Calvary Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Debra May Cerra
January 4, 2009

Isaiah 60:1-6 (NRSV)
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms. 5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

Matthew 2:1-12 (NRSV)
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men 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 at its rising, 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 wise men 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 at its rising, 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.

Pay Him Homage

When you hear the name “Emily Post,” what comes to mind? If “etiquette” is your answer, you were probably raised with an appreciation for good manners.           Most if not all of us grew up being told to keep our elbows off the table, to cover our mouths when we yawn, to shake hands with people, and to not let a door close in someone’s face. Sometimes we need to know how to make a toast; sometimes we need to know which fork to use at a formal dinner – that’s all about knowing the correct etiquette for the situation.
The notion of manners or etiquette was coined by King Louis XIV of France who was known for the elaborate parties at his magnificent palace. The grounds had beautiful gardens with all types of flowers, and the lawns were well manicured. King Louis became quite annoyed with his guests because they would walk over his lawns and gardens, trampling the flowers. So the king had his workmen put instructional signs up all around the palace grounds: Walk only on the pathways; Do not walk on the grass; Watch out for my beautiful flowers. The French word for these little signs was “etiquette.”  
Etiquette became the word for all the little signs that we learn which help us know what to do and what not to do.  Even today, we have “sign-like” messages in our brains that make up our rules of manners: Don’t talk with food in your mouth; remember when calling someone to come to the phone, cover the receiver so you are not yelling in the caller’s ear; always remember the basic words “please” and “thank you.”  Manners help us know what to do and how to behave in our society.  They are guidelines to help us appropriately interact with others.
This morning our reading from the Gospel of Matthew records the visit of the Magi. In many ways, the Magi might have been the first “etiquette” coaches. Let’s reinterpret this story of these three Wise Men.
Frank, Jim, and Joe loved to watch the stars. They had pooled their money and bought a great telescope called “Star Gazer.” Though it was after Christmas Eve service, the guys were doing their thing in the garage out back. It was already midnight and the sky was so clear it was as if you could see forever. Frank took his turn behind the eyepiece of the Gazer. “Wow,” he said, “I’ve never seen anything like that before!” His “wow” was so loud that the other two guys jumped. “What did you see? What’s so amazing?”    
Before Jim and Joe could get up from their chairs, Frank was out the door. Pointing towards the heaven, Frank continued: “Look, that star is so bright, it almost looks like the full moon – but it’s a star. Maybe this is a sign or something. Maybe it’s a UFO.”
“You know there’s no such thing as UFO’s. Besides, you didn’t see a UFO when you were using Star Gazer, did you?”
“No, you’re right. But this thing looks like it’s moving across the sky. Just for the fun of it, let’s get in the truck and see if we can follow the star.” Within minutes the three of them were in Frank’s truck, speeding along as if they were storm chasers and they had sighted a tornado!
“Can you see it, Joe? Keep an eye on it Jim.” Frank was making short work of a long drive in the country. And since it was after midnight, traffic was not an issue.
But the cop sitting behind the billboard was! Lights flashing, siren wailing, Frank was soon face to face with the local police officer. “Where are you guys heading in such a hurry?” the officer asked, not seeming to really want an answer.
“We’re following that star. We think it might be a sign,” Frank said, still pumped from the excitement of it all. The policeman looked skyward. He, too, saw the amazing star. “You know, I could give you a speeding ticket but it is Christmas Eve. Go on, get out of here but keep to the posted speed limit. And if you find anything, let me know. I’ll be at the station until noon tomorrow.”
It was nearly an hour later that Frank’s truck pulled into Dakota City. They could still see the star but it didn’t seem to be moving any more. “Looks like it’s beaming down on something right here in Dakota City,” Jim said. The three friends clamored out of the truck and started down the sidewalk. “A bit cold tonight…and strangely quiet.” “Well, it is 1 am. I would think that most people are already sleeping.”
