“Led By the Light” – Matt. 2:1-12 – January 7, 2006

A man’s car once stalled in heavy traffic, just as the light turned green. All his efforts to start the engine failed. Shortly, there were all kinds of cars, honking their horns. Feeling frustrated like all the other drivers trying to get home for the weekend, the man got out of his car and walked back to the first driver. He then said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to get my car started. If you’ll go and try to start my car, I’ll stay here and blow your horn for you.”

Patience is a difficult virtue for all of us, especially me. I am a person who likes to get things done right away. I don’t like to wait. On our return trip home from South Carolina on New Year’s day we were following a driver who was driving ten miles below the speed limit. Unfortunately, there was a long line of cars and a double yellow line. Passing was impossible. Looking back, I am sure that the slow driver cost me at least ten minutes during a trip that took twelve hours to complete.

We live in a society where everyone is in a hurry. We want what we want right now. Waiting is not something we do very well. Most everyone included the three wise men in their nativity sets, but they really didn’t arrive until about two years after Jesus was born. These must have been very patient men. They traveled a great distance, following a star for months. They did not know when they would arrive at their destination or where they were going. They patiently followed the light of God until it finally came to the place where Jesus was.

When we are impatient we are living in darkness. The only light we see is the light which helps us get to where we want to be in the shortest way possible. Now days, we receive a beeper when we dine at our favorite restaurant. When the light flashes you know it’s time to be seated. Recently, we received a beeper at a new restaurant we were trying out. Most beepers have a blinking light which lets you know that your beeper is working but this one was completely dark. I banged it on the table a few times to make sure it was working. I was getting frustrated and increasingly impatient. Finally, after waiting, what seemed like an eternity, I went to the hostess to make sure the beeper was working. She informed me that we had only been waiting 42 minutes. They had promised we would be seated in 45 minutes. Sure enough, three minutes later, the beeper flashed bright and brilliantly. The light did exactly as promised although I had doubts.

The same is true with the light of God. We don’t always trust that God will see us through the dark moments of our lives. We panic, live in fear, or get frustrated because things are not going fast enough for us. If the story of the wise men teaches us anything, it teaches us of their patient trust in the light of God.

Recently I was visiting with an elderly woman who was out walking one evening. She walked further than she had realized and it began to get dark. She doesn’t see well in the dark and as a result she could not find her way home. Not knowing which way to turn she sat down on a curve and hoped a passerby would come to her aid. After a time, a car turned the corner, its’ headlights beaming down the road. Now that the street was lighted the woman realized where she was and she knew immediately the way that would lead her home.

We are now in a new year. Last year is history. I am sure there were times when each of you experienced some dark moments. Perhaps some process was moving too slowly. Perhaps you were frustrated at other people because of their ineptness or inability to go where you wanted to go. Perhaps you couldn’t see your way because you were focused on some light that would give you a false sense of security instead of being focused on the light of God.

Yesterday, January 6th, was Epiphany. The term epiphany means "to show" or "to make known" or even "to reveal." In Western churches, it remembers the coming of the wise men bringing gifts to visit the Christ child, who by so doing "revealed" Jesus to the world as Lord and King. Epiphany is also known as the season of light.

Anytime the light of God has been revealed to us or helped us to find our way we have experienced an epiphany. The problem is not that God does not reveal God’s self or that God does not give us light to find our way. The problem is that we ignore the light because it seems impractical or too risky.

The wise men traveled a great distance to find the Christ child. They risked traveling through foreign lands and being exposed to foreign cultures. Their journey ultimately took them to the place where Jesus was. The way was no doubt long and arduous, but they were determined to find him. Now that we are in a new year, we could each ask ourselves this question. Are we willing to travel a great distance for the love of God? Are we willing to take risks and go even when we don’t know the final destination?

The week of Christmas my wife and I traveled to Myrtle Beach. While most of you were watching little ones unwrapping gifts and enjoying your families, we were on the road. We spent the week, sitting on beach, reading, working crossword puzzles and watching people walking on the beach. During one of our walks my wife noticed there were seagulls diving in the water. She said, “You know, when that happens there are usually dolphins. I always feel like I’m home when I see the dolphins.” She had no sooner finished her sentenced when I noticed some dolphins churning in the water a few hundred feet from shore. It was an epiphany moment for us because the presence of dolphins was an affirmation that at least for the moment, we were home. There were no family members present, no gifts to open, no Christmas decorations. We had ventured out on a totally new tradition.

What I learned from that experience is that God is with us wherever our journeys make take us. When we are free to break from tradition and try new things, we can still experience the presence of God in our midst. Just as the wise men experienced joy in their discovery of the new born king, Lin and I experienced joy in our walk along the beach. Sometimes we have to be willing to break away from tradition and experience new things.

Jenny Lind was known as “The Swedish Nightengale.” She had a very successful career as an opera singer. She became very popular and wealthy from her singing. But just when her career peaked, Jenny Lind left the stage and lived privately in a small house by the sea. One day a friend found her as she was walking along the seashore. Lind was sitting on the beach, reading a book. In her hands was a bible. Her friend asked, “Madam, how is it that you came to abandon the stage at the height of your success?” She answered quietly, “When every day made me think less of this, (pointing to her bible) and nothing at all, (pointing to the sunset), what else could I do?” Lind had found an inner peace and wanted to appreciate the presence of the creator.

Perhaps you are hoping for an epiphany in your life in the coming year. You want God to show you the way. You want to be led by God’s light. Like the wise men who were willing to travel a great distance, you too have to be willing to travel from your current existence. The way may be risky and it will likely require great patience. Nevertheless, your journey can culminate in a time of great joy.

At the end of their journey the wise men brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. They paid homage, not only through their quest to discover the new born king, but by giving precious and expensive gifts. What does it man to pay homage?

In the last two weeks you have probably watched a football game or two. Have you ever noticed the loyalty of fans? There are all kinds of cheering, shouting, clapping, and singing going on. People proudly wear their team’s colors and rally around the team mascot. They also spend great sums of money traveling to games, paying admission and buying memorabilia.

This is one kind of homage we are accustomed to, but the homage the wise men paid was quite different. For them, homage had to do with loyalty. In ancient times people paid homage to a king out of loyalty. They were both grateful and dependent for his goodwill. I believe that paying homage to God is to give our very best. That requires, not just loyalty, but discipline and sacrifice. Someone once said, “I have learned that the only thing I can take with me from this world is the summation of what I have given away.”

In the mid-nineteenth century George Hartford and Georg Gilman came up with a revolutionary plan to lower the price of tea. They brought tea directly from ships in the New York Harbor. They created a mail-order business and took a low-percentage profit but sold high volumes. They turned their business into a chain of stores called the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. Imagine that; mail-orders and chain stores, what a risk they must have made.

The two Georges, each with five children, gave generously to charitable organizations. They also helped their customers that made purchases at their A & P stores. Hartford gave his entire estate to the foundation he and his partner established. To this day a portion of every A & P profits are given away.

Hartford and Gilman were led by the light of God by being generous. Because of the risks they were willing to take, millions of people have benefited. The story of the three wise men is here to remind us that we all have choices to make. On the one hand, we can be like Herod, who only cared for himself. On the other hand, we can be like the three wise men, who gave generously even though it involved a risk.

May the year 2007 be a year when we are led by the light of God. May it be a year where we are willing to travel great distances and risk being adventurous? May it also be a year when we live with more patience. And finally, may it be a year where we are led by the light of God and be persons who give their very best.

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