Making People Real

Sermon-Jan. 4, 2009 Making People Real
The Cloud of Unknowing,
"O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of that Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
Let me tell you a few things, before I tell you a few things. We’re reading a different gospel than normal for today, because I wanted you to hear this old familiar story. Again.
First of all, How many wise men were there? We don’t know. They brought 3 gifts, so we always assumed that there were 3 of them.
What were their names? In the Eastern church a variety of different names are given for the three, but in the West the names have been settled since the 8th century as Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. These derive from an early 6th century Greek manuscript in Alexandria.[2] The Latin text Collect anea et Flores[3] continues the tradition of three kings and their names and gives additional details. This text is said to be from the 8th century, of Irish origin.
In the Eastern churches, Ethiopian Christianity, for instance, has Hor, Karsudan, and Basanater, while the Armenians have Kagpha, Badadakharida and Badadilma.[4][5] One of these names is obviously Persian, although Caspar is also sometimes given as Gaspar or Jasper. One candidate for the origin of the name Caspar appears in the Acts of Thomas as Gondophares (AD 21 – c.AD 47), i.e., Gudapharasa (from which 'Caspar' might derive as corruption of 'Gaspar'). This Gondophares declared independence from the Arsacids to become the first Indo-Parthian king and who was allegedly visited by Thomas the Apostle. Christian legend may have chosen Gondofarr simply because he was an eastern king living in the right time period.
In contrast, the Syrian Christians name the Magi Larvandad, Gushnasaph, and Hormisdas. These names have a far greater likelihood of being originally Persian, though that does not, of course, guarantee their authenticity.
In other words, we don’t know.
Where did they come from? We guess Persia. Persia is where in relation to Israel? It’s EAST. Even though Matthew says that they saw a star in the east-and followed it..
If you were visiting a child and a new mother, what gifts would you bring? NOT gold, frankincense and myrrh. Soap, diapers, and maybe some candles. Next time you go to a baby shower take gold, frankincense, and myrrh-see how much they’re appreciated.
When did the wise men come? We always put them at the manger-try to find a nativity set without 3 kings. But the gospel for this morning says “ on entering the house…” (not the stable or the barn). So it could have been months or even up to 2 years later.
Another last thing, it calls them wise men-not kings. But we have always talked about them as kings and given them crowns. Magos in Persia are astrologers-not kings.
If you go to the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany you will find a shrine to the wise men. The shrine is a large gilded and decorated triple sarcophagus placed above and behind the high altar of Cologne Cathedral. The relics of the Magi were originally situated at Constantinople, but brought to Milan by Eustorgius I, the city's bishop, in 344. The relics of the Magi were taken from Milan by Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick Barbarossa and given to the Archbishop of Cologne, Rainald of Dassel in 1164.
Why do we have so many stories and legends about a group of people who are described so vaguely, that we know so little about in the gospel story? Hmmm.

Why do we do that? Why do we come up with these wonderful stories, with so many extra details, about such mysterious people? Why do we add so much to a very simple story? We know so little about the shepherds and there are so few legends about them, but the wise men. Ah, now that’s different.
I don’t know why, but I think it’s because we must make them real. Coming up with names, where they are from, how many, what happens to them-we do that. We add details and information and fine points. Because we want these characters to be genuine. We want this story to be true. Here are some people (we don’t even know if they were men) who were captured by a star, hypnotized by a light in the sky, into following for a great distance at a tremendous chance. I think we want this story to be true because we need their example. We need to see other people who are willing to go on a great journey to find the truth, people who are prepared to take great risks because they believe that the light is worth it. We need to see people who are pilgrims-people caught by a vision into searching the world over until they find the treasure. The magi, I think, are supposed to represent who we are-and who we can be-wise people, following a light, until we find that which is worth living-and maybe even that which is for.
We baptize a little boy, John, today. Our prayer for him is that he grows up big and strong, and healthy. And we pray that he grows up to follow Christ, and lives out his life in faith. To do that, to be a man of faith-he will need to see other Christians, other people who are followers. People willing to take risks. Willing to be faithful. Willing to be followers of the light. He will need to see real people, actual men and women, who are pilgrims on a journey. John will need to see witnesses, with names, and stories, who are on the journey to find and serve the Christ. We pray for John, and we vow today to be those people. We won’t be the kings from the east, John already has that story. Today we promise that we will be Christians from Trinity, who bring our gifts, and all that we are, and offer them in the service of the king. Today, we promise to be real and faithful and true-so that the children who grow up with our story, will believe that what we do, is worth their lives. Amen.
Matthew 2:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12
2In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, “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.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of=2 0them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6‘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.’” 7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then 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.”
9When 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 st opped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On 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. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
The Journey of the Magi
by T. S. Eliot
'A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For the journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.'
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away,
and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins,
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death,
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

