Jan 6 Magi lessons

Jan 6 2008 Magi Lessons

Since this is the first sermon
on the first Sunday of a new year
then lets get to one of the most fundamental and Biblical and spiritual questions of life

One of the great personal questions: that we all have to ask

“who is in control?
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Did you do any new years resolutions.. How you doing... how long does that last.?

Well..so much for self control..right.?

deep inside of you...what or who’s in control?
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We’re going to do John Wesleys covenant prayer again this morning ,,at the end of the service
Lord ...I am no longer my own

Let me used by you or put aside by you
lifted up for you
or brought low for you
let me be full
let me be empty
let me have all things
or let me have nothing..

I think John Weskey knew how to get right to the poitnt


I looked at the gospel lesson and I Can see it in there.. As
Something about control
do you see it?

what the problem with Herod?

he wants to stay in control
political control
economic control . world ly control

he even uses religion To stay in control
(we ought watch for that o ne in this election year)
he tells the wise men
oh tell me where he is
Im one of you
I want to worship him too..


The more I look at it..
The whole Gospel lesson is a rich..rich story....in lessons
about control

did you notice that the wise men;
the magi are the exact opposite of Herod..? When it comes to control?

the magi are the a symbol of the spiritual journey

What do they do

they look for guidance
searching for salvation
they follow the star
they seek the scriptures.
they worship the Christ
they give up their gifts
gold frankincense and myrrh
and then

what do they do ?
they
go home..by another way

they are led and everything is changed
by this spiritual process

and
guess what?..in that journey
they are not in control


again think of the lessons

they have followed the star

they come into the house..
And they see the child.
And they bow down

Bowing down is a surrender of control

isnt that waht worship is?
Its about coming
into the spiritual house of faith
the house of the soul..
The family of faith
in the presence of Christ.

you pay homage
you bow..you surrender yourself
you give your love and loyalty..
You say yes

to the gift of God
and the greatness of God
and you go home then.
.by another way
that means
you go away from Herod.

You go .away from that ego-based world of control

letting God be in control...
that is this other way..

That is the Christian way

when you come to Jesus..
You are going into this new way.... of giving up your control

so on this first Sunday of the new year
I invite you to do some reflection
on that great question
in the action of your life..
In your spiritual life
in your soul
who’s in control?

I suppose a time of silence ..to think about that
and pray about that.. Would be just fine
..
but to help you do some reflection about being in control
let me tell you a story

but let me coach you a little to understand the story;


remember that Its .about standing before God and letting go of your control.

It’s a story about spiritual reflection
What we do in Bible study, worship ,soul searching.. Service and silence and prayer..

All of that is spending time in reflection ...


And All of that is about about putting yourself .
.offering yourself..just being
in the presence of God
doing what the magi did..
I suppose

Stopping..and bowing..
to the one in control


Now the story uses a mirror
as a symbol or metaphor
for that spiritual reflection..

Mirror..reflection.... got it.?

Intuitive right brain people your gonna get it..
All of us left brain..literal people..we need a little help..

So
the Mirror means being in true spiritual reflection

.Now
here is the story from United Methodist pastor
named David Greibener

and it goes something like this..

Once upon a time there was a rich man

who entertained himself by collecting things.

One day
in an antique store,

he was intrigued to discover what appeared to be a large full length mirror


He couldn't be sure

because all he could see was the frame.

A heavy canvas covered what was most likely a mirror.

A faded piece of paper was pinned to the canvas
with the words:
"Do not remove"

He called for the store owner.

What is this, and why is it covered?

You could tell in his voice that he was used to getting his way!

You wont believe me", said the store clerk

Tell me anyway, the man demanded.

Again, ‘’
he was used to getting his way.


Well,
continued the clerk.

There is a mirror under the canvass

the story is
that this mirror will only reflect the part of you that is alive in god.

But I keep it covered
because its bad for business.

Too many people don't see
what they expected to see.


Oh,,the man said..
You let people look if they want to?

Well.. Not usually, but some people just insist
Mostly they are the ones who don't believe me.

But once they take the canvass off and look,
they tend to leave in a hurry without buying anything

as I said,
its bad for business.


still the man wanted to take a look
....
well. if you insist


The wealthy man thought for a moment.

then
reassured by the fact that his accountant kept his church pledge up to date,

he pulled back the canvass
and he stood right in front of the mirror.

I don’t see anything!
he shouted,

right away he wondered if the light was bad.


Strange .....
said the clerk

"There's always been something before",


The clerk had been through this thing a time or two.
why don’t you "Look again"

the man looked up and down the mirror.

Sure enough ....something was there.

Way Down in the corner.....near the bottom,
like some lonely radish
there was a big toe.


My toe,
he mumbled...

(my toe) that’s all there is."
Just one little bit of me..

That’s all for now, said the clerk.

You mean it can change?

Well......so I hear..


How much do you want for this mirror

name your price
the mirror was sold and the owner was happy to see it go..


