We are Cherished

Title:  We are Cherished By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Text:    Matthew 2:9-11  And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.  10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

INTRODUCTION: My dear friends in Christ, Every pastor has heard something like this: “Hi, Pastor! How are you?” She waved a glove from the other end of the parking lot. Pushing her shopping cart back to the front entrance of the supermarket, she wore a red parka from L. L. Bean. Her hair was pulled back in a hair band and her cheeks were flushed. “I’m sorry I haven’t been to church this winter,” she said. “I bought a ski pass, and the lines are the shortest on Sunday morning.” I stood there with an artificial smile, trying my best to look cheerful. One of the frustrations of being a pastor who does not have free weekends is that I have to contend with those who do. “You ought to see the view from the top of that mountain,” she said, inadvertently rubbing it in. “It’s beautiful up there. Peaceful, too.” Then she said the line I’ve heard a hundred times. “To tell you the truth, Reverend, I feel much closer to God up on that mountain than I usually do in church.”

I. I confess it’s difficult to respond on the spot when somebody says something like that. I love the outdoors as much as anybody else does. There is nothing more enjoyable than a quiet getaway in the wilderness. Nobody knows more than me that the church can be a busy, uptight place where it’s difficult to relax, much less experience the presence of God. As one overworked volunteer admitted, “Whenever I go to church, I always end up agreeing to do something. Sometimes I stay home on Sunday because, frankly, I need a break.”

A. And yet something doesn’t seem quite right when someone says they feel closer to God out there than they do in here.

1. For some, it may be a cop-out.

a. If you’re looking for good reasons to skip worship, there are plenty: football games in the fall, winter sports in the winter, spring getaways, and summer vacations. There are many entertaining reasons why people don’t go to church.   b. I realize my skewed point of view; I’m a minister, after all.

2. I guess, I might be the strange one. So this morning, I want to take seriously what she said. She said, “I feel closer to God up on that mountain than I do in church.”

a. What she was saying is that nature can reveal the presence of God. It is possible to take a walk on the beach, climb a mountain, or swat a golf ball, and end up speaking a prayer of adoration.   b. God has given us a beautiful world. The immense size of creation can invoke awe, and turn us toward the intelligent Creator who made it.

B. That is what draws me to the familiar story of the Wise Men. The magi search for Jesus because they have seen a sign in the world out there. An unusual star appears in the sky, and it causes them to recalculate their settled ideas about the universe.

1. Clearly God is up to something, and the whole creation testifies to a new and wonderful act.

a. What is God doing? The Wise Men assume a new king has been born. One commentator observes that ancient historians often interpreted the skies through the births and deaths of famous people.   b. But it’s as Garrison Keillor says somewhere, “If you get your guidance by following a star, the directions are going to be a little bit vague.”

2. You can learn a lot about the God who made everything, but you can’t be sure what kind of God it is. There are sparkling waterfalls, bright autumn leaves, and radiant sunsets. But there are also black holes, mutating cancer cells, and raging storms that destroy without purpose. Look at the star in the sky and it’s obvious that something is happening. But you aren’t exactly certain what it is.

a. Here is something to say when someone announces that she prefers to worship God on the ski slopes. Out there in nature, there is no doubt the heavens are telling the glory of God.    b. But when you listen, you cannot tell what kind of God has made the world and the skies above.

II. So what do we do? We come inside the sanctuary to worship God. As we know, God made this wonderful creation and set the stars in the sky. We come in here to sing the songs and tell the sacred story. We come because a star can’t tell you that you are cherished by God.  We come and we worship a God who loves us so much that he has given us Jesus.

A. But even then we question the value of this activity.  We go through the motions and ask what does this tell me about God?  What do I get out of it?

1. Now when the Wise Men worshiped Jesus, what did they get out of it? I’m not being critical here. I’m just asking. Jesus was a tiny baby. These Wise Men would not have been able to strike up a conversation with Him. They may have patted Him on the head, or even held Him in their arms. But it seems to me that Jesus was the one who was doing the receiving here more than the Wise Men were. They brought Him gifts--gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They came all this way, found a baby, gave their treasures, and then went back home. Was it worth it?

