Opening Up Our Chests
Rev. Heather Kirk-Davidoff The Kittamaqundi Community
January 8, 2017 Matthew 2:1-11
What does this story have to do with us?
That might sound like an odd question since this story comes from the second chapter of Gospel of Matthew, an account of the life of Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew begins with Jesus’ family tree, beginning with Adam and listing every ancestor that followed. That takes seventeen verses, and it makes the point that all of human history has led to the moment when Jesus is born.
Then Matthew tells the story of Mary’s surprise pregnancy when she is engaged, but not married to Joseph. Joseph learns in a dream that this has happened in order to fulfill an ancient prophesy about the birth of the messiah. In other words, Joseph learns that this story isn’t really about him and his relationship to Mary. It is about Jesus.
So, when we get to chapter two of Matthew, it seems logical to keep reading the story as if it were all about Jesus. The story of the visit from the wise men does add to the information we have about who Jesus is. We learn, for example, that Jesus’ birth is predicted not just by scripture, but by the stars themselves. We learn as well that these stars identify Jesus as King of the Jews. The arrival of people from other countries who have come to give Jesus gifts and give Jesus homage proves that point beyond all doubt.
But here’s the thing. The writer of the Gospel of Matthew didn’t set off to write a biography of a great man. His purpose was to engage people in a religious movement, in spiritual renewal. He wants us to come along. He wants us to find our place in the story.
So after introducing us to Jesus in the first chapter, Matthew tells us a story in the second chapter about people who have been looking for clues about what God intends for the world, people who set off on a journey of discovery, make some mistakes along the way but ultimately have a holy encounter and go home different. When you put it that way, the connection is obvious, isn’t it? The first chapter may introduce us to Jesus, but the second chapter introduces us to ourselves. You, reader, Matthew seems to say, aren’t you also searching for a sign? Have you been searching the skies, looking for some indication of what God intends, for you and for the world? Well, hear this story and find there a pattern for a journey that you are invited to go on.
Step One: PAY ATTENTION. The world is full of signs and wonders, all attempting to speak to you about the glory of God. But unless you get curious, unless you open your eyes and your ears, all those stars are just playing to an empty house. Every spiritual journey begins as the magi’s journey began: by paying attention—to stars and to books and to each other. Like them, you’ll be amazed by what you see.
Step Two: GET MOVING. It’s not enough to notice God’s activity in the world. It’s not enough to be an observer. Once you start paying attention, you’ll discover that God is calling to you, inviting you on a journey. You will not know exactly where you’re heading when you set off, but you cannot be deterred by your lack of information. Just start moving and keep watching for lights to guide you along the way.
Step Three: DO IT IMPERFECTLY. The Magi did something pretty foolish on their journey—they went right up to King Herod, the current “King of the Jews” and told them that they had discovered that a new king had been born. What’s more, they told him where he could find Jesus. Herod, not surprisingly, felt threatened by this information and followed up on their visit by attempting to kill Jesus (and killing a lot of other children in the process). The Magi took an imperfect journey—just like us. They made mistakes. The stumbled into some scary places. But that didn’t make them give up. They kept following the star they had observed.
Step Four: OPEN YOUR CHEST. The magi do not travel endlessly. In time, they do find what they are looking for. They see Jesus, and to their credit, they don’t dismiss him on account of his humble surroundings and go off looking for a better messiah. They don’t offer Jesus a portion of what they have and promise to give him more if he fulfills their expectation. They know a divine encounter when they see one, and so they fall to their knees and open up their chests and offer him everything they have—not just gold, but frankincense and myhrr as well. That’s an important part of this story. Every traveler is tempted to hedge her bets, after all. We don’t want to spend all our time, all our money, use up all our film at one place because there might be something even more marvelous right around the corner. But the magi show us that something different is required of spiritual seekers. When we encounter Jesus, when we realize that we are in the presence of something Holy, we need to open our chests and give all that we have—all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength as the commandment says.
Step Five: GO HOME A DIFFERENT WAY. The magi’s journey doesn’t end with their encounter with Jesus, and neither does ours. They can’t stay in Bethlehem and we can’t stay holed up here in Oliver’s Carriage House. A big part of the journey is the return, but note that the magi went home by a different way. This is a harder way to go—it’s easiest just to retrace your steps. But we are not invited to regress or to retreat. Our journey has transformed us, so we need to be sure that transformation spreads to every part of our lives, including where we go from here.
Pay attention. Get moving. Do it imperfectly. Open your chest. Go home a different way. Do these steps sound familiar? Perhaps you have walked some of the same paths the magi walked. Perhaps in this ancient story, you recognized your own journey. Perhaps you recognize yourself. Perhaps you too are a wise one. The point is, of course, is that the story that will unfold from here, the story of a man who came and taught and healed and suffered and died and rose again, that story is also your story. You are implicated in this drama, from start to finish. Don’t keep the scriptures we read here at arms length this year. Let these words tell you something about yourself, something you know well or something you have never seen before. This is your story too.
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