Thank you for 150 years.

Psalm 150

in honor of 150 years 

of being 

Community Presbyterian Church

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!

Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!

Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!

Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

To this wonderful Psalm of praise, I would add: “Praise God with the bell; praise him with the resounding noise of the big bell.”

As I reflect on Community Presbyterian Church’s 150^th Anniversary Celebration, I am grateful. I am grateful for the call to serve in such a time and place. It has been truly humbling to be pastor of Community Presbyterian Church during this wonderful and joyous celebration.

There are many, many people who need to be thanked for their contribution to the celebration. Thank you to Tom and Diane Ellringer who hosted a church social. Your farm was the perfect place to gather for bean bags and kick ball; for hayrides and bonfires; for food, fellowship and s’mores. Thank you for your hospitality.

     Thank you to Bonnie Bosma for designing and dedicating a new quilt for the sanctuary. Your skill is unmatched and your creativity adds to the beauty of our sacred space.

     Thank you to the members of the Praise Band – Steve Kreofsky, Alan Dewey, Joan Lee, Erica Huag-Gonzalez, Belinda Strain, Meg Curtiss, Peggy Veith and Betsy Dewey for leading us in a Sunday of new songs (and for Bruce Firzlaff for running the sound system!).

     Thank you to Janice Jurgenson, Ron Manzow, and Donna Christison for planning and organizing our Community Concert. Thank you to our musicians Ron Manzow, Nancy Hollister, Holly Reeve, the Men’s Choir, Meg Curtiss, Steve Kreofsky for sharing your music with us. Thank you to Bruce Firzlaff for your help with the sound system. A special thanks to our new choir director Peggy Veith and all the members of the adult choir for singing and sharing your gifts. Thank you to Dianne Lutzi for serving the ice cream after the concert.

     Thank you to Pastors Paul Moore and Chaz Ruark for helping lead worship on the day we dedicated the bell and remembered our great history. Thank you to Alan Dewey for videotaping the events of the day. Thank you to Ron Manzow for writing and directing our cemetery walk – and to the following people who memorized ghost stories: Larry Veith, John Zabel, Dianne Lutzi, Meg Curtiss, Walt Christison, and Kent Harrington.

     Thank you to the 150^th Anniversary Task Force, for your wisdom and enthusiasm as we met for over a year to plan for this special event: Ron Manzow, Dianne Lutzi, Donna Christison, Ardie and Janice Jurgenson, Wally and Gladys Richardson, Joan Lee, and Dennis and Bonnie Bosma.

     An extra big thanks to Stephanie Kreofsky who served as the chairperson of the 150^th Anniversary Task Force. Thank you for your gentle guidance which kept us on track and for you wise leadership in moving us forward.

     Thank you to Steve Kreofsky, for taking the idea of a new sign and a bell platform for our historic bell and designing and building a beautiful structure. Thank you for donating your time and laboring in love so that our bell could ring once again.

     And finally, thank you, members and friends of Community Presbyterian Church for your tremendous support of our 150^th Anniversary plans. You generous supported our fundraising efforts with your time and your resources. Your faithfulness gives me hope in what God is continuing to do through the witness and ministry of Community Presbyterian Church. May the sound of our bell renew your spirit and deepen your faith in Jesus Christ.

     When I think about 150 years of ministry, I realize that I have been the pastor of Community Presbyterian Church for less than 2% of her history (I’ve been here since 2011 – a little more than 2 years). It is humbling to stand on the shoulders of those saints of God who have gone before me. But upon those shoulders I can see a bit better. Grounded in the history of who we are, this vision enables me to see a future where God continues to bless the people of Community Presbyterian Church. Let us live together into that glorious future – a future God has prepared for us; a future that God is leading us towards.

     Praise God for the sound of our historic bell, ringing once again. May it call all of us into a deeper faith and a more meaningful worship as a community of faith; as Community Presbyterian Church.

