Isaiah 60:
1-6 NPMC
Psalm
72:1-14 Epiphany
Ephesians 3:
1-12 January 2,
2008
Matthew 2: 1-12
Anita Retzlaff
Rising and falling stars: deliverance or death
In our moment of silent prayer this morning let us remember the people of Kenya. The fight for power is once again fought at the expense of innocent people. The situation in that country must be frightening and frightful. We feel powerless here to do anything about yet another violent conflict over which we have no control. What do we do when we hear of such atrocities? We begin with the prayers that we offer now. Let us pray …. Be merciful O God, giver of light and life. Breathe your spirit of peace into a country that seeks just leadership and struggles to overcome violence. Hear our prayers. AMEN
Africa has been on my mind as of late. The violence and trouble in Kenya is the most recent example of misappropriated leadership and of power misused – at least if we are hearing accurate reports of what is going on in a country so far from our everyday. I keep wondering what we can do when we hear of holocaust after holocaust in places around the world. We vow that atrocities like this should not take place once the rest of the world knows what is unfolding and yet how is this kind of violence stopped?
The political fallout in Kenya, the movies I watched over the holidays between Christmas and the New Year and the story of Herod the King in our scripture readings for this morning seem to come together, for me, in a profound way. On this Epiphany Sunday, this day on which we celebrate the appearance of the light and the coming of the Wise Men, on this day of wonder and celebration I am directing our attention to the actions of King Herod. The rising of the star that signals the coming of the Prince of Peace sets loose the opposing and negative, violent backlash from the Powers that Be – and it eventually gets ugly and bloody.
Is Herod’s response to the announcement of a rising star all that different from what we have seen time and again as powerful leaders scramble to maintain their status and their control over a subject peoples? As a new star is about to rise, the old star is fated to fall and fall it does in violent throes of death and destruction.
Several movies that I watched last week were set in Africa: Blood Diamond, the story of the illegalities and atrocities of the diamond trade in Sierra Leone and The Last King of Scotland, portraying the dictatorship of Idi Amin in Uganda. Many of you will have seen one or both of these movies. The one I haven’t quite yet had the fortitude to watch is Hotel Rwanda. These movies reflect the harshness of political life on a continent wildly beautiful, the cradle of human civilization beset by waves of violence beyond description. One other movie I watched was Amazing Grace the story of William Wilburforce who fought politically to eradicate the slave trade in Britain. You see why I say that Africa has been on my mind as of late.
All together these stories reinforce the deathly truth about power that will not be shared or be accountable. People die at the hands of those who can’t bear the possibility of losing their place at the top of the heap. And so the rising of a new star sends power-mongers scurrying for the cover of darkness and in the advent and birth of Jesus, the light of justice and peace is the biggest threat there is. Herod’s descent into conspiracy and feigned friendship echoes the stories of dictators like Idi Amin, Adolph Hitler and Saddam Hussein. It is shocking to enter into the quasi-fictional accounts of the personal lives of such leaders. What typically emerges is a portrait of fear, cowardice, insecurity and paranoia so potent that destruction and fall is the only conceivable outcome.
Issues of power and control are the setting for the story of the coming of the Wise Men at the appearing of the light. Foreigners seek out the meaning of a rising star and as Isaiah foretells, nations, foreigners will come seeking the light of the new possibilities that God continues to set before the people Israel. The light appears and two responses are immediate. There are those who welcome the coming of peace on earth, are open and embracing the promise of a new thing. They welcome the prospect of a clean slate and a shared mystery.
The opposing response is one of fear, suspicion and threat. You will recall which players in the story choose a particular option. The poor, the ordinary, the foreigner, the mystic welcome the rising of the star and embrace their deliverance at the hand of a gracious God. It is the powerful, however, the men of armies and might who fear the falling of their own stars. They quake at the announcement of a baby’s birth and scatter under the glare of the glory of God’s appearing.
