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“Do We
See Diamonds or Quartz?” Sermon Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – January
6, 2019 Centenary United Methodist Church Psalm
72:1-7; Matthew 2:1-12 Once again, we are going to revisit the story of the Magi from
the East who came with gifts for a ruler who would lead the entire
Middle East and later the world on a spiritual journey through his
unique pattern of leadership.
As it turned out, that leader taught attitudes and
behavior that differed widely from those that grew from disciplines and
obedience. He taught people
how to distinguish between a piece of quartz, symbolic of our life experiences, and
diamonds, symbolic of opportunities to grow spiritually. As with nearly everything in life, we only recognize what we have
prepared ourselves to experience.
The qualities of our responses have to do with our attitudes. The story about these travelers from the East is
fascinating. Matthew is the
only Gospel that has a record of their arrival.
If you are willing to listen patiently to a brief history lesson
this morning, you may learn more than you ever wanted to know about
these unique travelers. Who
were these people? The
narrative that we have always heard was that this group of men were
astrologers. They were far more
than that label suggests.
The assumption that there were three may not be accurate. The Greek historian, Herodotus, (484-425 BC) is
among the first authors to write about the Magi.
He described them as originally coming from the Tribe of Median.
The Medes were part of the Persian Empire.
Collectively, they tried to overthrow the Persian
government but were unsuccessful.
Following their failed attempt, they ceased striving for power in
such an aggressive manner.
They became a tribe of priests and were to the Persians exactly what the
Tribe of Levites were to the
Israelites. The most proficient
among them became advisors to the Persian Kings.
They were highly skilled in science, medicine,
philosophy, psychology, and became known for their astute wisdom. They
were among the first to interpret fairly accurately the symbolism of
people's dreams. They were
masters of spirituality when few others in the ancient world were
interested in such a useless
pursuit that many people felt had no practical purpose or use. If someone were to ask the Magi what they thought
about what was happening in their world, they would have answered: The same thing that has been happening for
thousands of years. Nothing has changed but the terrain and the cast of
characters. We have found the path that liberates people from putting
their trust and faith in anything taking place in the external world. The belief in astrology was as universal among most
people as the belief in God is in many western societies. This belief
was a general understanding that was seldom accessed as being relevant
to life. One of the core beliefs
of the Magi was that some among them had the skill of predicting the
future from the stars. When a
strange astrological event took place, it got the attention of the Magi
when few others cared or even noticed. In 3 B.C., a remarkable event took place that was
noticed by astrologers as far away as China. Modern astronomers now
understand that this event was an exploding star.
There is no doubt that this was
what drew the attention of the Magi. This Super
Nova's brilliance exceeded that of all known past events.
It would last a few months and then would slowly degrade in its
brilliance during the years that followed.
The Magi were convinced with some
certainty that a ruler was coming into the world who would exceed in
power beyond any ruler in history. It seems odd that any astronomical event would
motivate the Magi to make such an extensive journey to Jerusalem.
However, this exploding star coincided with a wide-spread
expectation among people living in every culture of the ancient world
that a new ruler was coming. A number of writers recognized this expectation
since it had been growing for centuries.
What was fascinating is that writers everywhere had pinpointed
the same region where this great ruler would be born.
The Roman Emperor, Vespasian, (9-79 AD) wrote:
"Spreading all over the Orient is an old and well-established
belief that it was time for men coming from Judaea to rule the world."
Tacitus, a Roman historian, (69-120 AD) described the same
belief: "There is a firm
persuasion that at this very time the East was to grow powerful, and
rulers coming from Judaea will create a universal empire." What may have driven the Magi to make such a trip
was not only this expectation but also that a star had revealed to them
that an extraordinary being was coming into the world.
The Magi stopped in Jerusalem to
get further directions. Early
scrolls revealed that such a future ruler would be born in Bethlehem.
(Micah 5:2) A
group of Magi came to Bethlehem, found Mary and Joseph
in a house, and they bowed before
the young boy believing that within his
physical form was the spirit of God.
(Matthews 2:11) What is interesting is that the Prophet
Jeremiah had foreseen this extraordinary happening of God placing
the new law of love within
people six hundred years earlier.
(Jeremiah 31:33f) This very brief history of events in the ancient world describes fairly accurately how God may have patiently, silently, and invisibly worked to bring change to the species of animals known as human beings . The answers to living a life that has become immune
to the distractions of the external world all depends on what path
individuals choose to follow. The
news of this inward path would spread as each individual
tunes into the thinking and feelings of those with whom they
recognize as kindred spirits. Humanity is evolving slowly. The presence of the
divine has always been available everywhere, but only a few people were
able to detect it. These are
the ones who sold everything they
had and purchased the diamond
of great price.