Glory to God –

Pastor John

Gratitude and Glory!!!

October, 2013     

Dear Friends –

Thank you. Community Presbyterian Church is an exciting faith community. Thank you for all that you do to make the witness at CPC a powerful message of hope, sharing our faith in Jesus Christ.

We are celebrating our 150th Anniversary at Community Presbyterian Church, beginning on October 6th. Our theme for our 8 day celebration is: “Remember ~ Rejoice ~ Rededicate.” I do hope that you will take advantage of all of these wonderful events to connect with your church community and celebrate this historic event. To God be the glory!

Please note that this Sunday, October 6^th, we will gather on the front lawn of the church at 9:40 am (worship begins at 10:00) to prayerfully dedicate our historic bell and hear it ring out once again. It is an exciting day for Community Presbyterian Church and I look forward to seeing everyone gather outside and hear the glorious sounds of our bell ring once again.

Our goal to raise $15,000 for the bell platform began earlier this year. I am pleased to report that because of the generosity of many, we have not only reached, but exceeded our goal. To date, we have received over $16,000 for the bell platform! On behalf of the 150^th Anniversary Task Force, thank you so much for all you gave.

These are exciting times for Community Presbyterian Church. I can only imagine what God will do with us and through us in the next 150 years.

Sincerely,

Pastor John

Attitude

Today feels like a new day for me.
It's my first day back in the office (after a brief vacation with a long drive to and from Nebraska to see a whole bunch of family).
It's the first day of school - 3rd grade, 1st grade, and even preschool.
It feels like fall (after 10 days of weather in the 90s).
I have a renewed energy today - I'm excited about the things on my calendar and my "to-do" list.

I read a chapter called "Attitude" today from John Maxwell's book "Developing the Leader Within You." Here are a couple of quotes I want to keep track of...the first from Charles Swindoll:

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, or a home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. Nor can we change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We also cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you--we are in charge of our attitudes." (Charles Swindoll, Improving Your Serve)

And...this is reportedly a plaque on the office of Arnold Palmer:

"If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't
If you'd like to win but think you can't, it's almost certain you won't.
Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can."

On a bumper sticker: "Misery is an choice."

I'm not sure I think that attitude is EVERYTHING but I do think that my attitude is a choice and that I am responsible for my attitude. Today I am choosing to see God's hand at work in the work I am called to do. Today I am choosing to believe that good and faithful things are happening in and around me. Today I am choosing to seek God in all that I do. Today I am choosing a joyful and grateful attitude.

A Summer of Prayer

A Summer of Prayer

“When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.” Psalm 91:14-15

Dear Friends –

I want to invite you to participate in something that is dear to my heart – a season of prayer. I want to encourage you to engage in a summer of prayer—not only in your personal life—but in the life of Community Presbyterian Church.

As you are surely aware, Community Presbyterian Church is celebrating her 150^th Anniversary in October of this year. We have set aside the week of Sunday, October 6^th to Sunday, October 13^th as our time of celebration and we are planning to “Remember ~ Rejoice ~ Renew” throughout the week.

I have greatly enjoyed the planning process, in large part, because of the conversations I have heard: conversations about our rich history and tradition, stories about saints who have gone before, tales about the challenges faced and adversity endured. There is no doubt in my mind that God has been present throughout our 150 year history. In a very real sense the stories about who we have been are God’s stories. Learning how God has been at work in the lives of the people who have claimed Community Presbyterian Church as their faith community and spiritual home gives me great hope for the future – our future together that God has planned.

Which brings me back to my desire to pray together as a community of faith. I believe that even as we celebrate our history and remember our stories, we are being called into an exciting and hopeful future. As we celebrate our 150^th Anniversary, I believe that now is also the time to begin to imagine together the next 150 years. How might we together discover God’s plan, God’s vision, God’s purpose for us at Community Presbyterian Church?

