Seeing the Light

You can tell that it is the beginning of a new year by looking at the ads that come out in January. What do we see at this time of year repeated over and over? We see ads for fitness equipment and gyms, on the one hand, and ads for storage solutions on the other. We’ve all resolved, at least the ad makers think, to get organized and get in shape. I guess that means we all want to hear that we are “looking good” this time of year. Whether physically or organizationally, we want to be “looking good.” It is an obsession for some, a necessity for others. But it seems to be driving our culture more and more each year.

Someday, I’ll deal with that issue here. But not today. I remember when my son, Rhys, who was quite a few years younger than he is now, said to me, “I’m not a good looker, Dad.” I was stunned, worried, and angry at a culture that focused so much on appearance. But I tried to hold it all in and talk to him about his perception. “Who says you are not a good looker?” “I do!” he replied in some frustration. “Because every time I lose something, I can never find it! I’m not a good looker!”

Ah, well, now that is a different thing, isn’t it? Are you a good looker? It depends on what you are looking for, I suppose. Our Gospel reading for Sunday is full of lookers, good and otherwise. It is a familiar text and, frankly, one we might be getting tired of. We’ve done the Christmas thing, haven’t we? But here come those Johnny-come-latelies, the wise men. Not again?! Yes, again.

In our desire to have a nice story that flows together, we compress the time factor here and put it all into one manger scene tucked under the tree. But Luke says nothing of the wise men, and Matthew never mentions the shepherds or the manger. It is as if they are telling completely different stories. This discrepancy has caused many to believe that none of it is true, and it is all a nice story made up for individual purposes known only to Luke and Matthew (whoever they were!).

I hold a different position, I must confess. But I also admit that there is a lot we don’t know. It is sometimes an interesting act of speculation to wonder what we would have seen had we been there when Jesus was born. We don’t know how much time has elapsed between the angel's proclamation and the shepherds’ appearance. Some argue that as many as two years have passed. They base that assumption on Herod’s actions after the wise men left for home. In the “Slaughter of the Innocents,” which occurs after our reading for this week, Herod orders that all boys two years old and younger be killed. Since he specifically asked the wise men “what time the star had appeared” (v.7), you would think he got it right.

That reasoning makes sense if you are dealing with a rational person. But Herod is far from rational. He is scared; he is power hungry; he is paranoid; he is Herod! So, it is much more likely that he wants to exercise his power and goes to extremes.

In other words, we don’t know how much time has passed. It could be a long time; it could be less than we think. But some time has passed, because Mary and Jesus have moved from a stable into a house. It could be that Joseph’s family finally came through and welcomed them. A new baby breaks down barriers that a suspicious pregnancy erects.

The important element, for Matthew anyway, is that the lookers found what they were looking for. They got off track for a while. It makes sense that a foreign dignitary would visit the local ruler, I suppose. But they were seriously in danger of losing their way. As long as they were following the star, they were doing great. But when they stopped to pay a social call, they got in trouble.

I know, it wasn’t quite that simple. But Matthew’s point is pretty clear. We need to be good lookers. No, wait. We need to look where God is leading. That’s better.

OK, let’s get organized here: First point - God leads. There was a star, and no one was responsible for it but God. We are not asked to create our own stars. We don’t have to lead ourselves in the darkness. Over and over again, the Bible tells us that there is light available. All we have to do is follow it. That leads to the second point - we do have a decision to make. God doesn’t send stars to yank us onto the path. We have to look for it, and we have to decide to follow it. God doesn’t want puppets; God wants followers. So, we follow. And that leads us to the third point - God keeps leading whenever we decide to follow. God didn’t abandon the wise men when they stopped in to ask Herod for directions. It was the star that got them where they were going, not Herod’s advice (v.9).

Isaiah says when you lift up your eyes and when you gather together, then you shall see and be radiant (Isaiah 60:4-5 NRSV). It’s as if seeing is easy on the one hand, but difficult on the other. It’s easy because all we need to do is look up, beyond ourselves, beyond our own desires and efforts, and our own abilities and weaknesses. Look up toward the one who guides and directs and inspires and teaches. Look up. Easy. But maybe it’s not easy. Simple, but not easy. Because we get in our own way. We trust our own strength, our own resources, rather than relying on the one who redeems and sustains us. That is why we need to follow the decision to lift our eyes with the partnership that the church gives us. The community of faith can help keep our eyes raised. When we are together, we are more likely to look beyond ourselves, to look out, and to look up. Together, we are better lookers than on our own.

So, how are you looking in this new year? If we claim once more the Lordship of Jesus Christ; if we embrace the truth that God’s love is all that motivates us; if we approach every encounter as an opportunity to reflect the love of Christ in how we treat those we know and those who are strangers; if we determine that our overall goal is to seek the Christ that is within each person we meet, then our response can rightly be, “We’re lookin’ good!”