Sunday Worship
Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish as we celebrate Epiphany. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11.15 am at St Thomas'.
If you are unable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn today is "Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 2:1-12 The Magi Visit the Messiah
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel."
Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Reflection
This is one of those weeks when the lectionary, (which sets out what readings the church uses each week), seems to get things in the wrong order. Last week we read Matthew 2: 13 onwards and this week we have jumped back to Matthew 2: 1-12. So if you are a little confused by the chronological order of events don’t worry – just think of last week as a trailer for the next episode in the wonderful story of the nativity. An episode that sets the scene for the type of society and world that Jesus was born into.
As we look at today’s passage, a good place to start might be to ask who the Magi were. How many of them were there?
We might think we know from the words of the Christmas carol, “We Three Kings”, but the number is not disclosed in any of the Gospels. Many think that because there is mention of gold, frankincense and myrrh it is reasonable to assume there were three but each of them might have brought more than one gift to pay homage to the foretold King of the Jews.
So in reality we don’t exactly know how many there were. We can reasonably assume that they were men of great status and learning and probably at least one of them studied astronomy or an ancient form of astrology. It is also likely that they had a good knowledge of Hebrew scripture and teachings. They clearly talk about their quest to seek the King of the Jews which indicates a knowledge of Jewish scripture and the promise of a Jewish Messiah.
They are believed to have come from the regions of Persia and Babylon and were obviously wealthy and very important people in their own right, albeit probably not royalty or kings.
Yet despite all their status and comfortable standard of living they embarked on a long journey of around nine hundred and fifty miles to travel to Jerusalem. When I reflect on this, it’s quite incredible – these well to do ‘wise men’ are willing to risk their lives to set off and seek a new born Jewish King.
It is also likely that they would not have set off on such a harsh and potentially perilous journey on their own. Like the picture above, they would have embarked on the long trek with a caravan or entourage of people. Their arrival would therefore have been a big deal and caused a buzz in and around Jerusalem, which inevitably gave rise to Herod’s interest and concern, especially given what the Magi had sacrificed to make the journey.
Now comes the interesting part, having listened to the tale of their mission, Herod turned to another group of wise men – his own wise men – the chief priests and lawyers who interpret the scriptures and quote the prophet Micah, [Michah 5:2], “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”
Why do I find this interesting? Because here we now have two sets of learned and ‘wise’ men who seem agree that the ‘King of the Jews’ may have been born - One group, from far away, is willing to leave everything behind and risk their lives to seek the new Messiah, yet the others chose to do nothing about it. There doesn’t appear to be a shred of excitement or joy from them. If you were a Chief Priest, wouldn’t you have been running around throwing some clothes in a bag and asking if you could join in the search? I most certainly would!
As we discussed last week, Herod was fearful that a new king may challenge his power, but for the Priests to be so passive about news that the long awaited Messiah is born, seems to me to be totally unfathomable.
Jesus says, “Seek and you shall find”. [Matthew 7]. As we await the second coming of Jesus, are we waiting passively and doing nothing, or are we wiser like the Magi, filled with daily joy and excitement and doing something in our lives to actively seek Jesus? Are we listening to the Good News, and as well as knowing about Jesus, are we doing something about it? Are we acknowledging God and giving thanks for his Son, who he sent to save us all and offer salvation for all of us. Are we giving up our time, energy and love to serve one another and be influenced by Jesus as we seek his coming again? Paul
Our Prayers
Loving Father,
The Magi gave gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh,
we thank you for the greatest gift of all, your Son Jesus Christ.
Let us see his presence in the world, amidst both joy and hardship.
Lead us by the star before us, move us to love you as you love us.
Guide us by the Holy Spirit to seek and follow Jesus Christ,
Our Lord and Redeemer.
Amen
This morning's final hymn is "O Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness"
