The Journey Starts with a Call, Each New Year is a call to start a new journey. As we stand at the very beginning of the New Year, we are also taking up a new journey into the new year. The future ahead is filled with challenges and may have some unknown territories that we have not seen before. Just like the heroes of faith did, we are to continue our journey in faith knowing that there is a known companion in the unknown territories who will go ahead of us and prepare our way.
Each call for a journey is a call to an adventure, an exploration of unknown territory. This involves a certain amount of risk, uncertainty, and unexpected experiences. The Bible is full of stories of calls to adventure. God called Abraham, Moses, David, and many others to adventure. Abraham accepted the call and started a journey to a place he did not know. Moses left Pharaoh’s palace for a new life with the people of God. In Hebrews 11:25–19 , we read, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.” Moses accepted the call to lead the people of Israel from their bondage on a journey through the desert for forty years. David took up the call from God while he was a shepherd boy not knowing that he would become Israel’s greatest king. Jesus called fishermen, who later changed the history of the world after accepting and following their calls. All of them had one thing in common—they went on journeys that were not easy but were challenging.
In the book of Joshua, chapter 3, we see the people of Israel under the leadership of a young Joshua. Moses is dead and new leader Joshua is leading them to the promised land. They have another barrier to cross to get to the promised land. It is the flooded Jordan river. Then Joshua and the leaders gave orders to the people to go forward as instructed by God. “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. “ (Joshua 3:3,4). When the call of God comes you know that he will make a way to go forward. Joshua encourages the people to go forward, Moses is dead, Joshua is young, the land is new, challenges are unknown. Joshua would have remembered the promises .. ” (Joshua 3:4) "As I was with Moses, I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you”. (Joshua 1:5). Joshsua encourages the people to move forward telling them there is a new way in front, “you have not passed this way."
Abraham received the call when he was about 75 years old to go to an unknown land. Just like Abraham trusted the promise of God, a new tribe, a new home, we are trusting a faithful God. Hebrews 11:8-10 8.By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Today’s reading is about the Epiphany where the savior of the world was revealed to the gentiles. The gentile wise men from the East came to visit the Baby Jesus. They took on a journey to an unknow destination based on the appearance of a star in the sky.
A journey follows a call or a revelation. A star appeared in the east—that was a revelation to the wise men who followed the star on a long and challenging journey. The star of Bethlehem, or Christmas star, appears only in the nativity story in the gospel of Matthew, where “wise men from the East” (commonly known as the Magi) were inspired by the star to travel west. This calling led them to the palace of King Herod and from there to Jesus, where they worshiped Him and gave Him gifts.
Many Christians believe the star was a miraculous sign to mark the birth of the Christ, the Messiah. Some theologians claimed that the star fulfilled a prophecy, but some modern scholars do not consider that to have been a historical event but just fiction. In the US News and World Report (December 20, 1999), a British astrophysicist argued that the Bethlehem star was indeed a real star that can still be seen by telescopes today. At the time of Jesus’ birth, it was a bright nova. He argued that ancient astrologers would have found the nova significant because of where and when it appeared—“during a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces.” According to this researcher, the conjunctions would have told the Magi to await news from Judea and, possibly, to expect the imminent birth of the ‘Messiah’.
I want to note a few things here. First, these events took place after Jesus’s birth. Second, this was in the days of King Herod the Great. Third, the Magi already arrived at Jerusalem when Matthew described it. They were not following a star from east to west as we are used to hearing in stories and songs—“Westward leading still proceeding” makes us think that the star was going ahead from east to west. We all know stars don’t travel; they remain where they are. Fourth, the Magi came from east of Jerusalem, probably from the vicinity of Babylon, Arabia, or Persia. And lastly, they knew they were looking for the newborn king of the Jews, but the exact location eluded them.
A closer reading of Matthew 2:9 indicates the star appeared before the wise men started and reappeared over Bethlehem, just about six miles south of Jerusalem, after they got lost. When the wise men said, “We saw his star in the east,” they didn’t mean, “We saw his star while we were in the east.” The Greek text here says the star was en anatole, meaning they saw his star rising in the east.
There is still even now a star rising in the east, in the west, in the south, and in the north. How many today would look for it? How many would be interested in the star of Bethlehem? It comes in the form of God’s Word, people, and events. In the midst of darkness, where light is needed, God sends a star. In the midst of war and bloodshed, God has a star shining to guide us to the source of peace. In the midst of our personal struggles, sickness, broken relationships, and lack of security, there is the shining star of Bethlehem that will guide us to the Prince of Peace.