“In the time of Herod”, this story tells us, in the time of Herod, real power is born as love and elusive power, the darkness that covers the earth and thick darkness the peoples, that power, is in jeopardy. In the time of Herod, in a period of history identified by the name of one man, that very one at the top of the heap is suddenly scared because of the coming of love. Why should love be so scary?
Well, you answer that one for yourselves. Why is love so scary? In our own lives and relationships, in our experiences of romantic love, for instance, there are lessons to consider. Contemplate what it means to love someone intensely. Remember how love grabs you. Love catapults us into a new sphere of being and deep, abiding love requires submission and sacrifice and these are not self-centered responses. In its most healthy form love has nothing to do with controlling the other. For in mutual submissive love one person cannot possess another. We give ourselves to that other person and receive in turn. In the giving, in that exchange, there is huge risk because always the possibility exists that for some reason, suddenly, our love will not be reciprocated or will be spurned. So, if control is our ultimate goal, love will at best only take second place. We know what this means in terms of family love; the love we have for a parent or for a child. For those of us who have ever tended to the needs of a tiny infant or an aging friend or parent, sacrifice is understood. It is not about control but about giving.
Now, love of humankind, sacrifice and submission offered to neighbour or stranger, fellow citizen or colleague, how is this kind of love accomplished in the face of political power and leadership? Do we experience our corporate life, our lives in community as deliverance or death? Politics after all, refers only to the way in which a society or country or group organizes itself and lives out its shared life together. Do the power and authority of leaders threaten us or are we open to sharing influence and tending to the needs of our communities together? Do our leaders invite our participation? Will be do homage to the greater good of our society and our world or are we inclined to feel, with Herod, the threat to our own wealth and authority if we are called to share our resources?
These are real questions, for us as Christians and as North Americans. We too choose between deliverance and death. We can stand with the righteous king that we read of in this morning’s psalm and call for justice and work for equity for all people. That is the Christian calling. We choose to rise to the challenge that the coming of the light puts before us and join in the work of the kingdom, the work of discipleship. In so doing, we submit to the authority and the wisdom of the God of love.
The other response is to be frightened, terrified by what the light of the star exposes. The humble beginnings of a baby who would be king of a scattered people; whose rule will be to shepherd instead of “lording it over”, this kind of power is laughable, yet unpredictable. One can’t gauge the outcome of this kind of leadership in the same way that one can orchestrate and control by means of martial law and military strength. The power of love can unseat the powerful! Not only is Herod alarmed but “all of Jerusalem with him.” There is something big at stake here.
And, there is broad appeal at least broader than merely a local response, “The nations” too, the Gentiles, will come to this light. And so the magi come to pay homage, to offer respect and acknowledge a newfound authority as they offer gifts of considerable religious significance. They see in Jesus a treasure. And the locals are afraid. To be fair to the Jerusalemites, it is indeed relatively safe and easy to acknowledge authority that doesn’t live in one’s own backyard. The inhabitants of Jerusalem are the ones who will have to deal with the fallout of the leadership and authority of the Good Shepherd in their midst.
Will we? Deal with the fallout of the leadership and authority of the Good Shepherd, that is. The same choice keeps coming round for us. The announcement of the Good News come to earth, the arrival of God-with-us is made in our hearing, in our worship, every year. We come round to it always and again. We either welcome the light or we slip off into darkness where we hide and pay homage to something other than the gift of life.
The New Year brings with it the age-old challenge, “Fear Not.” Live in the light! Do not be afraid to submit to the project of “peace on earth” instead of “me first.” The star will always rise to meet us. The threat too will always also be present and an option. Stars of individual fortune rise rapidly and fall just as quickly. We fall prey to the deadly seductions of selfishness and self-deception. So with justice and righteousness we choose to offer our loyalty and our gifts to the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, who came to earth as love, who teaches us about truth and sacrifice and grace. Arise, shine: for the light of God’s glory shines in our lives today and always.