By Mary Ann Blaksley ...
This morning after entering the church, the traditional greetings were exchanged with joy, as we wished each other a Happy New Year! Entering into 2016 opens up a whole range of new possibilities and challenges. As I looked at the front of our church I paid special attention to the stars found on the blue curtain background which I thought provided a good visual setting for Pastor Alan’s sermon. Arlene’s reflection with the children sent a simple but clear message that the greatest gift that we can offer the Christ is the gift of ourselves. Last evening I had just arrived back from Ottawa after ushering in the celebration of the New Year with my sister. Therefore, I was a little behind on the current events happening within our own church family.
Before the sermon, I heard the sad news about the unexpected deaths of loved ones related to people in our church and I immediately felt sad and a little heart-broken at the realities of life. Prayers were sent up by me for those who are suffering these losses.
Pastor Alan’s sermon begins with the invitation to enter into Matthew’s gospel with a new focus on the three major characters, King Herod, the Magi and the chief priests and scribes. The Magi were earnestly seeking to find “the one who has been born king of the Jews.”(Matt. 2:2) King Herod was disturbed, and all of Jerusalem with him; yet, he hid his destructive intention to kill Jesus from the Magi and rather 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.” (Matt. 2:8) Herod called the chief priests and teachers of the law, to ask where the Messiah would be born. They answered and said “In Bethlehem in Judea” and they quoted the prophet Micah. Ironically, as Pastor Alan pointed out the religious leaders or the insiders did not get excited about the birth of the Messiah and they did not move into action to find and worship the Christ-child.
Pastor Alan also held out the invitation to observe how the Magi as the outsiders were able to keep their focus on finding the Christ-child so that they could go and worship Him with their best gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. (Matt.2:11) While the insiders, the chief priests and teachers of the law had a full range of scriptural knowledge regarding the birth of the Messiah, yet failed to give Him first place by taking action to go and worship Him. Pastor Alan challenges us to maintain a key focus as he asks us to consider, “What are the holy moments for us to be aware of?” “Will we have eyes to see the epiphanies that God sends us both personally and globally? Can God still speak to all people via His creation?
One of the greatest gifts or treasures in my work as a Chaplain is, that, I often feel that my association is more with people that we would consider “the outsiders” and those who may not know Jesus Christ as their personal savior and Lord. Pastor Alan challenged us to understand that God does not fit into our neat box, but rather, He meets with people at the point of their need. He is Jesus, the one who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities (Heb.4:15) Fortunately in meeting with the outsiders I am often awestruck at the way that God sends them new epiphanies to comfort and help them feel His presence in their suffering.
Listen to this sermon here!