Lost and Found
Have you ever been lost? Have I
ever been lost? Yes. Countless times. There is one particular incident that I
still remember. At that time I was in the 3rd grade (in Korea). That
year there was a pastoral appointment change for my dad and the family. Since a
newly appointed church was not far from the previous church, I didn’t have to
transfer to a new school. But still, I had to take the public bus to school.
One day on the way home I took the wrong bus. As soon as I realized something
was wrong, I got off the bus. I stood there for a while, because I didn’t know
what to do. I was lost. Then I just started walking. On the way I met a kind sanitation
worker. I asked him to tell me how to get to the town where I lived. He pointed
his finger at a certain direction, naming some big buildings on the way. With
his guidance, I walked, walked, walked, probably for about an hour, then I
began to see familiar buildings. I was lost and found.
Journey to Jerusalem
Today’s story is about a journey
– the journey of the Magi. Their journey is an intimate, peculiar story, but at
the same time it’s the universal story of all Christians. So, who are the Magi?
The term “Magi” (magos, “magician”) originally referred to a priestly
caste in ancient Persia, a Persian teacher and prophet. If the Magi came from
Persian or Babylonian area, they would have traveled approximately nine hundred
miles. It would have taken several months until they arrived in Jerusalem. It
is doubtful that they come to worship Jesus, knowing that he is the Son of God.
They most likely follow their custom to pay homage to the king of their
neighboring country. One day they observed a star in the east that
signaled the birth of a new king. The Magi must have assumed that they would
find the newborn king in Herod's palace in Jerusalem. So now they’re on
pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship him.
In this story, the star signifies God’s presence, God’s grace – God’s prevenient, justifying, sanctifying grace. In particular, Magi’s journey to Jerusalem is led by prevenient grace – the grace that prepares their hearts to receive a new king, the grace that gives them new desire and thirst for the truth and meaning of life, the grace that helps them to realize, “I cannot save myself. I need a savior.” Agha Behzad was one of Iran’s well-known painters but he lost his way. He violated the laws of his Moslem religion by drinking alcohol and smoking opium. Even his best friends deserted him so he lost both his friends and his religion. Without hope, he was lost, wandering and searching, until his neighbor invited him and took him to a Christian gathering. There he saw the light. He started a new life and began painting again. Now he used his talent to paint Christian themes used in the church in Iran. His art portrays Christianity through the eyes of a new convert, filled with awe, wonder, and joy.
Now I invite you to pause and think about God’s guiding star that led you in the right path. For me personally, the star was my grandparents’ presence. It was my mother’s tearful persistent prayers. It was my sickness that drew me close to God. God is at work, nudging us and guiding us even before we seek him.
Journey to Bethlehem
With the guidance of the star, the
Magi finally arrive at the palace in Jerusalem. We don’t know for sure, but it
seems like the star is no longer visible or stops guiding them. So now they
have to ask King Herod, “Where is the child who has been born king of the
Jews?” (v. 2) They get the answer from unlikely candidates, unexpected guiding
star – the chief priests and teachers of the law, saying, “Bethlehem!” Magi’s
journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem reflects God’s justifying grace. It’s not enough to know, “I cannot save myself, I
need help. I need savior.” It’s not enough to intellectually agree that there
is a creator or supreme being out there. God’s guiding start, God’s justifying
grace, specifically takes us by the hand to Christ. After the encounter with
King Herod and his people, to their surprise the Magi see the star again, and it
guides them to Bethlehem. Then in Bethlehem the Magi personally encounter Christ.
And now they are filled with joy, worshiping him, adoring him.
As I was pondering how the Magi encountered Christ, one particular individual came to my mind. His name is Blaise Pascal. He was perhaps the most brilliant mind of his generation. At the age of 19 he invented the world’s first mechanical calculator. He achieved both wealth and honor at a very young age, but for some reason at the pinnacle he felt miserable. He felt something was missing. Though he considered himself a Christian, there was no joy, no peace. On November 23, 1654 he got a major horse carriage accident, but miraculously he was saved. He saw this as a warning directly from God. That night he humbly surrendered his life to Christ and encountered him in his room. In his journal Pascal said:
FIRE. God of Abraham, God of Isaac,
God of Jacob, not of philosophers and scholars. Certitude, heartfelt joy,
peace. God of Jesus Christ. God of Jesus Christ. "My God and your
God." . . . Joy, Joy, Joy, tears of joy. . . Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ.
May I never be separated from him!
Since that night, he always carried this note in his inside coat pocket until he died. For the Magi’s journey to Bethlehem, unexpected people and unpleasant incidents were their guiding star. How about you? For some of us the star that leads us to Christ is our sickbed. For some it is a crisis or traumatic experience in life. Whatever it is, by God’s grace – God’s presence and power in our lives, we are guided to Bethlehem where we encounter and worship Christ the King.
Journey to Home
After the Magi worshiped Christ,
they returned to their home country. We may think their journey from Bethlehem
to their home was smooth and easy, and they lived happily ever after. But the
truth is that since Herod’s military had a heavy presence all over the county,
the Magi had to take great risk to their own lives by avoiding Herod and making
a long detour back to their homeland. Their journey to home was tough and
treacherous, but God’s grace was greater. God’s guiding light in their hearts
was brighter. That’s God’s sanctifying
grace – the grace that sustains us, grows us, leads us home.
The journey to our heavenly homeland is hard for the saints and ordinary Christians alike. In August 2007 TIME magazine had an amazing cover story titled “Mother Teresa’s Crisis of Faith.” Mother Teresa’s secret letters were made public by her mentor and colleagues. The letters show that she spent almost 50 years without sensing the presence of God in her life. In one of the letters that she exchanged with her mentor, Rev. Michael Van Der Peet, she says, “Jesus has a very special love for you. As for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great that I look and do not see, listen and do not hear…” In more than 40 communications, she compares the experience to hell, and at one point she says it has driven her to doubt the existence of heaven and even of God. As she was walking through the darkest night of the soul, her constant prayer was, “Lord Jesus, come be my light.” And Christ did come, and she made it home safely.
Life is a journey. Some of us may be on the way to Jerusalem – wandering and searching, some on the way to Bethlehem – encountering and worshiping
Christ, and some are on the final journey to home – struggling and tired and afraid. But wherever we are in our
journey, God’s grace – God’s presence and power in our lives – is always
greater than our problems. God’s light is always brighter than our darkness.
Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come;
’Twas grace that brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. And may the light of Christ lead you home. Amen.
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