-- T. S. Eliot
In this season of Epiphany we enter the realm of light. In fact the Greek church, in the language of the people, has called this season, Ta Phota: “the lights.” In the Eastern church, this season of light is celebrated as fully as the season of Christmas. This liturgical season resides also in symbolism, something people in the east seem to understand much more easily than we in the West. The presence of water in Epiphany is as meaningful as that of light, perhaps reminding us that this was the preferred time for baptism in the early church. On Epiphany Day in every port city in Greece, the Orthodox bishop throws a cross into the waters of the sea and brave young men jump into the cold January Aegean to retrieve it. In offices and homes, round loaves of Epiphany bread are broken and shared. Light, bread, the cross, and water. The magi are hardly mentioned.
In the ancient world further East, in Persia and Babylonia, the magos (which is the singular of magi) was a wise man who specialized in the reading of the stars. Katerina K Whitley is an author and retreat reader.

Herod the Great reigned from 37-4 B.C. He was a non-Jew, an Idumean, who was appointed by the Roman Senate. He was ruthless: murdering his wife, three sons, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, uncle, and many others. No wonder he had no problem killing so many babies in Bethlehem. His reign was noted for splendor. He constructed many theaters, amphitheaters, monuments, pagan altars, and fortresses. His greatest work was the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, begun in 20 B.C. and totally completed in 64 A.D. It was destroyed by the Romans 6 years later (in 70 A.D.). He was choleric in personality. He was power hungry, self-absorbed, and ruthless. Dr. Dwight Gunter, Preache r's Magazine, 2007.
And, as you know, there's always a star over the manger. The Wise Men, as we have come to know them, are referred to in the Greek as Magi. The Magi were a priestly class among the Persians. And here in Matthew, the term designates astrologers, probably from Babylonia, perhaps, some suggest, from Egypt or Arabia. But like astrologers do, they have noticed an important sign in the heavens, and they have followed that star to the place where they worship one who, even in infancy, is called a king. And speaking of kings, there's nothing to indicate that the Magi were kings. Later Christian tradition, under the influence of Psalm 72 and Isaiah 49 and 60, comes to refer to them as kings, which is why the guys in my children's Nativity set are all wearing crowns. And I guess you noticed that Matthew never tells us how many there were. But since Matthew mentions three gifts, later Christian tradition came to identify three kings; and in the late sixth century Armenian Infancy Gospel, the Magi are even given names-Melkon or Melchior, Balthasar, and Gaspar. (Schweizer, p. 38 and Hill, pp. 81-82)
How many of your watched the Rose Bowl this year? Very few of you didn’t. Go Cougars. The Cougars of Washington State hadn’t gone to the Rose Bowl in 67 years, so many of us Washingtonians were glued to the tube on New Year’s Day to watch Washington State battle Michigan. As it turned out, it was a great football game, Michigan barely won, and there was tension to the very last two seconds of the game...all of which made it an entertaining game to watch.
The most valuable player of the game was the quarterback from Michigan. His name was Brian Griese, the son of the famous professional football quarterback from Miami who won several Super Bowls, and this same famous father was doing the TV=2 0commentating on the Rose Bowl and proudly watching his son perform so well that day. .... But this is the story that wasn’t told that day on TV but I read in a newspaper. When Brian, the son, was twelve years old, his mother was dying of cancer. His older siblings had already left home, and young Brian was fully present to absorb the pain of losing his mother. After his mother died, he and his famous dad were now home alone, his dad having to learn how to cook the breakfast eggs and take care of his son’s daily needs. The father and son bonded in a special way, sharing both their mother’s death and the subsequent years together. Ultimately, Brian went to Michigan University although his father had gone to Purdue. There at Michigan, Brian was a good player, but not a great player, but elected to come back for his fifth year to be the quarterback of this great Michigan team.
While at the University, in addition to his football life and the normal activities of being a young scholar\athlete, he spent his Thursday nights visiting the local hospital. Being a leader, he always took other athletes along. Gradually, the hospital staff began to expect young Brian Griese on Thursday nights; that was his regular pattern.
Well, there was this young woman who was involved in an automobile accident, suffered a spinal injury and was to be confined to her wheelchair for the rest of her life. She enjoyed Brian Griese calling on her because he cheered her up. He didn’t give her sympathy but deeply admired her courage. Time went by, and while in the hospital, she and Brian became friends during those regular Thursday night visits. Eventually, she asked Brian if he would escort her to her Senior Prom. He declined, not wanting to draw attention to himself, not wanting to cross inappropriate boundaries. He told his friends about the invitation, and they told him he made a mistake, that he should honor her request and take her to the Prom. So he did. He danced with her in her wheelchair throughout the night, picked her up with his strong arms and danced with her without the wheelchair. It was an electric night, filled with emotion for all who were there. And Brian Greece felt it was his humble honor to escort such a courageous woman as this, a young woman who had much more courage and inner strength than he did.
You see, Brian Griese is a devout young Christian, and he gives all of his giftedness to God: his athletic abilities, his good home life, his wonderful mothering, his fathering who coached him in special ways to be a quarterback, but Brian also gave his gift of compassion. .... Where did Brian learn this gift of such compassion for this young woman?
=0 A
Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
These three treasures were symbolic. Gold was known to be a gift for a king. Frankincense was burned during the temple worship, symbolic of the prayers offered up to God, our king. Myrrh was used to embalm the bodies of dead people, and the gift of myrrh was a hint that Jesus the King was to die.

Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington.
After the visit the Magi leave the narrative by r eturning another way so as to avoid Herod, and do not reappear. Gregory the Great waxed lyrical on this theme, commenting that having come to know Jesus we are forbidden to return by the way we came. There are many traditional stories about what happened to the Magi after this, with one having them baptised by St. Thomas on his way to India. Another has their remains found by Saint Helena and brought to Constantinople, and eventually making their way to Germany and the Shrine of the Three Kings at Cologne Cathedral.

Three of the gifts are explicitly identified in Matthew — gold, frankincense and myrrh; It has been suggested by scholars that the "gifts" were in fact medicinal rather than precious material for tribute.[9][10][11])
This episode can be linked to Isaiah 60 and to Psalm 72 which report gifts being given by kings, and this has played a central role in the perception of the Magi as kings, rather than as astronomer-priests. In a hymn of the late 4th-century hispanic poet Prudentius, the three gifts have already gained their medieval interpretation as prophetic emblems of Jesus' identity, familiar in the carol "We Three Kings" by John Henry Hopkin s, Jr., 1857.
Many different theories of the meaning and symbolism of the gifts have been advanced; while gold is fairly obviously explained, frankincense, and particularly myrrh, are much more obscure. They generally break down into two groups:
That they are all ordinary gifts for a king — myrrh being commonly used as an anointing oil, frankincense as a perfume, and gold as a valuable.
That they are prophetic — gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense (an incense) as a symbol of priestship, and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death. Sometimes this is described more generally as gold symbolizing virtue, frankincense symbolizing prayer, and myrrh symbolizing suffering.
John Chrysostom suggested that the gifts were fit to be given not just to a king but to God, and contrasted them with the Jews' traditional offerings of sheep and calves, and accordingly Chrysostom asserts that the Magi worshiped Jesus as God. This is believed to be unlikely by some, if the theory that they were members of a Zoroastrian priesthood is correct. However this possibility remains, since zoroastianism prophesied of a messiah type figure Saoshyant who would be born of a virgin — although Saoshyant's virgin birth was not entirely developed until the 9-12th century in the Denkard compendium of beliefs, and prior to that is only hinted at in the older source text, Zam Yasht 19.92[12]. C. S. Mann has advanced the theory that the items were not actually brought as gifts, but were rather the tools of the Magi, who typically would be astrologer-priests. Mann thus sees the giving of these items to Jesus as showing that the Magi were abandoning their practices by relinquishing the necessary tools of their trade, though Brown disagrees with this theory since the portrayal of the Magi had been wholly positive up to this point, with no hint of condemnation.
The gifts themselves have also been criticized as mostly useless to a poor carpenter and his family, and this is often the target of comic satire in television and other comedy. Clarke states that the deist Thomas Woolston once quipped that if they had brought sugar, soap, and candles they would have acted like wise men.[13]

