Saturday 06 January 2024

Psalm 72

Background

Our week of looking at the theme 'Glory to God' comes to an end today. The question posed last Sunday: "How do mere mortals like ourselves engage with giving glory to God?" is explored further in today’s reading. Beautifully encapsulated in the Genesis story of Adam and Eve, God has given each of us a most wonderful and precious gift: the ability to choose. It defines so much about our humanity. The visit of the Magi (wise men) to honour the baby Jesus, a day that is celebrated today in the Church calendar as 'Epiphany', is at its heart about how different people choose to respond to the divine that they discern in their own experience. 

Matthew, as the other gospel writers, wrote to encourage the members of the Early Church, who were often persecuted by either religious or political authorities. In times of duress, how will the Church react when faced with negative stories, corrupt political leadership, or sheer indifference to the 'light shining in the darkness' (God)? In the story of the visit of the Magi we can reflect on how we might give glory to that which we discern to be divinely inspired.

First, what were the choices for King Herod? An insecure, jealous man, the idea that anyone might challenge his authority could not be countenanced. Hearing that the wise men are asking “Where is the child who has been born King of the Jews?”(v. 2), Herod chooses to try to kill Jesus.

Secondly, what are the choices for the chief priests and scribes? Herod asks them where the Messiah is to be born and they give an answer based on accepted wisdom (ie the prophecy of Micah 5:2, pointing to Bethlehem of Judea as the expected birthplace of the Messiah). However, there is nothing in Matthew 2 to suggest that these religious leaders were anything other than complacent in passing on their knowledge. There is no record of them asking to journey from Jerusalem with the Magi; they choose to keep their heads down.

The responses above are in direct contrast to the Magi themselves, who make some very positive choices in their quest to pay homage to this new king (Jesus). These learned men of philosophy and science have already travelled a very long way, from ancient Persia (modern Iran) via the Fertile Crescent to Palestine. They seek help for the last part of their search for this divine child and are not deterred by both the surprising disinterest from the learned religious leaders, or the perceived murderous intent of Herod. The choice to continue their pilgrimage is dangerous; but the thought of being in the presence of God’s chosen one is irresistible.

Matthew’s lesson for the Early Church, using the Magi as an example, seems to be we need to strive for the best, in spite of difficulties.This culminates in verse 11. The gifts are symbolic: we should acknowledge Jesus as the ruler of our lives (gold); submit to Jesus as the only mediator and priest we need (frankincense); and be aware that sacrifice and sorrow that will accompany any God-inspired life (myrrh), but it will also, ultimately, illuminate the meaning of love. The Magi offered these three gifts to show what it meant to give 'glory to God'.

To Ponder:

• The Methodist Church is running an campaign Out of the Ordinary about how God's love transforms lives. It includes a lovely opening worship for Epiphany.
• How, in our own daily living, do we engage in giving glory to God? The hymn 'O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness' suggests it might be with obedience to God (gold) or with lowliness (incense). Perhaps too, it might involve self-giving or sacrifice (myrrh) to love one’s neighbours.
• The glorious revelation of God in Jesus – the Epiphany – is the focus for our prayers today. The Dutch theologian Henri Nouwen in “The Way of the Heart” (1991) writes “To live and work for the glory of God cannot remain an idea about which we think once in a while. It must become an interior, unceasing doxology.”