Follow the Star: The Story and Lessons of the Magi (Part II)

Sermon Title: Follow the Star – The Story of the Magi

Good News Statement: God has given us a star to follow

Summary: The story of the Magi is more than a single occurrence in the Gospel of Matthew; it is a story about us and how God is continually inviting us to follow His star?

Preached: Sunday, January 11^th, 2026 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Matthew 2:1-12 Today’s scripture reading comes from the words of Matthew’s Gospel, which tells of Magi (or Wise Men) following a star from the east to the new born Messiah in Bethlehem. Along their travels, they visit King Herod who orders them to return to the palace with news of the Messiah, but they instead choose not to return to King Herod. The Magi, although not religious and are not followers of God’s word, still follow the demands of God: they do what was right and not what was easy. The Magi remind us that God uses who God chooses. Our reading comes from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Two, Verses One thru Twelve. May the hearing and reading of this scripture add understanding to your life.

The Visit of the Magi

2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, ² asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” ³ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, ⁴ and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ They 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 magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸ Then 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.” ⁹ When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹ On 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. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

 

Introduction:            

Happy Epiphany Sunday! Epiphany is a special day but sometimes over looked on the Christian calendar. Gifts aren’t handed out to commemorate this day. Candles aren’t blown out, cakes aren’t made, fireworks are not on display, and people aren’t staying up until midnight the night before to celebrate Epiphany. Epiphany is just another day for some people, but for us—for those who have chosen to follower Christ—it is a special day because it commemorates and celebrates the Magi, the Wise Men, visiting Mary and Joseph in a house a few years after Jesus was born in Bethlehem.^[1] Epiphany is a special day.

Now, the word “epiphany,” from the Greek word epiphaneia, means appearance or manifestation. Specifically, it means “manifestation from above.”^[2] Epiphany reveals to us the appearance and manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles as a symbolic measure of what the Apostle Paul notes in Galatians 3:28, “There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” It is also living proof that what the angels told the Shepherds is true: “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10)—news from above. Even those who may have not believed in the words of the prophets of old are still invited to receive the good news, to embrace the manifestation of Jesus Christ.

Digging a little dipper, epiphany, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary refers to “an experience of a sudden and striking realization” that can be experienced by all people. Jesus Christ appeared for all people, a sudden experience that has been manifesting for several hundreds of years: not for a select few, not for a specific group, and not for a partial town.^[3] That’s why epiphany is associated with the Magi because they were amongst those who needed to realize the importance of Jesus’ birth: they represent all those who were not from Bethlehem, they stood in the place of all those seeking humility in their life, and they resemble all those who need to seek out Christ. They needed to realize what came from above: a sudden experience that changed the world.

The encounter of the Magi or Wise Men helps us understand a few things about what we are called to do. They saw the epiphany of Jesus Christ because they chose to follow a star and listen to the words of God. The Magi saw the epiphany of Jesus Christ because they chose what was right and not what was easy. The Magi saw the epiphany of Jesus Christ because God chose and used them. On this Epiphany Sunday, I invite you to consider the story of the Magi and remind yourself that who God uses, God has chosen for a specific reason, and that God is calling all of us, that includes you, to have a sudden realization that we are needed by God and that we are to seek out the one who constantly searches for us by following the star.

 

Body:

The Magi, wealthy people from the east who are not believers of God’s words and who studied the stars, made their presence known before Jesus Christ because Christ needed them and they needed Christ. They came bearing gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—but their best gift was their presence. Jesus saw them for who they were and who God had chosen them to become. The power of presence is sometimes underrated because it seems simple; but to tell you the truth, it can be the best gift because it does offer love and devotion. Being present is the best gift of all because not only is your life changed but so is the life of the one whom you are with. The Magi’s presence may not have changed the world, but it was the right thing to do because it proved that they were open to receive and hear the words of God. Even in their own beliefs, they saw the power and message of Christ. However, we must ask ourselves, “Who exactly are these Wise Men or Magi that understood what we struggle with every day of our life? And do we have what it takes to follow the star?”