I believe that the beginning of the answer to that question is prayer. We will begin to discover God’s plan for us by gathering together to pray, to care for one another, and to let God’s Holy Spirit shape our hearts together.

Again, I want to invite you to participate in a summer of prayer. Beginning on Sunday, June 16^th, I will lead a time of prayer on Sunday mornings before worship. We will meet each Sunday (for 6 weeks) from 9:00 a.m. until 9:45 a.m. to pray together.

I do hope you will join me. I trust that we will be amazed at what God is planning to do through us in prayer.

Sincerely,

Pastor John

A heart of flesh

(Ezekiel 11:17 - "Thus says the Lord God:"

"I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart flesh, so that they may follow..." (Ezekiel 11:19-20a)

The Pale Blue Dust Mote

Dear Friends,

Yesterday (May 5th), I preached a sermon based on John 14:23-29. Referred to as the farewell discourse, Jesus is preparing his disciples for a time in the near future when he will no longer be with them. Jesus promises the gift of the Holy Spirit to be with them as they continue to work on being an authentic community.
     I don't know about you, but I spend a lot of time thinking about authentic community. I desire to be a part of a community that is real, that cares for one another, without judgment or shame, because we all know that we are in this thing - this messy, complicated thing called life - together.
     I think the church often falls well short of this kind of authentic community, but I deeply believe that the church has the potential to be an authentic community. And I am deeply committed to being authentic and working towards an authentic community.
     In his speech to his disciples, Jesus commands them that they love one another. This is the basis for the genuine community that I desire. To love one another as Christ loves us.

This is no easy task. What gets in the way?

There are many answers to this - namely that people are hard to love and that we often get caught up into thinking that it (all of it!) is about us.

To give some perspective on why I think love is of the utmost importance, I'd like to share a quote from Carl Sagan. In 1990, the spacecraft Voyager I took a picture of the planet earth from the edge of our solar system. The iconic picture shows the vastness of the cosmos. The planet Earth shows up as a pale, blue dot. Here is how Carl Sagan reflected on this image in his book "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space."

"Look again at the dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you've ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tine world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

To that, I would add, the pale blue dot reminds us all of the importance to love and to love well.

Amen and amen.

The need for Ordinary, Everyday Saints, like Tabitha

 Here is the rough text (I preach from an outline, mainly!) from my sermon (Sunday, April 21st, 2013).  It was shaped, in part by the events of the past week (mainly the Boston marathon bombings and subsequent arrest) and inspired by Karl Barth's famous statement that we pray with the bible in one hand and the newspaper in another.

Tabitha - An Ordinary Saint

Acts 9:36-43 

Tabitha's brief story has elements of faithful discipleship, deep and abiding trust, and a God who acts through those who follow. Faith, trust, God’s action.

In six verses in the book of Acts, a story is told about an amazing woman, the disciple Tabitha. She is an ordinary saint who is devoted to great works and acts of charity – something we should all aspire to as we live out of lives in the grace of God.

            This story has few characters - Tabitha is faithful, Peter is trusting, and God - whose spirit brings new life - and yet it speaks to the power of the resurrection and the power of faith. It bears witness to the mighty power of God. It’s a resurrection story about the new life that comes to those who are faithful and trusting and I hope that this story can bring new life to us all.

            What does this story tell us about Tabitha? The author of the story names her the disciple Tabitha. She had a relationship with Jesus Christ. And in the port city of Joppa, she devoted her life to good works and acts of charity. Your guess is as good as mine as to what exactly those good works are because there is no record, but I suspect that she touched a great many lives because of the uproar caused when she became ill and died.

            In Stephen Covey’s wildly popular self-help book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” there is a mental exercise designed to help you determine the most important relationships in your life. The exercise goes something like this: imagine that you are a spectator at your own funeral. Imagine who would be there (the sad ones – not the happy ones – if you can only imagine people happy that you are dead, then you need more help than a self-help book!). Imagine who would speak and what they would say. It’s supposed to help you become aware of what is most important to you.

