The Christmas Eve sermon in the ornament series. I do not believe I have ever preached on the wise men on Christmas Eve. The focus on "the star stopped" came up at a preaching seminar Grace Prexbytery hosted with Dr. Anna Carter Florence from Columbia Seminary.
“Ornaments: the Star on Top” SAPC, December 24, 2019, Matthew 2: 1-10
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men[a] 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,[b] 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[c] 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[d] my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men[e] 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,[f] until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.
Introduction:
Move 1: The star stopped.
a. I have never seen a star stop. have you?
1. I am not much of an astronomer, but I do not recall reading about stars stop.
2. Stars shine brightly.
3. Stars race across the sky.
4. Stars explode.
b. But the star the wise men followed stopped over Bethlehem.
1. This was the place.
2. this was the moment.
3. This was the child.
4. God had arrived in flesh.
c. The star stops and declares God’s intentions.
1. God will be with us.
2. God will love us.
3. God will never forsake us.
Move 1: Because the star stopped, we are a people of hope.
a. I confess that I watch on Thursday night every week the TV show Grey's Anatomy. Actually, given our world of busy schedules and a DVR, I may not watch the show on Thursday night, but I do watch it at some point each week.
In an episode a few years ago, one of the married couples (two doctors) was dealing with a pregnancy gone bad where the baby would be born and die in just a short time.
The pregnant wife is an evangelical Christian who is trying to understand her crisis through her faith and is wondering where God is. Her husband, who is a non-believer, is struggling with how to help her and also help himself.
As the crisis nears its climax, the husband finds himself alone in the chapel at the hospital talking to the God in whom he does not believe.
He says “God if you are out there, please show up. Just show up for my wife. She needs you.”
b. Perhaps you know that desperate plea - God please show up.
1. You are overwhelmed with grief. Maybe sitting in your pew tonight remembering the person not there with you.
2. you have a difficult medical situation.
3. you are struggling in a relationship.
4. You just feel a little off and cannot get back on track to be the person you want to be.
5. You look at the world and read the headlines and wonder how things can change.
6. You need God to show up.
c. Hear the good news - the star has stopped.
1. We can dare to hope in the God who comes down to be with us.
2. God has shown up.
3. the Christ-child has arrived.
Move 2: The star stopped and changed the way we look at the world.
a. Ornaments during Advent - we began Advent with my telling about the first Christmas tree Leslie and I had - no ornaments, until we made some homemade ones.
We also had some ornaments given to us by the newsletter women. We called them that because each week they came to church to fold and prepare for mailing the church newsletters (yes, that was before email and constant contact and churches sent hard copies of newsletters).
I would often go in and talk with them and fold a few newsletters. That first Advent, I told them about our tree with no ornaments. Suddenly, I would come into my office and find an ornament or two left by the newsletter women.
One day, I walked in and there was a star. it was from a wonderful woman who made a star for each grandchild, and now she was making them for her great-grandchildren.
Now I had always grown up with an angel at the top of the tree, and the star really wasn’t my style, if I had a style for stars, but we didn’t have anything else for the top of the tree, so we put the star up there.
Fast forward to the next summer. By this time, the woman who had given us the star had moved to her daughter’s house and was under Hospice care. the daughter lived a few hours away, so the minister and I took turns calling her each week.
the last time I called her, I asked: “what are you doing, Gibbye?” (pretty good pastoral care!).
She sort of hemmed and hawed and I heard some laughter in the background. and then her daughter said, “go ahead and tell him.”
“Well,” she said, “I am making one last star for a Christmas tree. The star I gave you was the one I had made for the next great-grandchild who was born earlier this year, and I can’t die before I make another one to give her.” She died a couple of days later. Her last star had been made.
The next to the last star she made for her yet-to-be born grandchild that she gave to Leslie and me has been atop our Christmas tree every year since.
when I see the star on top of the tree, I am reminded that the world can be a place where a great-grandmother would give away a precious gift to simply share with someone else.
b. The star stopped and changed the way we see the world.
1. the world is not just a place where violence and bloodshed continue, but a place where peace and reconciliation are possible.
2. the world is not just a place where death arrives, but a place of resurrection and hope.
3. The world is not just a place with challenges, but a place with opportunities for new life.
4. If that star can stop over Bethlehem because God chooses to join with us, then the world is suddenly a place of possibilities and promise.
5. Possibilities, promise, and hope for all God’s people.
Move 3: the star stopped, and the wise men were overwhelmed with joy.
a. they could not help themselves.
1. Knowing what God had done.
2. Knowing that they were no longer alone in the world.
3. Knowing that God cared enough to send God’s very own son.
4. they were overwhelmed with joy.
b. Time would lead them beyond that moment.
1. Life did not suddenly become a fairy tale when the star stopped.
2. There were still difficult challenges ahead for them
3. We know they had big decisions, life-changing decisions to make.
4. But they knew with certainty that God was in their midst, and it overwhelmed them with joy.
c. Tonight is just one singular moment in your life.
1. The world will continue moving.
2. The days ahead will surely have good times and some difficult times.
3. but in this moment may joy overwhelm you as you lay claim to this truth - God has come to be in our world, God has come to be with you.
Conclusion: The star stopped.
Amen.
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