As we begin a New Year, I think it’s fitting that we spend time considering the story of the Magi: who they are, what they teach us, and what they call us to do? It’s through the Magi that the epiphany of Christ becomes real and present in our lives, especially in the life of the church, as we seek to continue to live out the story of Christmas. The Magi not only did something that was both characteristic and uncharacteristic of their ways, but they did something that we should be doing every day of our life and that is following the star. When following the star, we learn to do what is right and not always do what is easy.

 

Movement One: Reminder of the Who the Magi are…

I want to begin today’s message with a brief reminder of what the Wise Men or Magi taught us last week. Last week, we were briefly introduced to the Wise Men and quickly learned that scripture doesn’t provide for us everything that we have come to learn about the Wise Men. For example, the story of the Wise Men or Magi is only found in the Gospel of Matthew. Mark doesn’t mention Magi: Luke, who gives an extensive account of Jesus’ birth, does not mention Magi; and John ignores the story of the Magi. But yet, the Magi have come to be an essential part of the story of Jesus’ birth.

We also learned last week that scripture doesn’t specifically mention three Magi, but yet, three appear in our nativity scenes. There could have two or a group of men traveling together in a caravan. We also learned that the three gifts offered—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—have come to represent Jesus’ life: gold represents his authority, power, and dominion; frankincense is an oil used to reduce stress, anxiety, easing inflammation and pain, suggesting Jesus’ humanity; and myrrh was used to anoint bodies for burial and this specific spice could have been used or was going to be used to prepare Jesus’ body for burial after his crucifixion.

Furthermore, we really don’t know the names of the Magi because the Bible doesn’t tell us. However, tradition has it that the three Wise Men, who came to seek and honor the infant Jesus, were named Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melchior. Gasper, meaning “keeper of treasure,” often depicted as the youngest of the three with a white beard, is said to have brought the gift of myrrh, indicating Jesus’s death.[4] Balthasar, meaning “God saves his life,” often depicted as the Black king from Arabia or Ethiopia, representing adulthood, is suggested as having brought the gift of frankincense symbolizing Jesus’s humanity.[5] Lastly, Melchior, meaning “King of Light,”[6] the oldest of the three from Persia, representing old age, is the one who brought gold foretelling Jesus’s royalty.[7]

In addition to all this, the three Wise Men, also known as Magi, short for magician, were men belonging to various educated classes. They were of noble birth, educated, wealthy, and influential. They were philosophers, the counselors of rulers, learned in all the wisdom of the ancient East, possibly traveling from different continents. The Wise Men who came seeking the Christ child were not idolaters; they were upright men of integrity who possibly may have studied the ancient Hebrew literature but may have not believed it. They were outsiders but not ignorant to what was happening around them.

I appreciate how Rachel Billups, in her book An Unlikely Advent, describes these Wise Men. I shared this quote with you last week. She states, “And these magi were not exactly kings. History has a couple of descriptors for magi, either Persian fire gods or astrologers. The Greek word for magi, ‘magos,’ can mean wise men, astrologers, priests, but also magicians or sorcerers as well. Some scholars connect the magi to the Zoroastrian tradition—a tradition focused on the never-ending battle between good and evil. These magi are not religious insiders. They are not church peeps. The magi have no political power in Judea, and they certainly do not have religious ties to the people. The magi are outsiders” (pp. 75-76, italics added).

“[The Wise Men] are not religious insiders. They are not church [people]. They have no political power in Judea, and they certainly do not have religious ties to the people. The Wise Men are outsiders” (Billups, pg. 76). The Wise Men did not believe in God but were invited to see Jesus. The Wise Men weren’t doers of the Word, but still had faith to follow the star of our God which was talked about in the Word. The Wise Men were wealthy people, but still found their way to an insignificant town to see a poor and lowly family living in someone else’s house; not a palace surrounded by gardens resembling paradise.[8] The Wise Men didn’t attend regular services at the Synagogue, didn’t participate in Bible Study, and probably didn’t pray every day. The Wise Men weren’t who we would typically invite to the stable. But yet, like the shepherds watching their flock by night, the Wise Men were invited to see the “good news of great joy for all people” (Luke 2:10). The Wise Men represent the reality that God invites all to the manger regardless of one’s background and past.