The wise men followed their thirst to experience God rather than follow a moving star. They studied the star because they were wise. They had a thirst to ponder God and eternity. They were astrologers who studied the planets. They had seen an unusual new star, and they knew it told of the birth of a special king for the Jewish people. The message here is that the Gentiles had seen the sign of the birth of the Son of God while the religious leaders, scholars, and Herod in Jerusalem missed the Messiah entirely!
The star is an invitation or a call to set out on a journey. All people can see the star, but only the wise will pursue its message. The world can see any star in the sky, but not all stars lead to God. In fact, there is only one star that led them to Jesus. Many may be curious but don’t seek to understand, and others do not care; it is for the wise to follow the message of the signs.
It was a sign that the prophets and the forefathers told thousands of years ago—that a Savior would be born. It had been foretold since the fall of Adam. This was foretold by ancient Eastern religions as well as Western religions. We read the scripture daily but miss God’s message. Many people know a lot about Jesus, but they do not know who He is. It is personal knowledge that leads us to worship Him. It is about knowing Jesus and being known by Him. It is a knowledge that leads us to worship Him as Lord. The star of the east was a message of salvation to the Gentiles.
God’s loving calls reach to the farthest corners of the earth. Dante spoke of “the love that moves the stars.” There are no measures God won’t try and no group He cannot reach. His call is to ordinary people and wise men—old and young, men and women. There are signs to seek all around us. The star is a sign of God seeking all in this world, and anyone who responds and believes will be saved. Jesus said in John 3:14, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” When people started perishing due to snake bites, God asked Moses to lift up a brass serpent so people looking at it would not die. There stands a pole—the cross raised up on the hill of Calvary—that those who look up to and go to will be saved by; they will know the presence of God in their lives. God provided a way of redemption, pointing to the only Son of God, who would be sacrificed. Those who first received it died without the sight.After the days of Enoch, the promise was repeated through patriarchs and prophets, and that kept the hope of His appearing alive; Daniel’s prophecy revealed the time of His advent. Century after century passed, and the voices of the prophets ceased. With longing eyes, they looked for the coming of the deliverer, when the darkness would be dispelled and the mystery of the future would be made plain.
But like the stars in the vast circuit of their appointed path, God’s purposes know no haste and no delay. So in heaven’s council, the hour for the coming of Christ had been determined. When the great clock of time pointed to that hour, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman.” (Galatians 4:4). He came to spend His time with us.
There are all stars around us. Recently, Handel’s Messiah was performed in China in the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing after it had been banned for several decades. The choir assembled by a local Christian conductor sang to a packed house. A news reporter wrote, “There wasn’t a dry eye among the thousands assembled as they all stood for the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus.”
As hostility to Christianity and the gospel grows in the West, there is revival happening in India, China, and Indonesia in the East. If the current rate of growth holds, by 2030, there will be more Christians in China—about 295 million—than in any other nation on earth. At universities in Chinas, Christianity is growing at a faster rate than ever. The 5,000-capacity Liushi Church in China opened in 2013 in the small Liushi Township, Yueqing District of Wenzhou, in Zhejiang Province. According to news reports, it is now Chinas largest church, with regular seating for 5,000 people. It is another star in the East; it has more than twice as many seats as Westminster Abbey does, and its 206-foot crucifix can be seen for miles. A local resident noted that it was a miracle that such a small town was able to build such a grand church. The £8 million (US $ 10 million) building is also one of the most visible symbols of Communist China’s breakneck conversion during which thousands of worshippers will flock to pledge their allegiance not to the Communist party but to the cross. “It is a wonderful thing to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It gives us great confidence,” beamed Jin Hongxin, a member. “If everyone in China believed in Jesus then we would have no more need for police stations. There would be no more bad people and therefore no more crime,” she added. A recent study found that online searches for “Christian Congregation” and “Jesus” far outnumbered those for “Communist Party” and “Xi Jinping,” China’s president. It is a testament to the fact that neither Marx nor Mao gets the last word in China—the Messiah does.
