"Getting Started" - Matt. 2:1-12 - January 9, 2000

Whenever we have new challenges and opportunities arise we are faced with making choices. A woman in the congregation mentioned that she has a new job opportunity that starts this week. It isn’t really a promotion but it requires some changes. She chose to accept the change since it would benefit her and her family in the long run.

Now that we are embarking in a new year we have some choices to make. Some of you have made personal resolutions. To keep the promises you have made to yourself means you have made decisions which will require a shift in priorities and require some personal sacrifices. For example; sticking to a diet means you will have to change your eating habits and lifestyle, not to mention denying yourself some of those "fattening" foods that have tasted so wonderful in the past.

Every day we are required to make decisions. Some are easy, like deciding what to where or where to eat for lunch. Others are not so simple; like whether to accept a job opportunity or deciding whether or not to make some major purchase.

Most everyone has a pattern to their decision-making process. Some are spontaneous, deciding by impulse. Others are intuitive, thinking and discerning which way to choose. Others rely on persons of authority, like a parent, spouse or good friend. Some decide on what "feels" good and still others look at benefits.

This I’m sure of; no one is responsible for teaching us how to make decisions. Most of us have had to "wing it." Difficult decisions can cause us much stress and even overwhelm us. We don’t want to make mistakes. We want to do the right thing. Unfortunately, there are always forks in the road that force us to go one way or another and the choice we make can have very different results.

I believe the story of the wise men has much to say to us about how we make decisions. They chose to proceed on a long journey, not knowing where they would end up. They chose to pay homage to the Christ child, bringing gifts and adoration. They gave Herod information about the star they were following and continued on to Bethlehem. They also chose not to return to Herod and returned home by another route.

Their pattern of making decisions involved three significant dimensions. First, seeking and worshipping the Son of God was their highest priority. Second, the direction their lives took was totally selfless and culminated in the giving of gifts. Third, they discerned that Herod had ulterior motives for his interest in the Christ child and refrained from assisting him in his crusade to destroy his competition.

As long as I can remember I have asked questions about things I didn’t understand. I guess I have a need to know or to probe deeper on some issues. I am not one who will accept information on face value. I even take what people in authority say with a grain of salt. I have always believed that to be a person of faith one must be a seeker.

The wise men were seekers. They had a passion to follow this new star and discover for themselves where this new "king" might be. For them it was a long, arduous journey. It took many months and resources to find their way. At the same time they had a sense of gratitude for the way in which God interned in the world. Having reached their goal they returned home with a new sense of appreciation for the wonder of God. I say that since they made a conscious decision to keep their discovery a precious secret and not allow the birth of Jesus to be used as a political statement.

There are no easy answers to the profound questions of life. The story of the wise men seeking and searching for the Christ child illustrates the importance of our need to seek after a mysterious God who has intervened on our behalf. The more we seek and search the more we discover the scope of God’s creation.

When we are willing to make the journey, diligently seeking and searching we can be assured that our decisions will have been made with integrity and quality.

A life of faith is paradoxical. Jesus said that to save one’s life is to lose it or to be great is to be a servant. He advocated a life of giving of one’s self. A pastor once asked a woman who was near death what she had learned now that death was eminent. She replied, "I have learned that the only thing I can take with me from this world is the summation of what I have given away."

The wise men humbled themselves and paid homage to the Christ child. They gave gifts. These weren’t token items, they were extremely precious and rare. They illustrate the depth of their love and devotion. God received the very best that they could offer.

Like all of you, I am asked to do many things. I especially regret those times I have said "yes" to something but could not give my full attention, time and resources. When you can’t give your best you end up feeling guilty or not satisfied. Therefore, when we make a decision that requires a sincere effort we will feel good about that decision because we are able to give it our all. First we seek and second we make a commitment only when we can give our very best effort.

Discerning what God wants us to do in life is perhaps our greatest challenge. Even if we feel good about our choice of careers or vocation we are still faced with challenges along the way. How do we know? What barometer do we use to ascertain that the decisions we make are right?

The story says that the wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod. Does that mean that answers lie within our dreams? I can only speak from my experience. It’s not that dreams reveal hidden truths and reveal prophetic messages to us. Dreams have two primary purposes; to release anxiety and experience joy. Having said that, there is a point where we have to say to ourselves, "I have searched and pondered enough, I have given it my very best," therefore the answer lies beyond myself and I have to wait.

A very wise woman once told me that major decisions need a waiting period. We have to apply all our strength, but then give God a chance to work. The answer will come. Or at least new evidence will emerge that will enable us to make a sound decision.

Here at St. Paul’s, for example, we searched and sought after a new organist for nine long months. We advertised, made phone calls, interviewed, begged, pleaded until we covered all of our bases. We finally decided to "let it go" and within a two week period we had our new organist, who came to us not because of anything directly we had done.

All of you have decisions to make, especially at the beginning of a new year. I believe we can remember the journey of the wise men and apply these three principles to ourselves. To be seekers and not sitters. To base our decisions not on what we can get out of it but what we can give to it. And finally, to give God time to work on our behalf.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio