MATTHEW 2:1-12

[2:1] Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,

[2] saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

[3] When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;

[4] and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

[5] They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

            [6] “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

                        are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

            for from you shall come a ruler

                        who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

[7] Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.

[8] And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”

[9] After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.

[10] When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

[11] And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

[12] And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

With all due respect the Beatles were wrong.  They were wrong when they sang, “All you need is love.”  They were wrong and you can prove it by looking at the wise men and asking yourself this question. Why did the wise men travel all those miles to Bethlehem?  Remember now.   Travel was a lot more difficult back then. It wasn’t as though they rented a limo to get there.  It wasn’t as though they chartered a plane to get there. In fact, that Nativity set that you put up every December may be factually incorrect.  You see, there’s nothing in Matthew’s Gospel to suggest that the wise men rode into Bethlehem on camels.  It’s possible that they actually walked all the way to Bethlehem.

Travel back then was stressful just as it’s stressful today.  Anyone who drives along Route 128 to get to work every day will tell you that it can be very stressful.   That’s why in some respects I’m actually clueless.  I say that because a difficult commute for me is when I have to put my boots on to walk across the parking lot to the office.

Yes, travel today can be stressful.   A businessman saw that when he went to check his luggage in at the airport.  When he got to the counter he was surprised to see some mistletoe hanging above the counter. “What’s the mistletoe for?” he asked.  The woman behind the counter gave him a mischievous smile.  “Oh,” she said, “You know what the airlines are like these days.  The mistletoe’s there so you can kiss your luggage goodbye.”

Travel can be stressful at times.  So, why did the wise men travel all those miles to get to Bethlehem?

I can tell you why they didn’t travel all those miles to get to Bethlehem.  They didn’t travel all those miles because they were searching for love. After all, they weren’t hopeless romantics.  They were wise men who were searching for truth.  They were wise men who were searching for wisdom and understanding.  They were searching for answers to some of life’s fundamental questions like, “What’s the meaning of life?”  “Why am I here?”

That, by the way, is why the Christian faith is wilting and withering away in this nation under God.  It’s why more and more of our houses of praise and prayer are closing their doors.

The problem is love.  It’s a problem because that’s all we’re giving people these days.  The entire message these days is, “Jesus loves you. So don’t worry about a thing.  Just go out and have fun.  Do whatever you want and remember that Jesus loves you.”  The result is a wimpy wishy-washy watered down faith that basically proclaims a cotton candy Christ.  It looks good.  It feels good but it doesn’t do you a lot of good.

What we really need to do is hammer home the message behind the Epiphany story.  The wise men went to Bethlehem because they were searching for truth, wisdom and understanding.  So, yes.  Jesus love you, but he loves you so much that he has a plan for you.   He has a plan that will add purpose and sense of meaning to your life.

What?  You don’t think the Lord has a plan for you?  You think you’re not that important?  You think that the Lord only has plans for a few people who were born to do great things?  Not so.

If you have your doubts then listen to what the prophet Jeremiah has to say about that.  Long ago Jeremiah said, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (29:11)

The wise men didn’t go to Bethlehem looking for a sweet and sentimental love.  They went to Bethlehem because they were searching for truth, wisdom and understanding.  In the birth of the Christ child there’s a message for you and message is simple.  “I have a plan for you.   It’s a plan that will add meaning and a sense of purpose to your life.”  

Of course, that plan may be different from what everyone else thinks you should do.  A deacon saw that when he learned that the church’s minister had been asked to be the minister of a larger and more prosperous church.  So, the deacon decided to go and have a heart to heart talk with the minister.  When he got to the parsonage the minister’s son answered the door.   “So,” the deacon said, “Is your father going to stay or leave?”  The boy shrugged his shoulders.  “I don’t know,” he said.  “Dad’s downstairs praying, but mom’s upstairs packing.”

The Lord has a plan for you.  It’s a plan that will add meaning and purpose to your life but it may be different from what others think you should do or what you’re planning to do.

Just look at me.  I had other plans for my life.  God first called me to be a minister when I was in the 7^th grade but I kept telling myself, “It must be a mistake. I don’t have what it takes to be a minister.  Besides I have other plans for my life.”  I was going to go to college so I could become a lawyer but God kept tapping me on the shoulder.  When I was a junior in high school I went to met with my guidance counselor and plan for my future. It was a required meeting for every junior. As I was sitting there he walked into his office and said, “I understand you’ve been thinking about going to seminary.”  I was shocked.  To this day I don’t know how he knew that.  That was one of my innermost secrets. I don’t remember telling anyone about my call to be a minister.  A few years later I found myself in college.  I was a student at Boston University and still running away from my call when all of a sudden – bam! I was walking down a hallway in the School of Public Communications when I saw a plaque on the wall.  The plaque had a quote on it.  The quote came from Horace Mann, a famous 19^th century educator.  “Be ashamed to die until you have achieved some victory for humanity.”   Believe it or not from that day on I couldn’t walk down that hallway without stopping to read those words again and again and again.  I was running away from my call but the Lord was two steps ahead of me and in that plaque I ran right back into my call. Now, you may think I’m crazy and you’re probably right.  That’s when I became crazy for Christ.

I don’t just want a Christ who loves me.  I want more than that and so should you.   Just remember that the Christ who loves you also has a plan for you and it doesn’t matter if you’re 16 years old or 60 years old.   It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting at a desk in high school still trying to figure out what you want to do with your life or if you’re getting ready to retire and trying to figure out what you’re going to do with the rest of your life.

I suspect that Rachel Marolda understands that the Lord has a plan for her.   It wouldn’t surprise me if someone here this morning knows Rachel.  She lives in Reading and is currently attending Boston College.   She was in the news a few months ago.  You see Rachel makes jewelry.  It’s something she learned to do several years ago while she was recovering from brain surgery.  Rachel had the surgery at Children’s Hospital in Boston when she was 14-years-old.  The surgeon’s removed a tumor that was lodged between her pituitary gland and optic nerve.  An experience like that makes you think.  After the surgery Rachel’s mother taught her how to make the jewelry to help her deal with the boredom. Rachel became quite good at it.  She became so good that she started selling her bracelets, earrings and necklaces.  She didn’t just take the money though and buy a new car or the most fashionable clothes that she could find.  No.  Rachel had bigger plans for the money.  You see, Rachel just donated $10,000 to the Boston Children’s Hospital.  She’s a junior in college and she donated $10.000 to help other children who are sick and suffering.  Oh, and just so you know that this isn’t a whimsical fluke.  This is actually Rachel’s second $10,000 donation to the hospital.

On Christmas Eve it’s all about the Christ who loves you.  On the Day of Epiphany it’s all about the Christ who loves you so much that he has a plan for you.  So, as we start another year I wonder what the Lord has in mind for you this year?  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

January 6, 2013