Sermon for the Epiphany of Our Lord

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Jesu Juva

“What Do You Follow?”

Text: Matthew 2:1-12; Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Follow the science! How often have you heard that little phrase or seen signs promoting that these past two years? Follow the science. Believe the science. Trust the science. Let the science be your guide to get you through this pandemic.

But science isn’t enough. There must be more than science. And sometimes the science is wrong. Sometimes science holds something to be true and it is believed for a time - even a long time . . . we thought we knew, until contrary data shows something else, and the science has to change. 

Now how it will turn out with this pandemic, I don’t know. Was the science right? Did the science get it wrong? Was there some of both? We shall see.

But already it is the account of the Wise Men that shows us that the science isn’t enough. The science of astronomy or astrology was not enough to lead the Wise Men to Jesus. They saw the star. They interpreted the data. They followed the science. They followed the star. And they missed! They got to Jerusalem, not Bethlehem. They got to King Herod, not to the one born king of the Jews. 

Now, science is good. Science has done wonders and benefitted us in countless ways. Science is a good gift of God. But science cannot BE God. Science is good in its place. But if it becomes the object of our trust, what we look to for what we need, what we believe in, where our life is and what we entrust our life to, then it has become an idol. Then it is a false god, and not good at all.

Has it become so during this pandemic? I don’t know. Maybe for some, yes. 

But the Wise Men needed more. As I said, they followed the science, but the science wasn’t enough. So after they got to Jerusalem and to King Herod, it was the Word of God that guided them to Jesus. Following the science can only get you so far. Following the Word of God will bring you to Jesus. And Jesus to you.

And that’s true with all the knowledge of man. It is not enough. What we know on our own, from our own observation and study and investigation and experimentation, can only go so far. The more we learn, the more we realize how much more there is to learn. Things change. People change. Opinions change. What people thought was true changes. We need something more. Something to provide a foundation for our knowledge. To give us wisdom, to know what knowledge is true and what is not.

And really, wasn’t this the problem from the very beginning? The serpent’s temptation in the Garden (Genesis 3) . . . was knowledge! That by eating the fruit of this tree, you will know what you do not now know. You will know good and evil. You will be like God. You will know everything! And Adam and Eve followed that word. They believed and trusted that word. That was what they needed, where their life was. But they didn’t get life. They got darkness and death. Darkness and death that has continued to this day. As we heard from the prophet Isaiah, who said that darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples. 

And you don’t need me to tell you, to know how thick the darkness of sin and death is in our world. Sin that continues to divide and devalue life, and death that takes away our life. And science has not been able to change that or fix it. And in some cases has made it worse. We need more.

So how good to hear these words of Isaiah also today: Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! God has not left us to the darkness of sin and death - there is light, and so there is life. And that light is His Word. His Word promising life and salvation, and then that Word made flesh who came to accomplish it. That Word gave light and life to Adam and Eve, and it gives light and life to us.

And as we just celebrated for the twelve days of Christmas, that light has come. The glory of the Lord has arisen and come, and lies as a baby in a manger, sits on His mother’s lap, stands in the Jordan with sinners, eats and drinks with outcasts and unwanteds, and finally ascends a cross to hang in the darkness with all our dark and shameful sins and die our death. So that arising again, this time on the third day, He shine an even brighter light of glory upon us. The glory of the forgiveness of our sins, the glory of the defeat of death and the conquering of hell and the one whose temptation plunged us into a life of darkness and death, and the glory of eternal life. That the more we need, we have. To give us what nothing in or of this world ever could.

Seems to me that’s something worth following! Which is what the Wise Men followed. After they got to the wrong city and the wrong king, it was the Word of God that set them on the right path. To go to Bethlehem to see the one who would be the king and shepherd of Israel. 

Interestingly, it seems that King Herod and the chief priests and scribes knew where the answer was; where the more they needed to know was. But they didn’t follow. This Word instead filled them with fear and became what they fought against. King Herod shortly after this, by executing all the male children two years old and under in Bethlehem to try to eliminate this rival. And the chief priests and scribes some years later, when, failing to discredit Jesus, finally convinced Pontius Pilate to hand Him over to be crucified. 

Fear can get the better of us, too, causing us not to follow the Word of God either. Fear of what this Word will mean for my life. Fear of what following this Word will cause others to think of me, or do to me. 

So perhaps the Wise Men can encourage us here. For following the Word brought them not just joy, but they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. It led them to the child Jesus, to the Word of God, the Son of God, made flesh, who they fell down and worshiped and gave their gifts to. Whatever they may have lost in the world, whether treasure or honor or whatever - they received far more.

Which is what we need to realize, too. And not just realize, but believe and trust as well. That following the Word of God may not make us friends in this world or friends of this world. It may cause us to lose treasure, job, and honor. It may not be easy. But whatever we may lose, we receive far more. The unsearchable riches of Christ, is the phrase Paul used. That in a world and life which are passing away, Jesus gives us a life that will never pass away. So that we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. Faith in all the words and promises of God, fulfilled in Him.

That’s the foundation we need. The Word of God proclaimed, and the Word of God made flesh. To make sense of everything else. To keep everything else in its place and order. To give us the wisdom to know what to follow and what not to follow. To know what is true and what is not. To know what is good and what is not. For what we think is good, what the world says is good, what the tempter tells us is good and good for us, may not be. And when it comes to the tempter and what he’s offering us and trying to convince us of, is certainly not good for us! We need the wisdom of God. We need His Word. We need the Word of God to epiphany all of this for us - to reveal it to us. 

And then you know that these men from the east were not the first wise men, and won’t be the last either. But that all who believe and trust the Word of God, before and after them, are wise men. Because the Word makes us wise. The times may change, the location may be very different, the gifts brought maybe less costly, but the gift received the same: the gift of a Saviour, the gift of faith, the gift of life.

So follow the science. That’s fine. Even good. I’m not trying to make any grand political or moral statements here. But what I am saying is this: do not entrust or find your life or hope there. Your life and hope belong to the one who created you, redeemed you, and sanctifies you. Follow Him and His Word. Fall down and worship Him - which means receive His gifts, the gifts He has for you here in water, and words, and bread and wine; His forgiveness, life, and salvation. And when you depart, either this place or this life, whether by a virus or some other cause, or Jesus coming again - you do not depart and will not depart in doubt and fear, but in joy and peace. The joy and peace of Christ, the Light of the world, the Light that has arisen and shined on you.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.