As I will be at LTSG teaching a J-Term class on preaching and technology over Epiphany, it seemed only right to help out with community worship however I can. It looks as though that help will take the form of preaching at the 8:30 PM Epiphany service on Wednesday, Jan. 6th. The texts are those which will be preached on Epiphany Sunday: Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:1-12 and Matthew 2:1-12. I generally prefer to focus on just one of the texts to the exclusion of the others, because the sermon seems to be less confusing to me and my audience, so I am leaning toward the Matthew 2 text. Since my students will be developing sermons using blogs, I am going to do the same with this sermon, posting my thought-process and sermon-in-progress, and hoping for feedback both during preparation and after delivery (I will post the finished product along with my post-preaching reflections.
To start, here is the text:
2In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They 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 my people Israel.’” 7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then 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.”
9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
So far, I have done some reading in print sources regarding the Magi; that they are astrologers, scholars - not mentioned in any gospel other than Matthew. I wonder why? Why did Matthew include this information? Of course, following this story we encounter the "slaughter of the innocents" - unable to determine WHO the baby Messiah is, Herod kills all infants under the age of 2, but Joseph and Mary flee with Jesus to Egypt - this fulfills the OT prophecy that the Messiah will come forth from Egypt.
I have some general questions.
Why would Mary and Joseph NOT have returned to Nazareth after the birth? Why would they remain in Bethlehem for years? Didn't they have a home and family and work in Nazareth?
If the wise men were so wise, why did they go and talk to Herod, thereby endangering Jesus and causing the "slaughter of the innocents?"
What does this story say to us, today?
-thoughts/questions: do we travel to find Jesus? Do we encounter dangers along the way? How do we deal with them?
What is the meaning of the word "epiphany" - discovery? What did the Magi discover? Did they have to put down their books and get their hands dirty in order to find the Lord? And then what did they do after leaving the Lord?
What is the significance of the gifts brought (gold, frankincense and myrrh? this I want to investigate further...)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Welcome to J-Term!
I know, it isn't J-term yet, but I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and encourage you to take a look around the world of blogging. Also, you can check out our syllabus at...http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1596069/syllabus2010.docx
Feel free to friend me on facebook, email me at angelaz@bgsu.edu, or call me (734.693.4378) prior to our first day of class - if you have any questions, or if you just want to chat. I look forward to meeting each of you, and to our time learning together! Peace. Angela
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)