Matthew 2:1-12
2:1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born
in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to
Jerusalem,
2:2 asking, "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."
2:3 When King Herod heard this, he
was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;
2:4 and calling together all the chief
priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them
where the Messiah was to be born.
2:5 They told him, "In Bethlehem
of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
2:6 '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.'"
2:7 Then Herod secretly called for
the wise men and learned from them the exact time when
the star had appeared.
2:8 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."
2:9 When 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.
2:10 When they saw that the star had
stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.
2:11 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.
2:12 And having been warned in a dream
not to return to Herod, they left for their own country
by another road.
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In response to the tsunami
I did not hear about the tragedy in Asia until most of world knew.
The Sunday following Christmas we were lying low, and did not hear
the news. Monday I drove to work with the radio off. It was a day
many people took off, and I went to my office tucked away in the
back of the building and did not see a soul. So it was late Monday
afternoon when my son called me to tell me about what he was watching
on the news. The estimated death toll was 22,000. There is a time
when we do become speechless, not as a metaphor, but actually speechless.
There was nothing to say. I logged on to CNN and by that time the
death toll had risen. The words and the pictures were more than
most human minds can take in before the heart breaks into a thousand
little pieces and each piece asks why why why.
By Wednesday the death toll had climbed to 63,000 and I still had
no words to say, but in my heart I raged against the power that
could either cause, allow, or ignore the sudden death of all these
people. This was not a time for me to give my traditional post Christmas
sermon I had no words , no epiphanies and I still do not. It seemed
that I should pass the gauntlet to our minister. .I called Rev.Kathy
during her small vacation to say I could not do this –there was
nothing I could say . Kathy informed me that there are no words
of wisdom that ministers have just waiting to be used when horrors
beyond all reason occur. That my words would be fine
This Sunday is the last Sunday of Christmas. Epiphany begins January
6. Epiphany celebrates the visit of the Magi and God’s manifestation
through Jesus Christ. But as Christmas ends and a the time of epiphany
begins, we are reminded by today’s scripture that Jesus was not
born into a kinder world or a safer time than we know today. Herod
is lurking in the background, prepared to murder all children under
two years old in his effort to stop the reign of Jesus. It was a
very dark time in which the Star of Bethlehem shown.
Perhaps you have heard of a website called beliefnet.net. It is
an interesting site. Posts and writings come from all faiths – Buddhist,
Muslim, Christian –conservative and liberal. Atheists and believers
get their say. A small quick poll asking one question gave me much
food for thought.
The question asked is: Does God have a role in natural disasters
like the tsunami? There were 5 possible answers.
- Yes, God is punishing us 2%
- Yes, God is testing us 8%
- Yes, the earthquake and tsunamis were sent by God, but we don't
know what the purpose was. 27%
- Although I believe in God, God had nothing to do with this
tragedy.54%
- God doesn't exist, and disasters like this are just forces of
nature. 9%
None of the answers seemed right to me.
is no different than the turning of a leaf from green to orange
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So what if the response was 1. Yes,
God is punishing us This sounds like the Old Testament God.
A large and scary God. This God does have power but it is
wielded in direct contrast to the God whose son's birthday
we celebrated nine days ago.
And if the response was 2 Yes, God is testing us. The test
is too cruel and the purpose of the test ambiguous. Who is
God testing and what is God testing for – faith, response
to tragedy? 8% of people responded this way.
(Matthew 10:29-31) Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?
Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your
Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted.
So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
This is not a testing or punishing God.
3 Yes, the earthquake and tsunamis were sent by God, but
we don't know what the purpose.
4 Although I believe in God, God had nothing to do with
this tragedy. These two answers were chosen by 27% and 54%
of people. But these answers beg the questions. Then is God
not all powerful? If God has no part in tragedy has God no
part in great joy? Does God stand by and watch or ignore what
is happening on God’s world. Perhaps God set in motion
all nature at creation and the shift in the tectonic plates
5 God doesn't exist, and disasters like this are just forces
of nature. 9% of people answered this way. The tsunami happened
this is neither good nor evil. It's a simple case of the earth
correcting itself. It's a natural occurrence that is as common
as rain. No amount of praying will alter this.Rabbi Harold
Kuchner attempts to answer some of these questions in his
book “Why Bad things happen to good people”
The only place to look for an answer is in your own heart. And
then it won’t be an explanation, it will be an answer needing
a response. Don’t look to make sense of it, don’t’ ask why, ask
simply now that this has happened to us, are we capable of wanting
to go on living? Can we bear being alive in a world in which such
things happen? Blow on the coal of the heart. See if there is
enough warmth and enough love left in your heart so you can breathe
warmth to this cold and unfair world. Ultimately the question
we all ask - why good people suffer in this world if it is God’s
world. The question becomes some very different questions Not
why, not to explain but to respond. The question perhaps would
be this -Are you capable of forgiving the world for being such
as unfair and unpredictable place and can you accept it in love
and want to go on living in it? Even when it’s hurt you. Will
you recognize that your own ability to forgive and to love, your
own ability to transcend and to survive to get over the worst
possible things that could happen to you and say I want to go
on living anyway. Will you recognize that your ability to do those
things is the tools that God has given you so that you can survive
and live meaningfully in an unfair and unpredictable world? Blow
on the coal of the heart and we’ll see.
Where God is in the disaster is beyond our comprehension but we
know God is in the response. That the hearts of men and women across
the world feel the connectedness of all humanity and that that web
of humanity is the spirit of God. When I went out to the web to
look at beliefnet I noticed that searches on relief organizations
spiked as people sought to do what they could to help
- Doctors Without Borders (+372%) •
- UNICEF (+366%) •
- Red Cross (+322%)
I read stories about how in n Salt Lake City Mormons and Muslims
joined forces to send 64 tons of medical supplies, hygiene kits,
clothing and shoes to Indonesia. A story about A 75 year old Kentucky
widow invited her entire town to a New Year's Eve bash to raise
money for the victims. By Thursday evening The American Red Cross
reported almost $44 million in donations from Americans. The Red
Cross in Denver reported that 3 brothers ages 3 to 7 each dropped
off sandwich bags containing a few and the same chapter also received
anonymous $50,000 donation. Medical volunteers began collecting
the DNA of victims so that in time it may be possible to let family
members know the fate of their loved ones. The UCC who responds
to disasters on an average of once every 2.5 days through the funds
received in the One Great Hour of Sharing immediately contributed
$100,000. Information on how to add to these funds is in the bulletin
today.
The questions are too big, the disaster too uncomprehending. There
are no words. Like wise men in the dark following a star, we seek
to find the manifestation of God in tragedy and response. May our
prayer be that we have the faith and courage to keep looking that
the coals in our hearts burn strong enough that we not miss the
bright star in the sky and in that looking we find God in our response?
May God be God . Amen |
