Finding Your Star
with Rev. Barbara Gorsky
January 7, 2024
As the wise men followed the star, we too can find our star and our connection to the living God.
The Scripture
Genesis 1:1-5
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
Matthew 2:1-12
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
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Today we are celebrating Epiphany. And as you already know from our scripture reading, we are celebrating the Magi traveling to Bethlehem to see the newborn king. As we hold this scene in our minds, I want us to also hold onto the meaning of the word Epiphany. “A sudden perception of the meaning of something”. So, what does it mean to you and me that the Magi followed the star and knelt down on their knees and worshiped Jesus? We can learn a lot from the Magi. It will require us to search for a deeper meaning beyond the story. A meaning that includes entering into the mystery of God’s spiritual presence in this world, a meaning found in being open and curious to the ever revealing nature of God and God’s movement in our own lives.
Starry nights have always connected me to God, to the awesomeness of God’s presence, to be beauty of creation. I remember what bright stars can look like! You see, I grew up in the country, there were no big city lights to outshine the star lights and night after night I could walk outside gaze up into the sky and almost always see an abundance of beautiful stars. So, peaceful, so humbling, so majestic.
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When I think about the Magi riding on their camels looking upward, I imagine the sky was even brighter for them following that star in the night. There would be no other lights to block the radiance of light coming down from the stars. Based on something they heard about this King who had been born sent them on this celestial journey. Contrary to the familiar hymn titled, “We Three Kings of Orient Are”, the magi were not kings, they were what some would call wise men or astrologers. Perhaps called wise because in those days astrologers were thought to be able to discern information about human affairs, to predict life events, but not by reading palms or cards but by studying the stars and the movement of stars and planets at night. Studying the celestial bodies above the earth was their way of interpreting the world. The wise men were not Jews, they were not connected to the same history as Mary and Joseph, most likely they were of Persian or Babylonian descent, in other words they were Gentiles. It’s interesting to note that at this very beginning of Jesus’ life Gentiles were part of the greater plan.
So, at this point, one might ask what is the connection to the star, and the birth of Jesus? For astrologers, including these Magi, it had long been believed and hoped that a bright star would someday lead them to the birth of a new king. They had already anticipated that someday this would happen. And then there was the Jewish biblical promise that also was connected to the stars. It is found in the book of Numbers 24:17, “I see him but not now; I behold him but not near; a star shall come forth from out of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel”. The star motif connects both the Gentile and Jewish worlds. The birth of Jesus becomes a means to unite all those who are searching …searching for their own epiphany to happen.
These wise men, they were curious, they were open to possibilities and attentive to the celestial sky. Keeping their eye on the star, while holding on to the rumor about a new king, they journeyed westward hoping that this star would lead them to something extraordinary, something life changing and it did, it led them to the Christ child, the One who is king.
The stars offer possibilities for others too. I remember this story my son Ben told me about Hyatt, our oldest grandson. He must have been about 3 or 4 years old and was attending a Lutheran Church pre-school and of course one day he heard the story of the 3 wise men. That very evening after dinner when it was dark outside, Hyatt ran to the window and looked outside and while he was looking up into the sky, he asked his mom to call me. (He often called me when he had deep theological questions.) He said, “Grandma where is my star? I can’t find it.” I told him, his star is up there somewhere, he will find it and it will lead him to where he needs to go. He was satisfied with my answer, and I was thankful we didn’t need to go into a deeper theological discussion. But his very asking moved me deeply, he was so open, so curious so attentive to the sky. If he asked me the same question, I would give him the same answer today.
The Magi entered into the mystery of God’s spiritual presence in this world with a star guiding them, Hyatt joined in this celestial pursuit searching for his own star. I believe, together we have an opportunity to enter into this same journey of the mystery of God’s very presence in our lives. In your bulletin each of you found a ”star word.” Many different words have been selected and the one you received is just for you. Your neighbor most likely has a different word. You are invited to ponder what significance this word might have in your life over this new year. How might God be speaking to you through this word? Each word has its own significance, its own unique message for you. Like the wise men, let us be curious about why this word came to me, let us to open to how this star word might guide us and lead us to seeing God’s movement in our lives in new ways. So, I encourage you to take you “Star word” home and place it somewhere so you can see it each day. Maybe this word will be your star, your star to guide you. Allow this word to speak to you. And if you are watching us virtually, please press the button on our website that says, “star word” and a star word card will be mailed to you. Epiphany is the celebration of God’s presence breaking through to shine as a light in the darkness, may your “star word” be a light to connect you to the living God. Take your star word and hold it in your hand as I end with this prayer by Michelle Thomas Bush.