Following Stars

Isaiah 60: 1-6 & Matthew 2: 1-12

Roger Lynn

January 7, 2018

Epiphany

(click here for the audio for this sermon)

(click here for the video for the entire worship service - the sermon begins at 26:10)

It really is a wild ride – this business of living faithfully. When we take it seriously it can inspire us to do things we might never have imagined (like following stars) and it can lead us to places we might never dream of going (like Bethlehem).

I love the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke. They are filled with such rich and imaginative imagery. I think we do ourselves a disservice, however, when we read them as one-time only, happened-to-someone-else sort of stories. I saw a program on PBS a few years ago that spent an entire hour focusing on an in-depth analysis trying to figure out exactly who the wise men really were and where they came from. Through the whole program I kept thinking, “They are really missing the point here.” If they are merely exotic figures from some far-distant time and place, or even more likely just a literary creation of the Gospel writer, then there really isn’t much connection with our lives today. But what if we read the story as an invitation? What if we see it as an illustration of what might happen when we dare to keep our eyes and our hearts open to the presence of the Sacred as it appears in the most unexpected ways?

Singer/songwriter David Wilcox approached the story in just such a way in his song “Miracle.” In his introduction to the song during one of his concerts he talked about reading the story as a child in an illustrated children’s book. One of the pages was filled with a picture of the brilliantly dazzling star, and he remembers wondering why, if the star was so big and bright, only three people showed up. But the truth is that the star is only big once we choose to follow. 

“Miracle” (by David Wilcox)

(click here to listen to this song on YouTube)

A bright star in the winter sky

Led to Bethlehem that night

But only three traveled there to see

And the rest just wished they might

Few will choose to follow

Out of all the star invites

Most will hide safe inside

With the lantern turned up bright

Waiting for a miracle

The journey was a long one

So the story’s told

These three guys

Walking side by side

With their incense and gold

People all along the highway

They just shook their heads

They looked hard at that distant star

And went back to bed

’Cause they were

Waiting for a miracle

The star was dim and distant

To those who stayed at home

But every heart that followed

Behold a light was shone

And then David does what he frequently does in his songs – he lets their story flow into our story.

Hark! The herald angels sing

The song is bright and clear

It’s so quiet on this road tonight

As the travelers’ star appears

But right outside my window

Quiet as can be

All that time making up my mind

The angels wait for me

Waiting for a miracle

We can wait for a miracle to happen, wondering why bright stars never seem to appear for us to follow. Or we can pay attention to the stars that are already shining in our lives (however dim they might seem at first glance), listening for the ones that are calling us, and then take the risk to step out and follow with an openness to discover where life will take us.

It doesn’t happen all at once. There will be plenty of false starts and dead-ends. Not every star that beckons will truly enhance our living. And the only way to begin is to begin. What we will discover is that whenever we decide to take the first step, the angels will be waiting for us, ready to guide us on the journey.

So what might such stars look like in your life? What is it that is calling you into a new way of being in the world? In what out of the way, unexpected place will you discover the presence of the Sacred? Will you notice? Will you follow?

It might very well appear to be something small and insignificant. When my late wife (long before she was my wife) stepped onto the path that eventually led to her becoming a midwife, it was because someone invited her to a birth and then planted the seed that midwifery ought to be something she consider. It took years for her to actually follow where that star led her. And, in fact, following that star opened up an awareness of other stars, which led her ever further down the path. But it all began with her paying attention, and then daring to step out and follow.

Maybe your star is that little thrill you got when you tried praying in a new way and actually had a new sense of God’s presence. Who can tell where following such a star might lead you? Maybe your star is your neighbor whom you visit a couple of times a week because no one else does. Stepping down that path of compassion might lead you into some very unexpected places indeed. Maybe your star is the call you received to serve on a committee at the church in an area of responsibility you had never before considered. Following such a star might lead you to whole new ways of expressing your faith in the world.

Sometimes following stars will dramatically change our whole lives. Sometimes it will be far less dramatic, but no less significant. Sometimes we will need to pack up and leave our comforts and security behind as we head off into the unknown (like I did a decade ago when I stepped out on faith and left the security of my job without other employment waiting for me). Sometimes we’ll be home by dinnertime. Always we will encounter the Holy, and as a result the world will be healed, even if only in some small way.

The stars are still out there, waiting for us to follow. And the choice is clear – step out in faith, or go back to bed. I invite you, both individually and as a congregation, to take the risk – follow your stars and be surprised where they lead you.