Indianola Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio

Texts:  Isaiah 60:1-6;  Matthew 2:1-12 — Epiphany & Communion

“Where is the child…?  For we observed his star at its rising,
and have come to pay him homage.” — Matthew 2:2

Without a doubt, the wise men’s star in the Christmas story is an object of fascination.  But then, the stars in the heavens have always captured the imagination.   When we stare up at a clear night sky (a rare occasion here in Ohio!), a sense of wonder awakens in us.  I still remember being awestruck by the night sky when I moved to the mountains of northern New Mexico in 1976 and first beheld the heavens from an elevation of 7300 feet.  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing—the Milky Way sweeping from horizon to horizon in a truly dark night sky!  Incredible!  Overwhelmed by the sight of so many stars, I could begin to understand a little of why ancient peoples placed so much importance on studying the night sky, looking to the stars in the heavens to provide portents of things to come here on earth.

December 30, 2007    Matthew 2:13-23

    As I stood before the star on the floor of the crypt in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, I recognized that I was looking at a spot that marks what has represented for thousands of pilgrims the very spot on which Jesus was born.  The first church built on this site was begun by Helena, the mother of Constantine, and completed in the 4th century.  But the antiquity of the tradition that this is indeed the site of the cave where Jesus was born as much as two hundred years before that.   Some may contest that the fact that this is the actual, real, authentic spot of Jesus’ birth, but that seems irrelevant, for the pilgrimage I made from my home in the United States to this place in Bethlehem was nonetheless a sacred journey for me.  And so it has been for countless pilgrims for close to 2000 years.  The kinship I felt with these pilgrims who preceded me made my visit to this place a holy experience.  I stared at the star in the floor of crypt in the little town of Bethlehem - a star that marks in some mystical way the place of Jesus’ birth and the center of our hopes and dreams of peace and good will.

Indianola Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio

Texts:  Isaiah 7:10-16;  Luke 1:46-55;  John 19:25-30

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” — Luke 1:46-47

…standing near the cross of Jesus [was] his mother… — John 19:25

Sometimes it’s hard to know just what to make of Christmas.  We wish people a Merry Christmas, a Joyous Noel.  And often it’s just that—merry and joyous.  Yet for many people, Christmas is a trying time.  Despite all those cultural images of holiday cheer, joyous homecomings, and perfect family gatherings, they actually may be experiencing grief at the loss of a loved one, or desperation at being laid off, or fear of foreclosure on their home.  And all around the world there’s a great deal happening that has nothing at all to do with “Peace on Earth, Good Will to All.”  The angels did indeed sing songs of joy at Jesus’ birth, but few of us are angels, and none of us all the time.  We all know loss and grief and fear.  Yet there’s so much pressure to deny any shadow side of this season.

Indianola Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio

Texts: Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-7, 12-14, 18-19; Matthew 3:1-3

They will not hurt or destroy… — Isaiah 11:9a

…may righteousness flourish and peace abound,
until the moon is no more — Psalm 72:7

“…prepare the way of the Lord…” — Matthew 3:3c

A voice cries out, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” All four Gospels introduce John the Baptist with these words first cried out by the prophet Isaiah to a people in exile.  Get ready, for the Lord God comes bringing salvation in this wilderness of life.  “Get ready!” John cries out in the wilderness.  “Get ready to see God’s grace revealed in a human face.”