The Wise Men, given a very minimal backstory in scripture, have certainly, overtime, become characters in the story of Christ that teach us about our faith. From our brief introduction of the Wise Men last week, we learned that when it comes to our faith we need to take time to fill in the gaps—to be curious about what scripture doesn’t tell us so that we can create a fuller picture of what is happening. The Wise Men also teach us that even those who we think shouldn’t be at the manger are the ones that God needs at the manger, including those who society has come to label as outsiders or “strangers living in a foreign land.” Lastly, the Wise Men invite us to spend more time listening to God, because when we listen to God, like the Wise Men and shepherds and disciples and so many others, our life can be changed. Overall, as I mentioned last week, the Wise Men encourage us to follow the star, the star of Jesus Christ.

It’s amazing what we can learn from a group of individuals that we really know nothing about. But, here we are, week two, of learning more about what the Wise Men teach us about our faith. Our exploration continues by looking at how the Wise Men, instead of taking the easy way, chose the right way.

 

Movement Two: We are Called to Do What is Right

I want to begin by sharing a story with you that comes from Jared E. Alcantara’s book The Practices of Christian Preaching. “In 1993, two young men living in Minneapolis got into a gang-related dispute, and one of them shot and killed the other. One was a teenager, and the other was twenty years old. The police informed the youth’s mother, a woman named Mary Johnson that her son, Marlon Byrd, had been shot and killed, and the police identified the killer: a teenage boy named Oshea Israel. The young man stood trial, was convicted of homicide, and was sent to the local penitentiary for the murder.”[9]

“Mary said all the right things after her son died. She explained to people at the trial that she was a Christian; she was a ‘daughter of the church.’ Thus she would find space in her heart to forgive her son’s killer. After all, that is what Christians do, or at least that is what they are supposed to do. But as time passed, Mary found bitterness and resentment eating away at her soul. It felt almost impossible to let go of the anger she felt….”[10]

“Mary needed what so many of us need. She needed to be able to pray, ‘forgive us our [trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us].’ Easier said than done. One day, Mary read a poem about two women who meet for the first time in heaven. When the women meet, they can tell from each other’s crowns that they are both mothers of sons who have died. The poem reads: ‘I would have taken my son’s place on the cross,’ said one. ‘Oh, you are the mother of Christ,’ said the other mother, falling to her knee. Kissing the tear away, the first mother said, ‘Tell me who your son is, that I may grieve with you also.’ ‘My son is Judas Iscariot.’”[11]

“That is how the poem ends. Something clicked inside Mary Johnson after she read it. She knew that something had to change. So she made a decision that most mothers in her situation would not make. She decided to visit Oshea Israel in prison. She almost did not go through with it, but somehow she found courage and strength to move forward. To her surprise, he expressed openness to the idea. She started their meetings with simple discussions designed to get to know each other.”[12]

I was thinking about this story this week and its relation to the story of the Wise Men, and I realized that in life, we often choose the easy path. We choose this path because we don’t like to be challenged, some of us don’t like change, choosing something easy means avoidance of unknown fears, and staying comfort and in our rut is a lot easier to manage. We like the easy path because it is comfortable and we can predict what is going to happen. I’m sure many of us wouldn’t be where we are today if we always chose the easy path though. I know I wouldn’t be. If I chose the easy path, the path I wanted, I would probably be either teaching sociology somewhere or working with statistics every day. If I chose the easy path, I probably would have been okay with just being on the high school baseball team rather than being a part of the team. If I chose the easy path, I wouldn’t have pursued music like I have for over a decade. If I chose the easy path, I wouldn’t be here: helping you learn about Christ, being present with those in need and in great sorrow, tearing up because someone from our church has passed away or someone has been injured, and being blessed every Sunday and during every Bible Study and being changed from the many volunteer opportunities.  Needless to say, sometimes the easy path is not the right path. The Wise Men have provided us with an example of choosing the right path and not the easy path.