The collector took the mirror back home with him.

And many times a day

he stood in front of the mirror,

but nothing ever changed....The reflection never changed.
All he could see was the big toe of his left foot

he tried everything to change this one annoying fact.

He stood in front of the mirror in a $2000 hand tailored suit.


He stood there ..in the reflection
with all of his banking forms and his stock broker statements.

Still....Nothing.
It just didn’t seem to matter


He stood in front of the mirror
with his award from a service club
for all his help during the last fund raiser.


One day paraded in front of the mirror with a certificate of health
from a well known and highly respected psychotherapist.

Still it didn’t make any difference in the mirror

he went to church every week.....sometimes twice!...
and

he even saved the worship bulletin to show the mirror.

(But still)...zip...zero.

no response...
.nothing but that single toe.
He didn’t know what to do..
He kept trying things

At last
he gave most of his money away.

(then..as he stood before the mirror..

And finally he thought he saw a little change in the image of his toe,

but as he got his hopes up


he looked closer
and it was really nothing
his toes nail just needed to be clipped
.
Nothing else was really new in the mirror

he Just was not really very much alive to God... in the view of that mirror
Finally

there was nothing left for him to try

he had no more new ideas..

nothing more to offer the mirror.
What else could he do.??

But still
he could not stop looking at it
and thinking about it...day after day
He kept going back to the mirror

What do you have to do..to be alive to God!

then one day In his helplessness
he broke down in front of the mirror
and he cried.

he wept for his weakness
and his emptiness

he wept out of frustration,

and he wept for reasons
that he couldn’t begin to explain.

Then,
in the next moment,
he let go of his need to be in control of everything.

He let go of his need to figure out how the mirror worked.

His heart was open.
.just open
He didn’t want to try and figure out the mirror in anymore


he Just wanted to let the mirror be the mirror

and his eyes
were so full of tears
that he did not notice,

dimly at first,
and then with greater and greater definition...

his other toes began to appear

foot,
feet,
legs, arms,
torso, shoulders, neck,
and head
filling up the mirror.
Finally he was there
reflected in the mirror
And so ends the story

...(well let me help you with the story a bit)

Every day
You and I stand before the Sacred mirror..
the mystery of God..
-----------------------------------
Every Sunday at least
but really every day..
You and I are called to do that deep refection about our life in this spiritual journey

and even then
as the story said

we still try to measure ourselves..
Or we expect God to see us in certain way

why ?
because even in our religious thinking .we are still used to having it our way..


We keep trying to control what is in the mirror
we keep trying to make our own life
and make our own image
But
Do you and I dare to wonder
to ask

how much of this morality and religiosity and self justification

how much of our own goodness and piety..and doctrinal believing

how much of that is
really alive?
really true
in the mirror of God.?

Do ever get personal with it.

Silence.....confession
prayer...devotional reading
Reflection times
get to that question
and reveal the truth

That’s when we get the questions:-----
how much am I open and alive ?
..just to God..

.to the awesomeness
The one authority
the mystery.
The great .grace..of God

As the story says

the only part of us that is really alive to God

is that part of us that is wiling to “let Go..and let God”

as they say in groups like AA
to “let Go and let God.”.
To trust the Higher Power


But its not just Greiebners story and its not just AA

its What Jesus actually said..
Jesus said.. Again..with the spirit of his whole life
he said
to find your life
you must lose your life
deny yourself/

deny your ego..
take up your cross..and follow me..
Thats what this cross is all about
---------------------------------
The
only part of you and me
that is alive to God

is the part of us that is willing to be empty
and to be open

the part of us that is spiritually alive to God
is the part
of our lives that is willing to be led

to search..
To trust
to surrender..
to worship
to bow down
to give up the treasures
to turn around to repent
and go home

in a new way ...... to give up control

The story is clear and the Biblical language is obvious
That magi got it..

And Herod did not..

The magi are filled with joy and they are wise

Herod..is foolish ,frightened and cruel

contrasting pictures of control

Ultimately who is in control?

as we enter a new year
have you looked in a spiritual mirror lately?

(Bible)

Come and be true..before God.

and to just be..
surrender to the mystery .
In the presence of God
in the sheer gift of it all
. stand before the mirror..
Again and again

Spend time in reflection this year
Spend time in prayer...
Open your will..
offer your heart


get out your Bible...
Learn from the magi
study the word
be open to God
follow the light
become the pilgrim
become the servant
enter the house of the lord
let go of your treasures
humble yourself

say yes to this truth
worship this Christ.
Let the Christ-mystery of God
be in control

and By the grace of god.....
the mysterious
..incomprehensible
..uncontrollable ..wonderful grace of God in Jesus Christ..
then.

..and only then
will your new life
your true life
begin to appear...you will see your true self

going back home...
..by another way.....
Is
a good way to start the year..

Lessons of the magi....... .....a word to the wise.