The Magi: From Heretics to Heroes (a sermon title I saw somewhere)
The Magi from the East might seem rather unlike us, but we too were born East of Eden, in the realm of sin
Jesus in his coming and going from the world was attended by great men bringing valuable gifts of spices
It is clear that Jesus had come for all the world since he was born in an inn, a place for travellers from whatever place, when the whole world had come to be taxed and the star of his birth was clear to all. (After Lancelot Andrews)
3 manifest stars: (1) The star in heaven (2) the star of faith in the Magi's hearts (3) Christ, the bright morning star himself. Will you make it a 4 star Epiphany?!
The Magi - as the star had risen in heavens, so the morning star had risen in their hearts
The Wisdom of God is found by the wise men.
The star leads us to The Bright Morning Star
A star high in the heavens signifies a lowly baby in a manger
Contrast the Shepherds and
the Wise Men
The revelation to the
former was somewhat private, the revelation to the latter public.
Lowly / High born
Local / Distant
Stars are signs. Open the signature
who can. (Lancelot Andrews)
Numbers 24
Natural revelation is
helpful but insufficient. The heavens bring them some of the way, but they need
the Bible. The star is gone, the Scriptures remain.
They have the light of the
star in their eyes but they also need the word of God in their ears and the Spirit
of life in their hearts.
Seeking Jesus is not
enough.
It is possible to seek him
for the wrong reasons, as Herod did.
Knowing about his coming,
as the Scribes did, is not sufficient.
We must seek him in order
to worship him.
And we must actually worship
him.
The other Herod at his
death will seek him and give him a mocking worship.
The whole world and the Scriptures
and all our journeying and seeking are to this end: that we might worship Christ
What a great and necessary
thing it is to come and worship, which was so hard for them and so easy for us
We are to worship him with
soul and body (head, knee, feet, hands etc.) and goods. After all, he made us
and gave us our goods.
Much of the above inspired by / stolen from:
http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/andrewes/lancebib.htm?fbclid=IwAR3tvbzhWfuxGvpDE7iIBOH17LYWRKA-cELRJCTAAl2xorYBuXOKznE7Fhk
https://marclloyd.blogspot.com/2019/01/matthew-21-2-some-headings.html
http://marclloyd.blogspot.com/2019/01/following-star.html
https://marclloyd.blogspot.com/2019/01/some-star-bible-verses-for-your.html
See further:
https://marclloyd.blogspot.com/2014/12/for-epiphany-wise-men-kings-magi-stuff.html
https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/is-the-story-of-epiphany-plausible/
Lee on the Lectionary and also videos from other years: https://vimeo.com/308897977/02327ab44c?fbclid=IwAR2hgsoB96gyUFj397lN4e_n8mOOCVioiCS1TbFF9ExEYe9fxwbgU54_kfw
Alistair Roberts on the Magi / Magicians and Balaam:
https://adversariapodcast.com/2019/01/01/the-eighth-day-of-christmas-pharaoh-and-the-magicians/
https://adversariapodcast.com/2019/01/02/the-ninth-day-of-christmas-foreigners-in-search-of-wisdom/
https://adversariapodcast.com/2019/01/03/the-tenth-day-of-christmas-balaam-and-the-magi/
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