Let’s be honest: the Wise Men travel to an unfamiliar town to tell an earthly king by the name of Herod, who has a horrible reputation and has great power, to inform him that a child has been born and is called “King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). These strangers have just told someone of great power that there is a greater king living in his land. That’s absurd. Who in their right mind would do something like that? Probably someone who seeks to do what is right and not what is easy.

Not only are they telling King Herod this but they also confessed that they want to “pay him homage” (Matthew 2:2): essentially, they want to show their respect to this new born king. Now I have done some not so smart things in my life, but these Wise Men have made the list. They told a king that he isn’t the most powerful king on earth and that they want to deliberately pay respect to a child. Now King Herod doesn’t get upset by this news. He doesn’t dismiss the Wise Men. Instead he is frightened by the news so he calls for reinforcements from his chief priests and scribes (Matthew 2:3-6), who confirm what the Wise Men have noted. Herod solicited the help of the Magi in locating this child born king instead of throwing them in the “lions den.”

Something interesting to note is that rather than the Magi seeking Herod, Herod sought them out. He requested their aid under the pretense that he, too, wished to worship the new born king. Matthew notes, “Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then 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.’ When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was” (Matthew 2:7-9).

However, for some reason the Magi did not believe Herod was being honest about his intentions. Perhaps Herod’s reputation had preceded him. Maybe it was through their encounter with Herod that they sensed insincerity and were suspicious of Herod’s motives. “And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road” (Matthew 2:7-9, 12). The Magi’s suspicions were focused in a dream through which they were instructed to return home from Bethlehem by another road rather than traveling through Jerusalem. Their trust was no longer in an earthly King but in some sudden realization that manifested from above. And when Herod realized what had happened he was furious. That was when he sent out the murder decree and put a price on the head of every two-year-old and younger boy living in and around Bethlehem. Herod was taking no chances in getting rid of one who he feared would overtake his throne.^[13] The Wise Men, putting the lives of many in jeopardy, did what was right and not easy. The easy thing to do would have to obey Herod, returned to him, and told him the news; but the right thing to do was to obey what God needed them to do, even if that meant putting their life in danger.

The actions of the Wise Men remind me of a few characters from scripture that chose to do what was right and not easy. For example, Mordecai, a Jew and uncle of Queen Esther, approached King Xerxes to warn him that people from his own court were plotting to kill him. A servant approached the King without being invited to do so. Something that could result in death. Mordecai did what was right but not what was easy. Another example is Moses. Moses, realizing that he wasn’t a native born Egyptian stood up for an Israelite slave and killed an Egyptian. He killed someone from an ethnicity that saved him. That wasn’t easy, but he did stand up for someone in need which was the right thing to do. Again, Moses, knowing that he wasn’t capable of leading the Israelites to the Promised Land, repeatedly chose the easy way out of things by telling God excuse after excuse after excuse. But God knew that Moses wasn’t about doing what was easy; rather Moses was about doing what was right. Noah could have said no to God when told to build the ark, but Noah did what was right and became the beginning of a new life for millions of people.

How about Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus? Joseph, finding out that Mary was pregnant with child, wanted to take the easy way and divorce Mary quietly. Instead, Joseph stood by Mary for the rest of his life because that was the right thing to do. The disciples when being called to follow Christ, not knowing what it meant to “carry one’s cross and follow Christ” (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23), decided to follow him. They could have remained fishermen or tax collectors or servants of the land, living an easy life; but they chose to do what was right: trust in Christ.

