061224 Matthew 2:1-12 We Three Kings

The cable television programs last night abounded with movies like "Ghost" and "War of the Worlds". Both of those stories involve normal people who are faced with their worse nightmare: (1) a man returns as a ghost to discover his best friend had murdered him and now was trying to rape his wife; (2) Monstrous Martians almost succeed in exterminating the human race before they all die of a common bacterial infection.
Both end with a similar moral conclusion. Orson Welles' famous 1930 panic radio broadcast adaptation of H.G. Wells' original story concludes with the hope that "neither do men live or die in vain.” God’s message to the three magi is far more encouraging and much less vague. Our Christmas Carol about them gives us permission to identify with them: “We Three Kings of Orient are. Bearing gifts of traveler’s afar. Field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star. Oh, Star of wonder, star of light, star with royal beauty bright westward leading still proceeding; Guide us to thy perfect light.
What we yearn for is a savior who is beyond where we are. We seek a journey that is far beyond our own journey. We cry out “ where are we?” and we wait for an answer . . . we traveler’s afar. The star beckons us beyond the fear of death, ghosts, and terrible monsters like Herod the King who would exterminate others so as to keep his pretentious title. The star over Bethlehem represents the life gift in Jesus Christ who guides us all to His perfect light.
Without Christ we all eventually come to our individual end in this life’s story - exhausted and totally spent . . . Wheezing and sneezing without sense of purpose or direction. But we have a choice to be like those royal visitors from the east who listened to God’s ancient prophecies and expected something much better out of life.
“The Nativity” movie portrays Zachariah, Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph’s encounters with the messenger of God as listening to a very subtle whisper. They even teach small children in their villages to first collectively respond with, “But the LORD was not there” when Elijah listened for God in a great wind that broke the mountains in pieces or in the earthquake or in the fire. But when the children hear that after the fire Elijah heard a still small voice, then they all say, “And the LORD was in the still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-13).
In order to receive God’s message, each of us must be still and know that the one speaking in the still small voice is God (Psalm 46:10).
If you’ve been listening for God’s message in your life and you only get static, fear, frustration, or disappointment – then maybe you need to move slower as if you would turn a radio dial more slowly to search for music you want to hear. Moving the radio dial too quickly will cause you to miss the music. If you want to hear God's voice instead of the din of the world's static and noise, then you have to first realize that life seems to move too quickly unless you practice being still in your daily life. The discerning observers like the three kings read and listened to the still small voice running through subtle messages in ancient prophecies. Like Elijah, I might expect God to speak in the monstrously powerful winds, earthquakes, and fires of my life. But scripture reminds me that often God's presence is revealed to us as to Elijah -- in a gentle whisper, a still, small voice.
If you are having problems managing finances for yourself or others, don’t remain in tears and frustration. Instead - pray to God for help. When I’ve done this, to my amazement, I’ve found that there was just enough to meet my needs (financial or otherwise) – and often God answers by providing just enough. There will be no more and no less!
So, this is another way to listen to God’s still small voice when I practice trusting God to supply needs of others as well as my own. Then we can look to the star over the little manger in Bethlehem with awe and humility because of God's faithfulness. Miracles still happen. When we ask God to give us today our daily bread -- just enough for the day . . . then we can watch and listen to how God answers that prayer with just enough for the day.
Big doesn’t always mean better. Small things have value, too. Jesus fed more than five thousand people with only five loaves and two fish.
The three Kings were wise because they found God in a small and baby wrapped in strips of cloth lying in a feed trough. They knew this is the Son of God, born to a virgin in a little town called Bethlehem. Their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh introduce us to Jesus' mission on earth that emerges as the greatest story ever told. But the story is not over. Jesus continues to fulfill his mission wherever His name is honored by those who hear His voice.
Let us individually pray: Dear Heavenly Father, I praise you for the disciplines of meditation, scripture reading, and prayer that train us to listen for Your whispers. Open all of our ears and hearts to hear Your still, small voice. Teach me and each one of us to listen more faithfully to Your voice without struggling to hear Your too quickly. I know You want our needs to be met. As we give and receive gifts of friendship, fellowship and love, please help us day by day, to ask You and to share what each of us really need. Help us to look for the great things you are beginning in the small things around us. Thank You for using small beginnings to bring great miracles. In the small but powerful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.