We are all stars of the East that others may follow. God wants us to shine like stars so the world can follow Christ. The September 1993 issue of Global Prayer Digest tells the story of Jonah, a seventy-three-year-old Chinese evangelist who since 1976 has traveled around the People’s Republic spreading the good news about Jesus Christ. His days are full, and his energy unflagging. In one weekend Jonah may bicycle nine hours, spend 40 hours on a hard railway seat and eight hours on a bumpy bus just to bring the message of Jesus Christ to people in remote villages, or to urban churches with 5,000 members, or to young soldiers. The schedule is grueling, but 73-year-old Jonah says, “Rest is for the next world.” (Global Prayer Digest September 1993). He is a star in the East pointing people to Jesus. Recently, the Communist Party has been alarmed, and President Xi Jinping ordered Chinese Christians to replace pictures of Jesus with pictures of himself or lose benefits from the Poverty Relief Quota, assistance provided to poor people.
Jerusalem is shining as a star in the East. Several countries have recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. You wouldn’t need to be warned in a dream. Wherever you sit, stand, walk, or lie down, there is going to be someone to your west, and there will always be someone to your east. You are the shining Bethlehem star for them. We are here today to point them to Christ. Jesus is coming again, and the star has risen in the east, west, north, and south. “You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Jesus is not a stranger to any culture, race, or geographical location. Whatever the exact mechanism, the fact that the star led the Magi to Christ is evidence that the star was uniquely designed and made by God for a very special purpose. God can use extraordinary means for extraordinary purposes. Certainly, the birth of our Lord was deserving of honor in the heavens. It is fitting that God used a celestial object to announce the birth of Christ since “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1).
Paul preached the gospel in Greece, where he saw many idols. One temple there had been dedicated “To the unknown god.” He did not quote the Bible even once in his sermon in Athens; the people there would not have had any point of reference in regard to Hebrew scriptures. Paul preached about the God they worshiped without knowing—God revealed in Jesus Christ to all cultures, races, and ethnicities. As theologian Tennent, stated, “Christ does not arrive in any culture as a stranger” (Timothy C Tennent, Theology in the Context of World Christianity p.69 ). God has provided pathways in every culture around the world where culture and Christ intersect. As Paul said, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The precious goes unnoticed in the heap of the worthless, and many miss the call.
Today, many churches have created an artificial environment that goes beyond the simplicity of Christian faith. They have their own language and customs, and in many cases, those who enter those churches encounter culture shock. If we are causing our visitors to experience culture shock, we are failing our mission. If we cannot hear the cry in the hearts of the people in the community and cannot relate to their daily struggles, we will not be able to preach the gospel of Christ in any impactful way. A church that my wife and I attended for some time ago had decided to close the doors. This church has a rich history dating to the 1900. We are at the cross roads where we need to make some decisions. The decision is not about fears or worries. It is about the promise of going forward and to experience the unknown territories. God will be there with us.
Many modern theologians seem to reconstruct theology into a “new” theology more reflective of the latest cultural trends. Modern studies of Jesus focus mostly on His earthly life based on His location and the political and pragmatic usefulness of His teachings. Their studies do not include the doctrine of the Trinity, eternal Sonship, or incarnation and thus miss the message of His birth. He is the Son derived from the Father but not after the manner of generation; unlike our parent-child relationships in which children later become parents themselves, God the Father has always been a father and God the Son has always been a son. Jesus, the Son of God, was eternally begotten from the Father, so there is nothing chronological in this designation, nothing to suggest a second-order existence. It is an identification grounded in a relationship. He is God the Son, a simple and undivided part of the Trinity who deserves all glory, honor, and worship.
But God lovingly warns us that we need to take a new route as the wise men did: “They left for their own country by another road” (Matthew 2:12). They took a different highway, but I imagine Matthew winking a little and hoping we would notice his subtle clue about what life was like once we have met Jesus. Nothing is the same; we find ourselves going another way.
T. S. Eliot ended his poem, “Journey of the Magi” imagining the thoughts of the magi: “We returned to our places … but no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, with an alien people clutching their gods.” Jesus does not make our lives more comfortable; He doesn’t help us fit in and succeed. A strange, unfamiliar road is now our path. But the road is going somewhere.
God revealed Himself in His Son, Jesus, as the light of the world. Go and join our voices with angels and saints, those who have gone before us, and the generations that will follow to be a beacon of love, peace, and justice with compassion for one another and in witness to the world.
God knows the way, shows the way and stays with us on the way.
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