            As a pastor, I attend more funerals than most people. And let me tell you, the things that are talked about at a funeral are seldom the titles or the bank accounts. What is talked about is the character and quality of life. God has a way, in the end, of helping us focus on those relationships that are most important to us. The bible is filled with stories of people who have titles and of people who have life. Pharoah was king of Egypy; Moses was God's chosen. 

            When Tabitha dies in Joppa, she created quite an uproar. This tells me that she touched a great many lives through her devotion to good works and acts of charity because so many people are upset at the time of her death.

            We don’t know for certain that Tabitha was a widow, but all of the women around her are widows. She probably was. In the first Century where Tabitha lived, widows had very little status in society. All of the scriptural references to caring for the list of these usually included orphans and widows in this description. They were the bottom rung of society. In a culture where adult males had all of the status, if you didn’t have a husband or a male child, you had no standing or voice in society. Tabitha would have been a forgotten nobody by the standards of her day. But this story is not about a nobody. Tabitha did not accept the place given to her; she was resourceful and made good with her life. That, in itself, is remarkable. Somehow she climbed out of her status as a nobody and became an accomplished seamstress who was loved by those in her community because of her goodness and kindness.

            The church universal has been blessedly filled with ordinary saints like Tabitha who trust in the goodness of God to do good works and acts of charity in their own lives. And this church is no different. Look around you, remember your stories about how you have loved and cared for each other and the community in the name of Jesus Christ.

           We all are ordinary saints living extraordinary lives. Anytime we do something for someone else, be it great or small, we are being a saint. Anytime you give to the communion offering, you are being a saint. Anytime you volunteer your time, you are being a saint. Anytime you pray for a young person because they are a part of the life of the church, you are being a saint. Anytime you volunteer for Vacation Bible School, you are being a saint. Anytime you support the mission work of CPC, you are being a saint. Anytime you plant a tree or care for the earth by reducing, reusing and recycling, you are being a saint. I don’t want to reduce sainthood to these simple acts of gracious living, but Tabitha’s story is a witness to us that God works in powerful ways through these simple acts of service. Tabitha’s life touched the lives of many and, as we shall see, God uses Tabitha to bear witness to the mighty power of God.

            To be sure, the good that she did touched many peoples lives because when she died there was great distress. The women took care to clean her up and placed her in an upper room and then they went to find Peter, a disciple who was nearby working miracles.

            I don’t know what exactly was in the minds of the women that went in search of Peter. Did they believe that he could raise the dead? Had those rumors about the disciples reached the village of Joppa? Were they hopeful that this one who walked with Jesus would be able to do something?

            Perhaps. Perhaps, but I suspect that these were practical women. Grieving and sad – to be sure, but practical women. They wanted Peter to share in their grief. They wanted to reach out to the community of believers for comfort and support. Tabitha was a disciple and so she and some of the others would have known Peter and would have reached out to him for comfort and help in this time of trial.

            In the book of Acts, this is our reintroduction to the disciple Peter. This is the same Peter perhaps better known as Saint Dunderhead because he just doesn’t get it. Time and again in the gospels, when Jesus and Peter interact, Peter looks like the fool. "Get behind me Satan!" proclaims Jesus to Peter in exasperation. But the Peter of the book of Acts appears to be a changed disciple. After encountering the resurrected Jesus and experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter has the ability to perform miracles. There are two stories about Peter back-to-back in this part of the book of Acts and in both stories Peter performs a miracle. He heals a bedridden paralytic named Aneas and he brings Tabitha back to life from the dead. "Get up and make your bed!"