How about one more: the female spy in the Bible known as Rahab. Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho who hid two Israelite spies sent by Joshua, helping them escape the city by lying to the king and lowering them from her house on the city wall. In return for her help and confession of faith in the God of Israel, she and her family were spared when the Israelites conquered Jericho, and she later became an ancestor of King David and Jesus (Matthew 1). Rahab did not have to help those two Israelite spies. Rahab did not have to lie to her king. Rahab could have turned them in and been recognized by an earthly king for her heroic actions. That would have been the easy thing to do. However, Rahab did what was right: she protected those spies and saved her life and the lives of her family.

Church, the Wise Men, like some many before them and after them, chose to do what was right and not what was easy. Can we do the same thing?

 

Movement Three: The Magi Disobeyed  an earthly King…

There are two additional points I want to highlight about this text. First, the Magi disobeyed the orders of an earthly King. They disobeyed the orders to return to King Herod with news of where the child is located. Disobeying the King was punishment by death: beheading, being stoned to death, crucifixion, or in the case of Daniel being thrown in a Lion’s den. The Magi are certainly wise enough to obey orders given by proper authority, but they didn’t. Knowing the risk of not returning to King Herod, which would have been the easy path, they chose to disobey his orders and chose the right path. How many of you would be bold enough to act like the Magi—disobeying orders—knowing the severe consequences? How many of you are willing to do what is right even if it means that things aren’t going to be easy?

The Magi remind me of my older brother Michael when he was in High School. One night after winning a rather big game, a majority of the baseball team went to someone’s house to have a good time. My brother decided to head home instead. He got a call in the early hours of the morning to go pick up a few of his teammates from the party. He knew that my parents wouldn’t approve of him going to a party on a school night, but he snuck out of the house anyways. When he got home, he ran into my dad who was getting ready to leave for work. Instead of doing what was easy—obeying the laws of my parents and staying home—my brother, knowing the consequences of his actions, did the right thing and made sure some of his teammates got home safely.

How about John Wesley? John Wesley, the founding father of the People called Methodists, didn’t disobey his parents to make sure his teammates got home safely; instead he disobeyed the very way he was raised to help people get saved. When starting his movement, Wesley faced multiple challenges: he was thrown off a horse repeatedly, mud and rocks were thrown at him, he use booed, he was deemed as unwelcome by many villages, he wasn’t allowed to preach in churches, and the list goes on. Instead of giving up, going back to the easy way of life, he started a movement that met people where they were. He preached in open fields, he preached in towns that despised him, he visited the sick, he met with those in prison, and he learned how to properly ride a house. Because Wesley chose to do what was right, we have the honor to continue his movement today.

The Magi knew the consequences of their decided actions, much like my brother and John Wesley, but they chose to follow the commands of some higher power that appeared to them in a dream—quite possibly a higher power that they themselves didn’t believe in. The easy path is called easy for a reason: it doesn’t require much. The right path, on the other hand, is the path that requires faith and trust and encouragement and determination and willingness to step out of one’s comfort zone. The right path is the path of Jesus. In Christianity, we call this “orthodoxy”—the right or middle way.

This middle way helps us understand that God didn’t empty Himself, to be made incarnate (Philippians 2:7), because He found it to be easy and comforting. No, God became flesh because He knew we needed to witness the right path in human form. Jesus’ work wasn’t easy: he dealt with sinners, people who yelled at him, Pharisees that wouldn’t leave him alone, religious leaders seeking to put him to death, individuals who demanded his attention day-in and day-out, unfaithful and not-well understood disciples, and temptation from the Devil. Jesus didn’t walk this earth because he was seeking an easy way out. He walked this earth seeking to do the right thing. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

By choosing to do what was right, Jesus exemplified what we are taught to do every day of our life. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbors as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39). We all know these commandments are tough to do: they aren’t always easy to follow. However, Jesus never said it would be easy to follow him but it is the right thing to do. We are called at times seek ways to obey the ways of Jesus Christ.