Wikipedia
The story was how Archimedes,after racking his brains to find out how tomeasure the volume of irregularly shaped objectstook a dip into his tub. When he noticed thewater overflow, he had a flash of insight. He canmeasure the object by submerging it in water, andmeasuring the volume of water it displaces. Hestarted running through the streets naked,shouting "Eureka!" "I foundit!"I find this a relevant illustration, not only forthe moment of discovery but also the response ofjoy. This is what marks an epiphany, according toour gospel text: We are "overwhelmed withjoy."
I can't find it now that I am looking for it, butI'm sure I read in another post (another year) about someone who was going to focus on the lastverse and the phrase: "they left for theircountry by another road." For you see, onceyou have "seen" or come to know Christ,you can never go back the same way! For me, thatis quite an epiphany!
The wise men came from afar to honor the newborn king and to pay their respects. Going home changed they could not go the same way (Herod you know) but they were changed by what they saw (we must be trasnformed as well). Once during the liturgy I asked people to return to their place in the pew after communion by a different route. It was great to see and know they were making their way around through different aisles.
In the book "Were They Wise Men or Kings? The Book of Christmas Questions" by Joseph J. Walsh (wonderful little book by the way, put out by Westminster John Knox Press, well researched but likely not scholarly by normal seminary type terms) -- the author answers the question with "neither, actually."
He talks about the origin of the word "magi", Matt refers to magi, Luke to only shepherds of course. Wa lsh posits that the magi were promoted to kings from a Psalm 72:10-11 reference. The early Christians (who liked to tie in OT references to JC) tied it with that passage naming kings of 3 specific places, Matt mentions 3 gifts .. "Bingo!" (as he says). The magi become the fulfillment of the prophecy, they become kings and therefore, from as early as around 200 CE we have the magi being kings (and 3 of them). He adds that all of this was such an attractive idea to European royals who were patrons of the artists who did such a great job of portraying them as being there along with the humble shepherds. Ergo, much of our artwork shows beautifully robed kings paying homage.
3 Wise Women. Do you know what would have happened if it had been three wise women instead of three wise men? They would have asked for directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, brought practical gifts, and there would be Peace On Earth.
the way I heard it was that it took the Wise Men so long to get going because their wives had to go shopping for new robes and matching hats for them, and lost one of the gifts in the bottom of a purse.
A light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not underst ood it. John 1:5


Recently I had the privilege and the honor to go to Louisiana to work as a mental health professional with people impacted by hurricane’s Katrina and Rita.

My husband sent me a note that I read on the bus ride down to Louisiana it read in part “when you respond to God’s call, God goes before you and lights your way.”

What I’d like to do tonight is share stories of light shining in a very dark time. Places where grace touched me, surprised me, humbled me and lit the way.

Let’s start with the story of t he 20 year old young man who was caring for his 99 year old great aunt in a special needs shelter after their entire community was destroyed. He explained to me “she took care of me when I was a baby. I need to take care of her now.”
Grace springs forth, a light shines in the darkness.