            Peter is filled with trust in the power of God and God’s spirit. I can’t imagine that Peter’s rational mind can make any sense out of what he is able to do. Thinking through those things and explaining them was never his strong suit. He just knows that God is at work through him and he is trusting the holy spirit to continue to work through him. I can only imagine that it is quite an exciting time in the life of Peter right now. Peter’s trust in the power of God, leads him to listen to the women who come bearing the news that their friend Tabitha has died. His trust leads him to her bedside in the upper room where Tabitha has been cleaned and prepared for the funeral. Peter spends time with the grieving women, admires the fine garments that Tabitha had sewn in her lifetime, and sends the women out of the room so that he might perform the miraculous act of prayer. The fact that Tabitha and Peter are in an upper room should remind us of other upper rooms in which the grand drama of God has been revealed before.

            Once Peter is alone with Tabitha’s body, the scripture says that he begins to pray. As a pastor who has been with people when they have passed from one life to the next, I find this to be one of the holiest moments of the story. I have been with a family who has just lost a deeply loved person and I have looked in their eyes and seen their pain and have been asked to pray. It is a deeply humbling experience. It’s something that no amount of learnedness or study can really prepare one for. It takes a leap of faith to trust that God’s spirit is there and that whatever words I utter, God will bless and God will be found in them. I describe this trust and this faith as being inadequately adequate. What I mean by that is that there are many things in life and in ministry that I feel so inadequate for. I don’t feel like there is anything I can say to comfort in such times of deep sorrow. But I have learned to trust that in all of my inadequacies, God will make me adequate (adequate enough?) At the end of the day when all is said and done and I have fallen well short of the mark, because God is with me, it was enough. It’s a belief in an embodied grace.

            When Peter prays for Tabitha, God is there. Peter is simply a means of grace for God’s power to work through. Time and again, that is how God chooses to work – through the prayers of the people who have put their faith in Jesus Christ.

            Peter prays. God acts. Tabitha returns to life. It is a remarkable story.

            But that’s not the end of the story. The miracle of Tabitha’s resurrection is used to bear witness to the power of God and an entire village begins to believe in Jesus Christ. It’s a story about sharing the message of God's grace and of God's promise to make things new.

            We live in a world that needs to know about these promises. You don't need me to remind you of the recent headlines to know that we live in a mad and crazy world; a world where darkness and chaos are in abundance. To that world, we can offer our lives, our everyday, ordinary lives.

          I believe that God invites us to make a difference in this world. I believe that Tabitha's story gives us permission to not think that we need to do big things, but that little things, faithful things, compassionate things can make a difference.

          And so, the challenge is this: go out into the world to love one another, to care for one another, to serve one another. Go out into the world to love the world. Do little things of kindness and compassion. Together, we can make a difference and change the world. 

       Amen and amen.

        

Membership: The Ministry of Members

Membership: The Ministry of Members

Dear Friends,

On Sunday, March 24^th (Palm Sunday), the twelve members of the confirmation class will publically profess their faith in Jesus Christ and become full members of Community Presbyterian Church. In many ways, these twelve young people are completing the process that was begun at the time of their baptism. In their baptism, we witnessed the truth that God’s love claims people before they are able to respond in faith on their own. Confirmation is about confirming this faith and entering into the covenant of membership.

It has brought me great joy to work (alongside of Kellie Becker, Bea Harrington, Diane Ellringer, and their adult mentors) with this group of young people. I have deeply enjoyed learning about who they are and helping them think about what they believe at this point in their faith journey. The mission trip last summer to Joplin, Missouri was especially meaningful as I had the privilege of partnering with these outstanding young people in service to God.

The end result of confirmation is that twelve young people will stand before the church and publically say “Yes” to belief in Jesus Christ and “Yes” to membership in Community of Presbyterian Church. Amen! This is good news and I hope you join me in welcoming each of them into the life of our congregation.

Confirmation Sunday is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on our own understanding of membership in the life and ministry of Community Presbyterian Church. Our Book of Order claims that “membership in the Church of Jesus Christ is a joy and a privilege. It is also a commitment to participate in Christ’s mission….A faithful member…promises to be involved responsibly in the ministry of Christ’s church.”

