Year B Epiphany (Observed) 2024 And With Thy Heart As Offering

 Year B Epiphany (Observed), 7 January 2024

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“And With Thy Heart As Offering”

Collect: O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "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." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

`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.'"

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then 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." When 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. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

What do you bring to Jesus? Really. In so many ways we receive so much it is like a firehose coming at us with the grace and love we receive, but we also must ask, what is it we bring?

We have asked this question as long as we have been telling this story. The Little Drummer Boy is a perfect example. We bring what we have to Jesus, our meager gifts and he can transform them. I do have to admit though, a drum solo for a newborn is not the most loving of gifts. And in the clay-mation movie, Mary smiles at the Drummer Boy. That defies credibility, even in this season of love.

Tolstoy had his story about the Shoemaker, “Martin the Cobbler” (aka “Where Love Is, God Is”) wanting to give his best to Jesus, but is continually interrupted. And the disruptions were Jesus in different forms. If you do not know that story, look it up! Beautiful story.

We have the old children’s book, and then movie, The Littlest Angel, about the precocious boy who was driving the rest of heaven crazy, whose box of treasures became the Christmas Star.

Over and over again, when we ponder giving to Jesus, the story remains the same. We try to bring our best. We try and often fail. 

The Wise Men brought their best, gifts fit for a King. 

• Incense, Frankincense, for a Coronation, or a balm for healing. 

• Gold symbolizing wealth and power. 

• Strong Spice, Myrrh,  for a Royal Burial. 

All these gifts were the best of what members of a royal court might have access to in the East. So our Wise Ones did what they could.

Our play this morning is something most of us did at some point in our lives. At the high service on Christmas Eve I mentioned that 2023 was the 800th anniversary of St. Francis doing a live nativity scene for the first time. With papal permission to avoid any appearance of “lightness and novelty” he had a manger with hay in it, a live ox and donkey, and he chanted the Christmas story to the townsfolk of Grecio who came out that night 800 years and 12 days ago. So since then we have had 800 years of re-enactments, 800 years of people making the there-and-then the here-and-now. 800 years of us doing our best to avoid “lightness and novelty” as Francis feared, though lots and lots of cuteness. When we did it this morning, our children stepped into the roles so that they can remember for their whole lives that they are in the story, too. So much more than them being awfully cute, which admittedly they are.

And what of us? Are we in the story, too? Do we let ourselves be? What do we bring to Jesus? What is our offering, giving from our best to the Best?

Only you can answer that question.

For those that know me well, I am a big softie. I cry easily and laugh too loud most of the time. Sentiment is woven into my bones. I collect Christmas albums and from Thanksgiving week on, there is a constant shuffle from Carol to Carol and wacky song to hymn. They are all over the map. But a recent Christmas Carol that catches my attention whenever it comes into the rotation is Some Children See Him. You may never have heard it. James Taylor sings the version that haunts me.

It speaks about how we see a version of ourselves in the Christ Child. We see our best selves there in that manger, the self we are called to be. As another carol puts it, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” And to that we bring our best, so that we can be our best, and we meet God there. With all the joys of the Children this morning, I feel this is a beautiful way to end.

Some Children See Him

[Verse 1]

Some children see Him lily white

The baby Jesus born this night

Some children see Him lily white

With tresses soft and fair

Some children see Him bronzed and brown

The Lord of Heaven to earth come down

Some children see Him bronzed and brown

With dark and heavy hair

[Verse 2]

Some children see Him almond-eyed

This Savior whom we kneel beside

Some children see Him almond-eyed

With skin of golden hue

Some children see Him dark as they

Sweet Mary's Son to whom we pray

Some children see him dark as they

And oh, they love Him, too!

[Verse 3]

The children in each different place

Will see the baby Jesus' face

Like theirs, but bright with heavenly grace

And filled with holy light

O lay aside each earthly thing

And with thy heart as offering

Come worship now the infant King

'Tis love that's born tonight

[Outro]

'Tis love that's born tonight

Epiphany, dear friends, is when we see the light, and it sees through us. As we finish this season of Christmas and move in to this season of Light and Enlightenment, may we receive it and share it as freely as it was given. Amen