Than there is the story of the severely disabled woman deep in the world of dementia making repetitive cawing noises that reverberated throughout the cavernous special needs shelter. The closest special need resident to her instead of complaining about the constant noise instructed the medical staff saying “You need to listen to her it’s important, she’s telling her life story.
Grace springs forth, a light shines in the darkness

Now I want to tell you about Miss Jean. She was staying in a shelter, riddled by the pain of shingles, her home was destroyed, she was separated from all her friends and family she did not know the whereabouts of her only child. She shared with me that she had a history of depression and she started to cry. I gently inquired if she had any thoughts that life was not worth living and she looked at me surprised and said “oh no angel life is too precious.”
Grace springs forth, a light shines in the darkness.

Or how about this conversation I had with a 23 year old man whose family had lost their trailer home to Katrina and whose neighborhood was for all intents and purposes destroyed. When he found out I had come from Minnesota he said “Maybe the good that will come from Katrina is we will see we are not this color state or that color state but we are people who care about each other.”
Grace springs forth, a light shines in the darkness.

There was one middle aged woman I met with who had worked as a caregiver for an elderly woman. During Hurricane Katrina she lost both her home and the woman she worked for. Her parents had both died in the recent past and she was feeling very alone and discouraged. After we had talked for quite awhile she said “I want to show you something.” She carefully opened up the portfolio envelope where she carried all her important life papers. First she showed me pictures of her parents and than she carefully brought out a yellowed document. It was her mother’s first communion certificate. She said “when I finally get my own place again I think I’ll put this in a frame.”
Grace springs forth, a light shines in the darkness.

Another woman found some relief in the simple act of being invited into a quiet space to talk. She lay her head down on the table and gently wept. She said “thank you, thank you” explaining that she had been with other people constantly for weeks and was currently living in a home with 5 other adults and 8 children. Simple as that, a quiet place an invitation to tell her story.
Grace springs forth a light shines in the darkness.

I met with one woman who expressed a strong Christian faith. She had lost her home and had evacuated not only from Katrina but also from Rita. She was having all kinds of physical symptoms and was riddled with anxiety. She explained to me that she needed to be strong for her children and whenever she felt the tears coming she “shut them off like a faucet”. I reminded her of the psalmists open expression of a wide range of emotion and encouraged her to give expression to her emotion. She looked at me nodded and said simply “and Jesus wept” and she let her tears flow.
Grace springs forth a light shines in the darkness,

When I went to Louisiana I prayed that my heart could be open to any and all the stories I heard. They were stories of unimaginable suffering and loss. They were also often stories of courage, resilience and Grace. I invite you to open your heart to the stories to let yourself consider the light that shines in the darkness wherever you encounter it and however it may surprise you. Blessings.
www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/images/healing/grace_springs_talk_on_louisiana.doc -
Dong Yun Yoon [English name is Don Yoon], 37, was at work at his cafe when he discovered the horrible news of a F/A-18 jet crashing into a residential home - his home. His wife, two young babies, and his mother-in-law who had recently arrived from Korea to help take care of the babies [a Korean custom] all were killed in this tragedy. But in the midst of such deep anguish and pain, Dong Yun Yoon asked people to pray for the surviving pilot of the crashed jet and shared:
“I know he’s one of our treasures, for the country, and I … don’t blame him. I don’t have any hard feelings. I know he did everything he could.”
I listen to the Dong Yun Yoon’s video interview on CNNand couldn’t stop crying. Regardless who’s involved, it’s an utterly painful tragedy but looking at him is like looking at a familiar face. As a Korean immigrant myself, his story his familiar. His voice and broken English is familiar. His comments and words are familiar. The people standing around him all are familiar. In many ways, I feel like he’s my younger brother or cousin. He was doing what many Korean immigrants do - work their tails off to provide for their family. He was working at his coffee shop nearby. Yoon immigrated to the United States in 1989 with his brother and sister while his parents remained in Korea [something all too familiar with many Korean immigrants] all in hopes and pursuit of the great American dream. Dong Yun later became a U.S. citizen.
He married his wife, Young Mi Yoon [a nurse], four years ago and had two children: Grace [15 months] and Rachel [2 months]. They had just moved into this house one month ago.