"THE WISDOM OF THE WISE GUYS"

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

This sermon is for our new class of elders,

but the rest of you are invited to listen in!

(Doris, Carol, Roy, Gloria, Bob and John - )

I think it's no coincidence

that you all are beginning your new term on Session

on such an enlightening day!

After all,

this is the day

when the church calendar remembers some wise people

who followed a star

until it took them directly to God's Son.

This is the kind of wisdom

that your fellow worshipers saw in you,

enough so to nominate you to serve as one of their leaders.

The good news

is that you will not be required to ride camels during your term.

There will indeed be some hard work,

and sometimes,

you may not know where it is that God is leading you.

But the Wise Men have left enough crumbs behind them

that we are able to follow their trail a bit.

So let's see what all of us can learn

by following the ones who followed the star.

With thanks to Dave Letterman,

from the home office inBethlehem

here are the top ten things we can learn from the wise men.

Number Ten - Know what you're looking for.

Magi were a caste of priests.

Their family business

was to know about religion, astrology and dreams.

They had studied up on the stars, among other things.

So when this one particular star appeared,

they were prepared. 

They knew it was the one they'd been waiting for.

So - study up!

Open the book in front of you.

Get involved with a study group.

Know your Bible,

and elders, it wouldn't hurt

to also know something about the Book of Order

and the Book of Confessions!

Lots of phenomenal opportunities will come your way,

not only while you're serving on the Session,

but for all of us in our daily life of faith.

Without preparation,

you might be aware that something was happening,

but you wouldn't know what to do with it.

Be prepared.

Know what you're looking for -

and in order to do that,

you need to know your Bible.  

Number Nine - take risks.

Don't be afraid to journey outside your comfort zone.

The Magi were also political insiders in their homeland.

They served as advisors to the empires of the Medes and the Persians,

which today we would call Iran and Iraq.

In order to follow that star,

they had to leave the comfort of their homes

and go into what could have been hostile territory.

Sometimes you'll have to go to places

that are foreign to you,

or step into situations that are unfamiliar. 

Elders or not,

your work in serving Jesus through this church

will not always be easy or pleasant.

You'll have to take risks in God's name.

But the rewards will make the journey worthwhile.

Number Eight - Stick together!

Notice that the Magi did not break up and go three different ways.

In order to reach their destination,

they had to help each other discern the path.

The wise men didn't have room or time for a Lone Ranger.

The world may believe that to "divide and conquer"

is the best way to go about your business.

That doesn't work in the church.

Stick with your colleagues,

so that when the skies get dark

and there's sand blowing in your eyes,

you don't get misled.

Help each other to find the star.

Number Seven - ask for directions!

When it's appropriate, ask for help.

Not even wise men know everything.

It's okay to admit that you're lost.

It won't happen very often,

but when it does, stop and ask.

Number Six - Question earthly authority!

King Herod wasn't exactly helpful in this story.

When the magi ask him where they might find the baby,

Herod basically says, "I dunno. Ask them."

I guess he missed the one about "knowing what to look for!"

And then,

when he finds out that there's something out there worth seeing,

he tries to manipulate the situation for his own benefit.

"Oh yeah, that's the ticket!

Go find that baby,

and then come and tell me so that I can worship too."

As if!

What this means for us

is to not take everything at face value.

Question whether or not what you hear

is in tune with what you believe to be God's will.

And if it's not,

if there's something in the way

between where you are

and where God is calling you to be,

then be about making some other plans.

Number Five - Listen to the community!

Herod didn't have a clue where to find the Son of God.

But the others in the community sure did.

Elders, I hate to tell you this,

but there may be an occasion during your time on Session

when your Pastor is somewhat clueless about something.

In my experience,

when I find myself in that clueless place,

so very often the answer lies right here:

with the men and women and children

who make up our congregation.

More often than not,

they help me find the right direction.

and I suspect it will be so for you.

Get to know the people in your shepherding groups, elders.

Get to know your neighbors in worship,

your committee members,

the people who worship at the other service.

They are the ones you will be leading,

but often as not,

they will be the ones leading you.

Number Four - Don't give up.

The magi hung in there on their journey.

It wasn't close to home,

there were no McDonald's along the way,

and I suspect that they had a hitch in their getalong

after riding for so long on camels.

As much as we would like to think so,

they probably were not traveling

under clear and starry skies on a pleasant night.

I suspect there was some bad weather in there

which might have delayed their trip.

But they stayed the course.

It's not always smooth sailing for us either,

even though we get to skip the camel part.

But the outcome will make the journey worthwhile.

Stay the course.

Don't give up.

Number three - worship.

That was the first thing they did

when they arrived in Bethlehem.

They fell to their knees and worshiped.

No delay, no diversion.

Just worship.

This is one that I think it's easy for us to forget.

One can get so wrapped up in scheduling ushers

or practicing music

or making camp reservations

or boiling shrimp

or keeping up the property

that, even as important as those things are,

they become the purpose of our life.

Remembering to worship,

really worship,

keeps us from falling into that kind of idolatry.

Strong leaders draw their strength and their identity

not from the various business items before them,

but from the One to whom all those things point.

One of your challenges, friends,

will be to keep the main thing the main thing.

Don't ever let true worship take a back seat.

Number Two - Give gifts that mean something.

Make meaningful offerings of your time and your lives,

offerings that fit the One they honor.

They gave more thought to their gifts

than just running by Wal-Mart and buying a gift card.

Each of the gifts of the Magi

had significance to the life of Jesus.

God was a sign of his kingship,

frankincense a sign of worship,

and myrrh a sign of the death which would come all too soon.

In the same way, 

make sure to give gifts to God

which have significance.

God doesn't exactly need a gift card from Wal-Mart, either.

God wants you.

Make your lives an offering.

Offer your ministry with gratitude.

Make your service a significant gift.

And finally, the number one thing we can learn from the Wise Men -

you can't go home the same way you got there.

In the case of the Magi,

we are told that they went home by another way

because they were trying not to play into the hands of Herod.

But whether they had encountered Herod or not,

after experiencing what they had been through,

I wonder if they could have gone home the same way.

What they experienced,

what they learned on the journey,

how their hearts were moved to worship

when they met the newborn king,

all of that had to be life-changing for them.

How could they have returned the same way

to the same city

and gone back to the same old lives?

And friends,

elders and all of us,

that's one of the hallmarks of the Christian journey.

Once we have encountered the living Christ,

we cannot return to our same old ways.

Things have to change.

If we have encountered the Lord Jesus

only to go back into the same old routine,

then we haven't let that encounter affect us.

Meeting the Christ child face to face

will change us forever.

But we cannot pitch a tent there

We have to leave the manger at some point.

And we have to leave as new people.

As we prepare, take risks,

stay together, ask for directions,

question authority,

listen to the community,

persevere, worship, and make offerings,

that is exactly what we will do.

Amen.