It goes on to list several ways to be involved in such ministry, the last of which is this: “(Membership) includes reviewing and evaluating regularly the integrity of one’s membership, and considering ways in which one’s participation in the worship and service of the church may be increased and made more meaningful.”

My friends, as we prepare to welcome a new Confirmation class and as we prepare to celebrate Easter Sunday and hear once again the story of Jesus’ rising from the grave, I invite you to join me in thinking about real and significant ways that your participation here at Community Presbyterian Church may be increased and made more meaningful.

I invite you to think about the following statements, taking from the final lesson of the Confirmation class workbook, and I challenge you to find new ways to answer them.

“I will be a faithful member of this church by….”

“I will share in its worship by….”

“I will share in its ministry by….”

“My prayers for this church and its members are…”

“My gifts to this church are…”

“I will study by….”

“I will serve by….”

My friends, membership in the Church of Jesus Christ is both a joy and a privilege. I invite you to welcome the new members of the confirmation class into the life and ministry of Community Presbyterian Church by renewing your personal commitment to the mission and witness of Community Presbyterian Church.

Sincerely,

Pastor John

Home By Another Way

Dear Friends - 

Here is a copy of the sermon I preached on Sunday, January 6th - Epiphany Sunday. I feel like it's a sermon I have preached before; I just love the idea that the magi who visited Jesus returned home by another road. For me, this has become a metaphor for the Christian life -- we are different after we encounter Jesus (even more so if we give him the gift of our heart) and we return home by another way. 

Happy reading.

Pastor John

“Home By Another Way”

A sermon based upon Matthew 2:1-12

preached by Reverend John H.G. Curtiss on

Sunday, January 6th, 2013, also known as Ephiphany Sunday

Sermon: Home By Another Way

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-13

Key Text: “And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they (the wise men from the East) left for their own country by another road.”

My favorite story of the whole Christmas narrative is the story of the star-gazing wise men from the East who come to worship the baby Jesus. This story just captures my imagination year after year. Maybe it’s because we have added our own details to the story that I find it so captivating. Matthew doesn’t name these visitors as kings, and yet because of the Christmas carol I imagine them in royal (bath)robes with turbans. Matthew doesn’t tell us how many visitors there are, but because there are three gifts, we identify most with three kingly visitors. Some traditions have given them names (Gaspar, Melchio, and Balthasar) and identify them as representing different races and people groups – although this is clearly not in the gospel story.

            Because the story is so sparse, or even silent, with details, every generation of Christians has added to the story details from its own time and place. What Christmas pageant is complete without the foil wrapped gifts and kingly costumes of the visitors who worship and adore the baby Jesus.

            For Matthew the wise men were not only characters in the story of the birth of Jesus; they were also representative of people in his own community. So, when we dress the neighborhood children in yellow bathrobes and send them traipsing down the center aisle toward the manger, carrying foil-wrapped boxes of simulated gold, frankincense, and myrrh, we are, in a real sense, doing what Matthew himself did, seeing the characters of this ancient story in the light of the faithful people around us.

            But what I really like about this story, is what it reveals to us about power and authority and about how a relationship with Jesus Christ is transformational.

            The story of the wise men is dramatically intricate, full of political intrigue. It primarily involves interplay among King Herod, the wise men from the East, and the Chief Priests and Scribes.

            King Herod is the principal villain of the story. Herod the Great (one of six “Herod’s” mentioned or alluded to in the New Testament) was the ruler of Palenstine from 37 BC to his death around 4 BC. He was known as a Roman loyalist and one who mounted large-scale building projects to signal to his Roman superiors the importance of his Jewish kingdom. In terms of personality, he was known as a moody, cruel, and sometimes violent ruler, one who often imprisoned or executed even members of his own family. It is not a king that would be easy to live under. When the wise men enter Palestine and ask King Herod,  “Where is the child who has been born King of the Jews” they feed into the paranoia of King Herod. You just don’t ask a king like Herod where to find the other king.