a. That’s what we sometimes wonder. We consider what we have to give up if we come to worship Jesus, and we weigh that against what we get out of it. But the Wise Men did not count the cost. They knew it would take much of their time. They were willing to part with their treasures. Yet, St. Matthew speaks of these Wise Men as “rejoicing exceedingly with great joy.” Why? Just to come and kneel down before a baby? Even with that baby being God in the flesh, we may wonder why they were willing to come so far and sacrifice so much just to worship.   b. Matthew is careful to point out to us that the Wise Men did not just find the Baby Jesus. They “saw the Child with Mary, His mother.” And what would Mary have done? She would have greeted the Wise Men as they entered her home. Not only that...Mary, who had treasured up all these things in her heart--all the wondrous events of Christmas--would have spoken to the Wise Men and related not only what took place in Bethlehem, but why it took place, and what it meant for her and for them. These Wise Men would not have simply come into the house, knelt down to worship, offered their gifts, and then hopped back on their camels to head home. For one thing, God warned them about Herod in a dream. This means they stayed there overnight, perhaps even for a number of nights. They would have heard Joseph telling the story of the angel appearing to him in a dream. They would have heard Mary telling of Gabriel’s visit to her. They would have listened to the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth and how John was born. They would have heard the story of Simeon and Anna in the temple from the mouths of Mary and Joseph. They might have sought out the shepherds and listened to their story--the message of the angel and the song by the heavenly chorus. c. When these Wise Men returned home, they did not just go back with eyes that had seen a child. They returned with their ears full of the Word of God, their hearts full of faith. Through Mary and Joseph, and perhaps through the shepherds, God would have spoken the message of the good news of Christ-the very Gospel--into the ears and hearts of these Wise Men. If you had asked them, upon their arrival back home, “Was it worth it? Was it worth it to go all that way and sacrifice so much to worship?” they would have answered with a resounding, “Yes! Yes, for now we are different men. Now we know and believe for a certainty that this King, whose name is Jesus, was born for us to be our Savior!”

2. This king, who was God, is our Savior.  Even what “Savior” means was hinted at by Simeon and the Angel.  He was to die for our sins.

a. It is very interesting. As much as we makeover the holiday of Christmas, we are never told in the Bible to remember the birth of Jesus; we are told to remember the death of Jesus. Do you know why? Because even though it was necessary for him to be born before he could die, we're not saved by his birth, we are saved by his death.  His death paid for our sin.    b. Then His resurrection is the Father’s stamp of approval on all He did.  All this tells us how much God cherishes each and every one of us. You don’t hear this message out on the ski slopes.

B. But after verse thirteen in our text, we never hear about these Wise Men again. They disappear from sight.

1. Until now, that is. The Wise Men have returned. They have come back to worship Jesus, not riding on camels this time, but riding in Fords, and Chevy’s, and pickups, and other vehicles.

a. They have not returned to Bethlehem--to the town in Judea, but they have come to the Bethlehem in Kentucky, to the House of Bread (for that is what Bethlehem means) to kneel down before the Lord and eat the Bread of Life, to hear His gracious words, to sing His praises and offer their gifts, and go on their way rejoicing.   b. Perhaps only three Wise Men came to Bethlehem at first, but today God has increased their number. Today I am looking at many wise men before me. Wise, not in their own minds, but wise for coming to worship. You are not here simply to cradle a baby. As God brought the Wise Men to Bethlehem, so He has brought you here because our Savior, in Word and Sacrament, is here for you.

2. The Wise Men in our text were surely tired when they arrived. They were dirty from their travels, they were in need of cleansing and rest.

a. There isn’t one of us who is not like them in this way. Our travels through life have wearied us. We travel through difficult times. All of us have come here in need of cleansing. All of us have sinned greatly and sinned much over the past week.   b. Sin is a disease that lives within us. It affects our thinking so that we think too highly of ourselves, and poorly of others. It affects our speaking so that we say what we should not, and do not say what we should. It affects us so that we live as rebellious people before God.

CONCLUSION: But now we can see what we get out of worship—we can see why it is so important that we come out of nature into God’s presence.  Now we can see how wonderful it is for us that God has drawn us to His Bethlehem, for here He gives you His word of promise that your sins are all forgiven. You are cleansed, you are pardoned--for no other reason than this--the Babe of Bethlehem became the One crucified for you. Jesus has saved you, not just by being born for you, but by living, suffering, dying, and rising again for you. Hearing this, believing this...you, like the Wise Men in our text, can do as they did. You can go home today rejoicing. You can offer your gifts and go in peace, for He who has been born King of the Jews, is your King, your Lord, your Savior. Amen.