FOLLOW THE STAR!MATTHEW 2:1-12

1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.

5"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6"'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out

of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had ap-

peared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Come with me! Come with me back in time a good 2000 years! Come with me to the Middle East, to a place referred to as the Fertile Crescent! Imagine that Jesus has just been born - maybe a few days earlier, maybe a couple of weeks. Perhaps it’s even several months later. We’re standing out in the open in the dead of night. Now, look up, look at the sky above us! What do you see?

In an age without electric lights, there is no glow from nearby cities or houses to overwhelm the magnifi-cent view overhead. We see stars, so many stars they are impossible to number – they can’t be counted. Now, what I want you to look for is the new star that wasn’t there until Jesus’ birth. I’d like you to tell me what is different in the starry host.

Can you see it? I can’t! I don’t know what the sky looked like before – I sure can’t tell you how it might have changed. There is a new star up there, but I can’t tell you which one it is – can you? Every time I read our sermon text, I ask myself this question: Could the people of Jesus’ day, would the people of Je-sus’ day, have noticed and recognized the star – as did the Magi?

It was right there for days and weeks and months. Is it possible that no one saw it but those Gentile as-trologers? I can’t believe that no one in Jerusalem or the rest of Judea saw it. I can’t imagine such a dis-covery would have been ignored. I can’t believe that word of the new star wouldn’t have spread among the average people of the day.

So, why wasn’t more made of it? Why were Magi from the east the only ones whose lives were affected by the star’s appearance? Didn’t anybody else know or care about the star’s importance? After waiting for centuries, didn’t anybody want to see the newborn King, their Messiah? Was responding to this miraculous sight too much bother for most people?

Can it be that only the Magi noticed the star? Can it be that only they understood the Scriptural signifi-cance of the star? Can it be that only they were willing to sacrifice whatever it took to find the Baby,

whose birth the star proclaimed? Can it be that God intended for only them to follow the star and find their Savior – and the Savior of the entire world? Can it be that the star was only to be a blessing to them and, as a result, comfort to Mary and Joseph?

As we return to the year 2013 and the state of Wisconsin, I would ask similar questions about our time and place. The Lord Jesus Christ can be clearly seen in our world today. In any built-up area of our country, you can’t go very far without seeing the cross, the simple symbol so intimately linked to Jesus. It almost seems as if the number of churches displaying the cross of Christ is impossible to number.

Among all those churches, it is true, there are some in which it would be very difficult to find Jesus. But a vast majority of them can and do explain who Jesus is and what he came to accomplish for mankind. Furthermore, if you want to know something, anything, everything there is to know about Jesus, God’s Word is freely available to one and all.

The problem of man’s sin and damnation is clearly spelled out, as is the solution found in Jesus and his holy life, innocent death, and his victorious resurrection. He is clearly displayed as the most important person in anyone’s life – that he, alone, is the difference between eternal life and everlasting death, be-tween heaven and hell, between experiencing the full love of God and perpetual suffering without it.

So, why are so many churches only half-filled? Why are Gospel-based denominations shrinking, year af-ter year? Why is it that churches have to scramble to fund their God-given reason for existence and local congregations have to consider cutting the heart and soul of their purpose for being out of their budgets to make ends meet?

Can it be that only a few of us have seen Jesus? Can it be that only some who claim to be Christian really understand what Christ Jesus has done for them? Can it be that the Lord intends to bless only a select group and not all mankind? Or can it be that only some are willing to sacrifice their all for Jesus, as Jesus sacrificed for them? Can it be that we only see the Star but fail to follow where it leads?

My dear brother and sisters, let’s Follow the Star! Let’s understand who the Star is and what he came to do. Let’s understand the change the Star produces in believing hearts. Let’s understand what it means to follow the Star through the struggles of earthly life until we arrive in heavenly bliss. Let’s make this a true Epiphany Sunday, a time of renewed enlightenment and rededication!

Who is Jesus? Well, we’ve just come out of the Christmas season. And with most of the unbelieving world, we agree that Jesus is a human being, born to a woman named Mary. That is important to know and believe. But of equal importance is knowing and believing that Jesus is God. He is eternal, almighty, all-knowing, holy, ultimately just, present everywhere. In order to truly know Jesus, you must know him as God, the 2nd person of the Trinity God.

Jesus is true God, conceived by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary. The reason he is God and man is best understood as we consider his reason for being. He came to save mankind, all mankind, from the conse-quences of sin — domination by Satan, a hopeless life on earth, and an eternity of agony in hell. He came to redeem us for God that we might be his own and live under him forever and ever. That’s why he came.

That’s also why he had to be God. The task of rescuing mankind from Satan, death and hell was so im-mense, so hard, so impossible, that only God could pull it off! Only God could do what it takes to save us – and nobody else. And before you object because your pride is wounded, ask yourself: Do you really think that a loving Father would send his dearly loved Son, if there was any other way to do it?If there were any conceivable way you could have saved yourself, don’t you think he would have insisted that it be done that way, not at the terrible price he paid with the sacrifice of his one and only Son? No,

only God could do it. It could only be done this way. When we follow the Star that’s what we must see in the Star – our only hope of life!

Then, the answer to the question What change does the Star work in believing hearts? becomes obvious. The Star has taken us from hell to heaven. He’s replaced our status as rebels with the children of God. He’s take the hopelessly alone and given them the certainty of his love. If that’s what you see in the Star, then it is foolish and unnecessary for me to tell you the change that the Star has made in you. It is clear!

You now love him with all that you have and are. You are filled with praise for your generous Lord. You need to thank him with every fiber of your being. You must please him with all that you think, do, and say because that is the unchanging purpose of your life.What does it mean to follow the Star through life? The Magi show us that following the Star meant giv-ing up their time, physical comfort, and resources. The apostles could only follow the Star after they left everything behind. When we follow the Star, no less is expected of us.

But understand that such sacrifice is not a required payment for salvation. It is rather a natural response, our desire to be more and more like Jesus. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. So it is with us. We do not remain in this world without a divine purpose. We share the purpose Jesus assumed in his life.

We don’t have to suffer and die for mankind, of course, that’s already done! Left to us is the task and privilege of taking this good news to whomever we can, in whatever way we can. Surely our immediate attention turns to the people around us. We live lives that reflect the holiness of the Star, so that no one can question his presence within us. Our actions and intentions mirror his love for mankind.

More importantly, our words convey the hope that is ours as a Star-follower! Without a correct under-standing of who Jesus is and what he came to do, saving faith cannot begin. Vague generalities about Je-sus don’t distinguish him much from other good men and fail to identify him as God’s only Son and Way of Salvation. Our testimony must be clear about Jesus!

But following the Star doesn’t stop there. Remember, there is no other escape from Satan, death and hell! You must know Jesus or you can’t have eternal life. There are literally millions of people out there who do not know Jesus, much less believe in him. Thus, they are doomed to hell. You and I, even together as Redeemer congregation, are not expected to reach all those millions. But we are expected to reach as many as our resources allow.

That is why the Lord has so richly blessed us as individuals and as a congregation. He has given us more resources than we really need for this very purpose. He intends that they be used for spreading the Gospel, that we sacrifice for the souls of men, women, and children outside of our congregation, our neighborhood, even our country.

You are somebody who has a room prepared for you in heaven. You have been given the means to un-lock many more rooms for the lost people of your world. When you follow the Star, this is your purpose in life, this is your joy in life, this fulfills your life. Follow the Star – follow him through life and into eternity!

Amen.