3 January 2016, St George’s, High Heaton
Matthew 2.1-12 Ephesians 3.1-12
Bring to the Gentiles news of the boundless riches of Christ
Scholars have pointed out various problems in the story of the Wise Men from the East
We saw earlier on today that these problems don’t originate in Matthew’s gospel itself
They come from the way we’ve put the accounts of Jesus’ birth in different gospels together
And from a lot of creative story-telling over years
Even into our own day, in films and children’s books and Christmas cards
This story-telling is not necessarily a bad thing
The Nativity scene in our crib might not be accurate
But it brings all the elements of the birth story together in a way that appeals to our imagination and makes it easy to remember
But what we have to do, is to keep coming back to the accounts in Scripture
To keep re-reading the gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth and infancy so we don’t confuse the traditional stories with what the Bible tells us
And also, to go on reading the other passages of Scripture that have formed our traditional understanding of the events of the Nativity
This reading from Ephesians is a case in point
It says nothing directly about the Nativity at all – certainly nothing about the Wise Men
But it points to lots of things which are central to the meaning of the Incarnation
Paul talks about the mystery of Christ
– and if the story of the Wise Men doesn’t make us think about the mystery of Christ, then we really have missed the point
Then there’s the obvious fact, that the Wise Men are not Jewish
That is significant – the fact that they are called to make that journey from so far away
Their journey to Bethlehem is a sign
A sign, as Paul says, that the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Then there’s the other obvious fact
That whether the Wise Men are kings, or palace soothsayers, their adoration of the Christ child in the manger is a humbling of themselves
– a sign of how we all are called to becomes servants of the gospel
So there are many things in these few verses from Ephesians that help us to reflect on the Nativity
But I want you to think about two things in particular: riches and wisdom
Paul talks about the boundless riches of Christ
He talks about the rich variety of the wisdom of God
The story of the Wise Men is a story about riches and wisdom
The nature of real riches, and the nature of real wisdom
Two things we assume we know about the Wise Men is that they are wise, and they are rich
We know they are wise, because their name tells us they are
We know they are rich, because they have treasure chests full of expensive gifts
But as usual, it ain’t what you have – it’s what you do with it that matters
Herod has riches without wisdom
Herod has the wealth to build palaces and a fabulous temple and whole cities; he has the power to enforce his decisions
But without wisdom, it all turns literally to dust and ashes
The power of this death-dealing tyrant does not bring life; it does not give security or happiness
Paul tells us, real wisdom is to know the mystery of Christ
Real wealth is to have the boundless riches of Christ
The Wise Men have both riches and wisdom – because they searched for Christ and found him, and offered their riches to him
Those are the riches and that is the wisdom we still search for in our own lives of faith
heatonsaints 