            Matthew also mentions the Chief Priests and the Scribes. These are the religious leaders and religious scholars of the day. They are the ones with authority and knowledge about the Jewish bible, our Old Testament.

            When the wise men come to Jerusalem seeking the king of the Jews, there are complete outsiders to the laws and prophesies of Israel. They come because they are knowledgeable about astrology and astronomy (linked together in ancient Israel). They have observed a phenomenon in nature, the rising of a star. Their arrival produces two responses.

            First, Herod “and all of Jerusalem with him” are frightened. If the wise men are seeking a child who is “king of the Jews,” this obviously calls into question the standing and stability of Herod himself, who is currently the political, Roman-authorized king of the Jews. The birth of the true Messiah undermines all pretenders to the throne. Indeed, the gospel exposes all human pretense and threatens all who would dominate others. The wise men’s claim speaks to a new world order of power ushered in by the birth of the baby Jesus. Whenever and wherever the true nature of the gospel is understood by the powers-that-be, all swaggering tyrants and despots turn fearful. Rulers like Herod who use fear to coerce loyalty are fearful of the one who has divine power.

            The second response to the wise men’s inquiry is that Herod gathers together the religious officials for some Bible study to determine where the Messiah would be born. Putting their heads together, and combing through Micah 5:2 and 2 Samuel 5:2, the authorities inform Herod  that the Messiah, the “ruler who is to shepherd the people of Israel” is to be born in “Bethlehem, in the land of Judah” (Matthew 2:6). Jesus, the great shepherd-king, is to be born in the village of David, the shepherd-king.

            I find it interesting to note at this point in our story the link between scripture and nature. It takes both for the wise men to find Jesus. Through nature, (the star in the sky), the wise men know that the Christ has been born, but they need the scripture to tell the where. They know he is here, they need help to find him so they can worship and adore him. In other words, they learn something of God from nature, but their knowledge is still incomplete.  We, too, can learn a lot about this God we worship from the world around us, but we also need scripture and tradition to have God’s glory fully revealed to us. However we come into the Christian faith, we come to a faith defined and grounded in the Law (the Old Testament) and the prophets. Jesus himself says “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). The wise men come to worship the Christ, but they need scripture to do so fully.

            On the other hand, simply knowing the scripture is not enough to bring one to authentic Christian worship. The chief priests and the scribes knew their bible, but they miss the Messiah. They understand the prophecies, but they do not come to the place of worship. Herod is taught the scripture, but his stated intention to “go and pay him homage” is a sinister and eventually a murderous lie.

            The world is full of “stars in the East”—events in nature or in your personal life or in history, that point toward the mystery of God. We experience the beauty of spring in the opening of a flower bud, a troubled relationship is healed, a child is born, a soldier is returned. All of these experiences draw our attention to the divine mystery that pervades and pushes through human events. Without the defining word of scripture and the foundation of tradition, however, we could not recognize these holy moments for what they are; we would not be able to see God’s face clearly in them. Like the wise men, we would be aware that something holy is happening, but we would not without God’s revelation through scripture, know how or where to worship.

            It is also true that we could err on the other side. Like the chief priests and scibes in Jesus’ time, our mastery of scripture is not guarantee of true worship. We can know the biblical facts, we can memorize the order of the books in the bible, we can ace the trivia quiz, but we can completely miss deeper biblical truth. One can memorize a bible verse, but forget the gospel. One can recite the kings of Israel in order and overlook the king of Creation.

            The story of the wise men ends with their being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, but to go home by another way (2:12) And this is the last we see of the visitors from afar in the scripture.

            They come seeking the Christ. They worship and adore. They offer gifts of gold, frankensince and myrhh. They are changed by their encounter by the baby who holds the salvation of the world in his tiny, uncoordinated hands.

            They go home a different way because they are different.

            When we meet Jesus, we too are changed. And we must travel a different road.

            Amen and amen.