Next to the house Brandon grew up in, stood a towering windmill which was taller than their two story farmhouse. The windmill had these little metal steps so that you could climb to the top. Periodically, his Dad would climb up every one of those metal steps to fix something at the very top of that windmill. When Brandon was probably about 13 or 14, his Dad asked him to climb up that windmill with him to fix something. He needed Brandon to help him carry some metal piece up the ladder. Even though the thought of climbing to the top scared him half to death, he didn’t want to disappoint Dad. So, gripping tightly onto each of those metal steps, he made that long climb to the top, behind Dad. Once he made it to the top, he felt really proud that hed actually made it. But no sooner were at the top of that windmill, when his Dad said, “Bran, I need you to go back down and bring something else up for me.” That frightening experience of climbing the windmill helped Brandon to really appreciate what his Dad did for his family every year near the end of November or early December. Every year, Dad would go up to the attic and bring down this really, enormous, aluminum Christmas star. And every year, he would climb that cold windmill and tie that large Christmas star to the top. His family became locally and sarcastically known as the family that had a large aluminum Christmas star at the top of the windmill along Plank Road. Brandon, his Mom, and his brothers thought he was either really brave or just plain crazy for doing that every year. But that annual ritual was Dad’s way of making Christmas special. When I hear that story, I think that their Dad was just trying to remind everyone of this Scripture reading from St. Matthew’s Gospel: this extraordinary story of Wise Men who ended up following a star to the place of the Christ child so that they could offer Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. This weekend, lets reach for the star like the Wise Men and reflect on what that can mean for our faith. It’s easy to get discouraged and to get down in life, especially during this time of year. The story is told of the former heavy weight boxer James Quick Tillis, who, as a cowboy from Tulsa, Oklahoma started boxing in Chicago in the early 1980s. On his first day in the Windy City he got off the bus with two cardboard suitcases in my arms and stopped in front of the Sears Tower. He put his suitcases down, looked up at the Tower and confidently said to himself, I’m going to conquer Chicago. But when he looked down, his suitcases were gone. Welcome to the big city! Welcome to the world!! It’s easy to get discouraged. Just when we’re looking up and thinking about reaching for the stars, something happens that steals our energy and robs us of our big dreams and plans. That’s why this Scripture story this weekend, why the story of the Wise Men, is so relevant. This Epiphany story can help us reach for the star. First of all, like the Wise Men, we can expect the journey to be long, but filled with adventure. We know from historical records that the Magi journeyed somewhere between 1,000 and 1,200 miles; from Persia to the city of Jerusalem; and eventually to the Christ Child. At the very minimum, that trip would have taken three months to travel by camel. It might have even taken as long as a year. That would be like leaving today, and arriving at our destination sometime in April or August. That’s quite a long trip. How far did you travel to be with your family and friends during the recent holidays? Twenty minutes? 400 miles? Did you leave the house at 9 and not get there until mid or late afternoon? Did you complain, regardless of the shortness or length of the journey? And you were probably in a car or a bus or a plane. Imagine how much more youd complain if you had to ride a camel for 400 miles. Can you imagine how much grumpier wed be if took us a month and a half to complete the trip, riding between the humps of a dromedary? And thats without taking into consideration the previous several weeks of preparation. When you factor that in, it might have taken the Wise Men even longer. Tires us out just thinking about it, without even actually doing it. But thats because were thinking of the difficulties instead of the benefits. Just think what adventures the Wise Men must have had in that long, long, very long, period of time. If it helps, read How Far to Bethlehem a novel by Norah Lofts that details the adventures that the Wise Men might have experienced. The adventure must have included some valleys but also includes a lot of high and exhilarating moments as well. As we reach for the star this year, let’s remember that our long journey of faith can also be filled with lots of adventure. The Christian life should be anything but boring. In fact, expect the journey to be difficult but filled with joy. Wouldnt you think that once the Wise Men realized what King Herods evil intentions were, they would have become disappointed and discouraged? All this long and perilous way, just to have the child they seek die at the hands of a despot? But when they reached for the star, when the star finally stopped over the place where Jesus was, St. Matthew tells us that they were overwhelmed with joy. Sometimes it can be so easy for us to be caught up in the difficulty of the journey or the moment that we forget all about the joy along the way. The participants at a church conference were told to release helium filled balloons at the point in the conference when they felt like expressing the joy in their hearts. A few of the balloons ascended but when everything was over, two-thirds of the people present had still not released their balloons. Too often, we forget the joy that Christ wants us to have as we follow His star. George Bernard Shaw once wrote, True joy in life is being used for a mighty purpose, its being worn out before you reach the scrap heap, its being a positive force of nature instead of complaining of ailments and grievances and being unhappy. Now, thats what Im talking about! Our faith journeys should be filled with joy. When we let go of our balloons, we reach for the star; were expressing the joy that God has placed in our hearts. There’s something about the Wise Men that can be really helpful to us. Expect the journey to be costly but filled with personal transformation. That brings us to the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They are an important part of the story. The purpose of the gift of gold was pretty basic. Gold was and is the most precious and priceless of all the worlds minerals. The gold the Wise Men gave was to provide money for this very poor family. Mary and Joseph were very poor and just from a very practical, financial point of view, this amount of gold would be immensely helpful. Frankincense wasnt cheap either. Neither was myrrh. They were both very expensive resins obtained from rare shrubs found in the tropical countries of the far, Far East. Maybe a dime a dozen where they came from but rare and valuable to the people of the Middle East. The Wise Men did not come empty handed. They offered their best gifts to the Lord. Its almost unimaginable to know what they must have felt when they knelt before Him and gave Him their gifts. It had been a difficult, a joyful, and an expensive trip. If youve never been to the actual site of Jesus birth in Bethlehem, it must be incredible. To kneel at the site of Jesus birth. Im told a star on the floor marks the spot. It would be unbelievable. It must have been unbelievable to them too. It must have been personally transformative. I dont know how it couldnt be. How do you experience something like that and not be changed? How do you experience such difficulty, such joy, pay such a price, and not be transformed? What is the lesson of Epiphany? What do the Wise Men have to teach us? That faith is a journey. A long, difficult, joyful, costly, and transforming journey. Its a checklist. What has your journey of faith been like? Long? Seems like it, huh? Check. Difficult? Whos isnt? Check. Joyful? I hope so. Check. Costly? If not, youre doing something wrong. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but forfeit his soul? Give up everything you have and follow me. Anyone who loves mother or father, brother or sister, house or lands or money more than me is not worthy of me. Check. Transforming? Of course. Thats the ultimate goal. Behold, we will all be changed in the twinkling of an eye. Or, in the language of Epiphany, in the twinkling of a star. Check. None of us are fans of long trips. We complain when anything is taking too long. Were not in favor of difficult experiences. Wed rather not. Were all looking for the best deal, the most value at the least cost. But quality comes with a price. its like a woman who has just given birth. Maybe the labor was long and difficult. But, the minute that beautiful little baby is placed in her arms - just like the moment when the Wise Men stood before the beautiful Baby Jesus - all the previously long and difficult and costly experiences of labor vanish. All of a sudden, its worth the cost. All of a sudden, theres a smile on her face. All of a sudden, there is joy. And her newborn baby is the light, and the star, of her life. No matter how long and difficult and costly it is to get to Him, Jesus Christ is the star attraction. No matter how high the windmill is, reach for the star. Reach for Him. And all of a sudden, you will be transformed. All of a sudden . . .
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 14:41:50 +0000
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