Welcome to the Zion
Welcome to the Zion
West Walworth United Methodist Church
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Matthew 2 1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’" 7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." 9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.Prayer. A star at it's rising. It appears to be a cruel joke, perpetrated by a malicious god. On the day after Christmas the sea floor shook and a wave rose up from an otherwise peaceful sea. A tsunami overcame more than 120,000 souls in its first moments ashore. And the number is still rising. We are told that as many more living dead will soon succumb to the misery of dehydration, dysentery, or disease. Indiscriminate regarding faith, age, gender or wealth Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, and the faithless Rich and poor Young and old all were all swept away in a millennial cleansing flood. Temples are filled Candles are lit tears tumble from eyes swelled with pain even as a frenzy of prayer ascends to an invisible god. And the faithful begin to ask the question, "Why?"
On this ninth day of Christmas we listen to the author of Wisdom a sage referred to as Qohelet writing to the assembly, the "ekklesiasia" the words we have come to know as Ecclesiastes. "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter Set aside the memory of "The Byrds" singing to us in an era defined by tie-dye, long hair, and an anti-establishment attitude. With today's headlines in one hand, listen to Qohelet as he writes "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter Tsunami. God has set aside a time for Tsunami under heaven? A star at it's rising. On the other side of the galaxy from today's suffering in South Asia, two hundred fifty years after the words of Qohelet had been fixed in Wisdom and traditional recitation during the annual Feast of Sukkot, Matthew records that wise men from the east observed A Star at it's rising. Trained in ancient astrology, and obviously filled with Messianic expectation, they put their life on hold to journey after the Star at it's rising, in search of Him who is born the king of the Jews. The shepherd of Israel had come, as promised by the prophet, Micah. Jesus, born in Bethlehem the womb of salvations expectation the backwater town on the road to nowhere, God With Us, visited by wise men and sorcerers from afar, paid homage on bent knee the recipient of royal gifts. A Star at It's Rising also has a time and place under heaven. Wisdom tells us that there is nothing new under the sun. But this is refuted by Matthew's words. There is something new under the sun! There is a star that is new. And it is rising! There is a child king who is new, and it is none other than the Divine. God with us. God among us. God doing a new thing. God joined with history. God taking an active role in yesterday, today, and tomorrow. If God is with us, then why a tsunami? Why the Divinely avoidable suffering, the pain, the brokenness, and the death? Where is the Star? Where is the Light? Give us some sign. A clue is uncovered in the ancient words of wisdom directly from the pen of Qohelet, speaking of God, he writes
The Divine trump card is called "the future." We do not know the fullness of what God is working. Bits and pieces of the past and present might be revealed to our simple minds. But there is so much more under the sun. So much of the past is hidden by our ignorance or our arrogance. So much of the present is molded and shaped by culture and privilege. And not one of us knows one iota about the future. It is God, and God alone, who can see and know all that there was, there is, and what will be forever yet to come. Greater Divine forces are at work here. A Star at it's rising, signaled to all the beginning of a new era One that would only be completed in God's own time according to God's own choosing. John envisions what that day will be like. But it is only his vision, limited by his own imagination. On that day 4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." 5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." (Revelation 21:3b-5)Why the suffering? Beyond knowing that our response must be generous and self-sacrificing, I can not tell you with any certainty. At the hand of Qohelet, the voice of Old Testament Wisdom, joined with the Gospel author, Matthew, together they whisper to us from the words of scripture from the past, this Divine assurance... A Star has risen It has attracted the observations of wise men from the East. A baby has been born. The Star announces the fact that God is with us. God continues with us, even to this day. What ever tomorrow may hold, rest assured, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter God is in control God has greater plans God comes to save. Amen.
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