Historically, billions of people have taken and still take their cues
for living in the
wasteland of the external world where
everything lacks permanence.
Far fewer people have given attention to what flows forth from
within them. The urge of inspiration becomes so powerful in some people
that they could no longer contain their energy. George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) composed
Messiah and its orchestration
in just 24 days. The divine inspiration came pouring through him.
While many portions of
Messiah are among our favorites, the piece that heads the list for
many people is The Hallelujah Chorus. Handel's
inspiration will remain a timeless musical rendition of a story held
sacred by millions of people since its creation in 1741. Richard Bach had a flash of inspiration in 1970
when he wrote Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
He completed the book in a very short period of time.
The storyline poured through him
in a moment of intense inspiration. All the important pieces of
people's spiritual journeys are in his book for those who can
recognize them. Yet, there
are many who see only quartz
and they may remain that way for the rest of their lives.
They are unable to sense anything
about their spiritual nature from reading this short book. The children's choir director in one of my churches
commented to me about Bach's book.
She said, "I thought
Jonathan Living Seagull was a corny story about a bird. I do not
know what people are thinking that keeps such a book on the best
seller's list." She was right, she did not know what others are
thinking. People chase after the discovery of
diamonds that would make their
lives more fulfilling and meaningful.
They really do.
Yet, many do so without knowing a single thing about what
diamonds look like. It has
always been that way in history and we have to be at peace with that.
Those
who have prepared themselves to see the
diamonds have had
the scales created by the
material world fall from their vision.
The Magi knew that highly energized
diamonds would be within the
young boy who had been born in Bethlehem. Jesus never wrote anything and as far as we know he
never asked anyone to take notes on what he was teaching.
How do we know what we know today?
In every generation there are those who find
the
diamonds among
the quartz and pass them on.
As was mentioned earlier,
kindred spirits resonate with each other's feelings and thoughts.
In the New Year, live your lives with abandon by
sowing your seeds so that others may know what
authentic diamonds of
compassion, generosity, forgiveness, and patience look like.
Those who are bound to their external experiences have no idea
what such diamonds look like.
Those that resonate with the feelings and thoughts created by their recognition of diamonds will remain the leaven for the loaf . (Matthew 13:33) God's creativity will take care of spreading the mysteries found in diamonds as each one teaches another. Everything in creation takes time to evolve. What we need to develop within ourselves is patience. We need to let go of any rush to enlightenment while we focus on making visible the diamonds that we have found. God will take care of the rest. CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER Loving God, we know
that our lives are as an open book to you.
You can sift through our thoughts and know all our secrets.
You can see the areas where the child in us has not grown,
where our attitudes reflect hurt feelings, and where our vision of
discipleship has been obscured by self-interest.
You inspired Jesus to teach
the truth.
When we
follow Jesus' teachings, we become the leaven for the loaf.
Cleanse us from thoughts and emotions that do not reflect your
presence.
Loving God, help
us to integrate creatively the many cross-currents in our lives.
Help us to observe them without judgment.
Inspire our energized spirits to help others truly value their
lives as gifts from you. The New Year will always need those of us whose
values are clear and loving. Amen. THE PASTORAL
PRAYER Loving God,
none of us this morning would ever think of taking for granted our
leaving one year to enter another.
To even mention a dateline of 2019 years ago would seem like
science fiction, but here we are.
There are
moments when we feel as though our lives have been dispatched like ships
upon a very turbulent ocean. Our course is constantly challenged
by the shifting tides of change. We have times when
experiences demand that we sink or swim.
Guide us to choose the
wheat from the chaff, the
rough diamonds from the
quartz, and
the opportunities from the
blind alleys. Guide us to radiate more warmth and acceptance toward
people that enable us to be supportive even when no one is asking.
It is
very comforting to know that you are the wind that fills our sails.
Equally, you are the anchor that helps to create our emotional
and spiritual stability. It
is also reassuring to understand that both
our mountain top and valley
experiences are invitations for deepening our faith and enhancing
our growth. As we leave the
starting gates of a New Year, inspire us not to content ourselves with
resolutions for change but with commitment to follow through. We pray
these thoughts through the spirit of Jesus, the Christ, who taught us to
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