When Frank made the turn to go down Bank Avenue, something caught his attention. There, in front of First Presbyterian Church, strangely illumined, was a manger. It wasn’t any ordinary manger. This one was life size and used store mannequins as the characters. It was almost eerie – as if they had been transported back in time – to a stable in Bethlehem.
Frank whispered, “Do you think? Is it possible? Could it be that we were led here by that star?” “Naaa, that would be too weird,” Joe answered.
It was then that they noticed the three mannequins placed a bit to one side…dressed as men with ornate headgear. In their hands were three boxes that looked like treasure chests. Frank said, “These must be the Magi that visited Jesus. These guys traveled across the land to get to Jesus. They didn’t really know much about the situation – except what the prophets had said about the Messiah’s birth. So when a star appeared in the sky they followed it.”
Joe added, “Yeah, no one’s sure exactly when they landed at Jesus’ house but they came bringing gifts…gifts that had symbolic meaning.”
“What do you mean, Joe?”
“Well, all three gifts were expensive…not something we’d think about buying or even be able to afford. And all three told a story about Jesus…a story that only God could reveal...a story that was wrapped in a sense of mystery with a hint of sadness. Gold was the first gift – a gift of precious metal fit for a king. Frankincense, the second gift, was a fragrance used in making incense – a gift given to a priest. Myrrh, the third gift, was used as an embalming agent on a dead body. It was a gift for someone who was going to die.”
“Joe,” Frank said in a very quiet voice, “I never really thought about the gifts that the Magi brought. It’s as if they knew the story even before the story was told. Maybe we were invited here tonight by that star. Maybe we were to experience the depth of the Magi’s story. Maybe we, too, need to think about what it means to be on God’s side of the story – of accepting God’s Son as the Lord of our lives.”
As Frank and Jim and Joe stood there, Joe added, “Maybe we were led here tonight so we could understand that Jesus was more than a Baby. Jesus was a King and a priest. Jesus also died so we might live. Maybe we can learn from these three Wise Men. That’s why they paid homage to Jesus. They did what was appropriate – for a King, a Priest, a Sacrificial Lamb. They didn’t care what others thought, not even King Herod. They only cared about doing what was right – for Jesus and for them. Maybe we can learn to do the same.”
It took several moments for the impact of Joe’s words to filter into their thoughts. In a hushed tone, Jim said, “You know, maybe it’s time to stop worrying about what others think and start focusing on who Jesus is. Maybe the greatest gift we can give to God is to accept His gift to us. Isn’t that what the Magi did?”
Soon the early morning darkness engulfed the scene. As the guys made their way back to Frank’s truck, they knew that this Christmas Eve would forever be remembered as the one which transformed three friends – from followers to believers. Frank, Jim, and Joe never saw that star again. But they knew that they had been led by a star that night. Oh - and the next day, Frank, Jim, and Joe went to the police station and shared with the officer what they had learned by following that star.
Friends, what can we learn from this? What is the right thing to do? What can we give to the Christ child? How can we pay him homage?
Let’s take our cue from the gifts of the Wise Men. The Magi gave Jesus gold. We may not be able to offer gold to our Lord, but we can give Him something else. We can humbly serve Him with all that we are. We can give to Jesus, the King of kings, the gold of our lives and our service.
The Wise Men gave Jesus frankincense. We may not have frankincense but we can give Him something else. The Book of Revelation refers to the prayers of the saints as fragrant incense before God. As our gift, we can pray to Him, making our lives prayer-filled. Thus, we give to Jesus, the High Priest, the gift of incense through our prayers.
The Magi gave myrrh to Jesus. We do not have myrrh, but we can give Him something else. Jesus gave His life for us. We need to give our lives to Him. We must be His disciples – learning and growing in our faith. Jesus died for us so that we might not die to sin. By accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, we give him the myrrh of our lives.
Friends, maybe the Magi didn’t really teach etiquette. But they did teach us a lesson. Jesus gives us the gift of eternal life. He died for us so that we could live forever. Like Frank, Jim, and Joe, perhaps the greatest gift that we can give to God is to accept His gift to us. After all, isn’t that what the Magi did? Amen and amen.