 

Movement Three: We are given dreams to follow…

The second thing that this text teaches us is that there are dreams in our life that God doesn’t want us to ignore. In a dream, Joseph is convinced to stay with Mary. In a dream, Joseph is told to go to Egypt and to not return until after the death of King Herod. In a dream, the Wise Men are informed not to return to King Herod. God gave Joseph, the Wise Men, and many others dreams that saved their life, which changed their life. Dreams are powerful and sometimes whimsical and crazy and terrifying and just simply weird. We sometimes ignore our dreams, don’t remember our dreams, or spend time trying to decipher our dreams. Either way, there are some dreams that God lays upon our heart that we must not ignore.

Dreams are seeds of greatness, requiring courage, determination, and action to become reality. Walt Disney famously said, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt stated, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” 

Has God given you a dream? When did He give you that dream? Have you ignored that dream because you don’t believe it? Have you ignored that dream because you don’t trust it? Have you ignored that dream because it seems too hard, too complicated, and too challenging? Have you ignored that dream because it involves change? I believe God has given each of you a dream because He is calling you to do something, to be someone. God wants you to follow the star that He has placed before you. He doesn’t want you to give up on your dreams. And He certainly doesn’t want you to ignore whatever dream He has placed on your heart. What would our life look like, what would our church look like, if we constantly followed the dreams that got us closer to Jesus Christ? The dream God gives you might be the dream that can save your life and the lives of others. It just might be the dream that reveals who Jesus is to you.

Church, what sort of dreams has God given us? Where does He want us to go in 2026? What does He want us to do? Last week I shared with a brief list of things that we accomplished in 2025; and what I shared with you were things that weren’t easy to accomplish. As a matter of fact the things I shared with you were all things that began as a dream. Because of your dreams, our church made a difference many people’s lives and still does today. We must not give up on our dreams, but rather find some ways to pursue them even if the road ahead is scary and daunting and arduous. Church, what are we dreaming of in 2026?

 

Movement Four: A Church that is okay with doing things right…

So what does this mean for us, the body of Christ? It simply means that we have work to do, that God needs us to not always seek the easy way but to do what is right. But what does that look like? In the story of Mary Johnson and Oshea Israel, I believe we find our answer.

“[Mary] started their meetings with simple discussions designed to get to know each other. After a while, they became friends. On his release from prison, Oshea had no place to go, so Mary convinced her landlord to let him move in to the apartment next door. Today, the two check in with each other on a regular basis. Oshea can never undo what he did to [Mary’s] son in the past, and he can never replace her son in the present. But by the grace of God, it is as if Oshea has become an adopted son through Mary’s resilient and persistent decision to forgive.”[14] Mary could have chosen the easy way: to simply not forgive Oshea, to never see him again, to believe in what her pastor told her that she didn’t pray enough, and to live in isolation of the present. But she didn’t. She chose what many of us probably couldn’t do: she forgave Oshea and gave him a second chance at life. She did what was right even though it wasn’t easy.

It’s not easy living this life: things don’t make sense sometimes, people put you down, and there are more questions than answers. But yet, we find a way, through Christ to keep moving forward. Church, it’s not easy being the church: disagreements happen, people come and go, feelings are sometimes hurt, and doing what is comfortable seems to be what we lean on. But yet, we find a way through Christ to keep moving forward. What God gives us is not meant to be easy; however, it is meant to help us do the right thing so that others will believe what we believe, which Isaiah states, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

In 2026, I hope we give God praise for what comes easy, but I also hope we give praise for when God calls us to do the right thing even if it means doing something new, taking risks, embracing challenges, and remembering that through God our messes will be turned into messages that will help us move forward. Will 2026 be the year where you and I and us take a leap of faith, following the star, and avoid doing what is easy?

 

Conclusion:

The Magi, wealthy people from the east who are non-believers of God’s words and who studied the stars, made their presence known before Jesus Christ because Christ needed them and they needed Christ. The story of the Magi is more than three or more unknown individuals travelling from the east while following a star and appearing before the child, Jesus Christ. The story of the Magi is more than the presentation of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The story of the Magi is more than people disobeying the orders of an earthly King to follow the orders of the heavenly King. The story of the Magi is more than realizing that wealthy individuals worshipped a child born to two lowly and poor parents. The story of the Magi is about realizing that God invites all people to find Jesus Christ, to not give up on their dreams, and to allow God to use us to do extraordinary things as He changes our life.

