster Presbyterian Church. For three years, Stephen served as the Choir Director of Columbia Theological Seminary's choir and also served as the Interim Music Director at Westminster Presbyterian Church. In 2014, Stephen graduated from Columbia with a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Arts in Practical Theology with an emphasis in liturgy, music, and worship. In July of 2014, Stephen was installed an ordained as Teaching Elder at Shelter Island Presbyterian Church in Shelter Island, NY. Later that year, Stephen married the love of his life, Tricia, and they share their home on Shelter Island with their Golden Doodle, Elsie, and their calico cat, Audrey. In addition to his work with the people who are Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, Stephen currently serves as a commission from Long Island Presbytery to the Synod of the Northeast and, beginning in January of 2016, will moderate the Synod's missions team.