The Magi teach us that we are called to do what is right in the sight of the Lord and to follow our dreams. If we want to be true disciples of Jesus, if we want to be able to follow the star, then we must be willing to choose the right path and continue to choose the right path when things get tough. It is going to be tempting to choose the easy path—to stay in a rut and avoid change—but that is not the path of Jesus Christ. The Magi, not knowing who God fully is, chose to avoid the easy path, risk their lives, to save Christ. What are you willing to do to make sure the message of Christ stays alive? Are you willing to go pick up teammates in the early hours of the morning even though you know that you are going to get in trouble? Are you willing to share about Christ outside these four walls? Are you willing to offer forgiveness to someone? Are you willing try something new as a church? Are you willing to choose the right path even though the easy path is right there? Are you willing to put God’s dreams for you and our church into action? Following Jesus isn’t easy, but it certainly is rewarding! I hope the star you choose to follow in 2026 is a star that helps you do the right thing.

Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Let us pray: Dear God, we are creatures of habit who enjoy doing easy things, but today, I ask that you challenge us to move away from what is comfortable and to do what is right and needed for our faith and for our church. Open our eyes to see more than the easy path. In your name we pray, Amen.

 

Benediction:

The easy path is always available. But so is the path of doing what is right. What is God calling you to do in 2026? What is God calling our church to do in 2026? What sorts of dreams are waiting to come true? May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth following the star to Jesus Christ. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

[1] Additionally, Epiphany Sunday is said to recognize the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, and the wedding at Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water into wine.

[2] (Epi – above; phaneia – manifestation).

[3] God became flesh—incarnate—so that He, through Jesus Christ, His Son, would appear before all people (Philippians 2:7).  In addition to the Shepherds, who “spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child” (Luke 2:17), the Magi (or Three Wise Men) find themselves at the scene of Christ’s birth a few years later charged to do the same thing: charged to experience the striking realization that they have come to pay homage to the king of kings.

[4] Are you a Gasper, a “keeper of treasure”?

[5] Are you a Balthasar, one who has been saved by God?

[6] Are you a Melchior, one who has received the light of the King?

[7] https://www.lignoma.com/en/magazine/the-three-wise-kings/

[8] The Wise Men weren’t the first to arrive at the stable; as a matter of fact, tradition suggests that they came several years later which is why Matthew indicates that Jesus was now living in a house.

[9] Jared E. Alcantara, The Practices of Christian Preaching: Essentials for Effective Proclamation, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2019. pg.146.

[10] Jared E. Alcantara, The Practices of Christian Preaching: Essentials for Effective Proclamation, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2019. pg.146.

[11] Jared E. Alcantara, The Practices of Christian Preaching: Essentials for Effective Proclamation, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2019. pg. 146.

[12] Jared E. Alcantara, The Practices of Christian Preaching: Essentials for Effective Proclamation, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2019. pg. 146.

[13] The Wise Men went to Jerusalem and asked about the born king. They said they had seen His star rise in the East. The Magi were astrologers, people who observed and studied the stars. Apparently some heavenly brilliance had spoken to the Magi which they interpreted as the entry of a king into the world. The Magi came looking for Jesus but they came late, perhaps as much as two years after His birth. The word that Matthew used to refer to the one born king is the word for child; whereas, Luke’s reference is to an infant. This suggests that Jesus was beyond one year of age when the Magi arrived in Jerusalem. A second indication that Jesus may have been a year or more old at this time is Herod’s decree that all male children two years of age and younger in Bethlehem and in its neighborhoods be killed.

[14] Jared E. Alcantara, The Practices of Christian Preaching: Essentials for Effective Proclamation, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2019. Pg. 149-147.