ࡱ> FHEq` .bjbjqPqP 4>::z&  8  < < < < < < < < $ShBD< < DDB< < WD< < D< 0 p4U m0xH< ~lZ< < < BBv^< < < DDDDd   31st December 2006 Gods Guidance Isaiah 60.1-6 and Matthew 2.1-12 The jolliest Christmas present I was given this year was Hope on a Rope - Shower soap in the shape of Jesus. It has the caption: Wash away your sins with hope on a rope. Only good clean living will get you to heaven, so lather up and cleanse your body and soul!.! Theologically rubbish but quite funny. By far the most useful (and lavish) present was a Satellite Navigation Thing to stop me getting lost in the car (known apparently as a Sat-Nav). Navigating is not really my strong point, I have to turn maps upside-down to be able to see where I am going, and I seem to have a bit of a sense-of-direction by-pass, I get flustered very easily and therefore either dithery or unreasonably cross. (not quite road rage, but a bit of non-blasphemous swearing at myself) So far, this Sat-Nav (Reginald I call him) has managed to get me to a destination at the time predicted, without any mistakes. The reassuringly calm voice of Reginald guided me through a one-way system, off at the right motorway junction, and round several roundabouts to the right exit. When I made a detour for petrol, Reginald didnt get upset but guided me back onto the right road and told me my new estimated time of arrival. Reginald knew the whole route before I did, all I had to do was listen to his voice and do what he politely suggested. In our reading today the Magi have their own version of Sat-Nav in the form of a single star (rather than a choice of 8 satellites). They followed the star and found the baby Jesus with his mother, we are told that they were overjoyed, they bowed down and worshipped him and then opened their treasures and presented him with Gold and Frankincense and Myrrh. It is thought that the magi were a caste of wise men from Iran, they were sort of magicians or wizards, who interpreted dreams, and read the movement of the stars, and predicted the future. They were gentiles and probably looked rather exotic, but were almost certainly not kings. Their journey was inspired by God, but of course myths have grown around them. We dont know their real names, or how many there were, or for how long or how far they had travelled. But its safe to assume that it was Mary herself, who remembered this extraordinary event, and also. that she might not have had the presence of mind at the time to ask them about themselves in any sort of detail. With a house full of overjoyed foreigners its probably difficult to stay focussed. We can only speculate about this story, for example I wonder what they thought later when they returned home? Did they eventually hear about Jesus ministry, which didnt even start until 30 years later? Did they become Christians? Well history doesnt relate. Perhaps that was their only glimpse of Gods greatness. And like the Magi, we too sometimes only see a glimpse here or there. The wise men had a definite purpose and the journey may have been long and arduous, but they were determined; and they reached their goal. Throughout history people have travelled great distances in search of different sights and experiences, to find different cultures and peoples and languages, to find treasures, and to see foreign art and architecture, to hear foreign music and witness foreign customs. The crusaders genuinely thought they were doing Gods will in trying to banish the Infidel from the Holy-land, theirs was a kind of pilgrimage, all-be-it a misguided and destructive one. The present war in Iraq and Afghanistan might go under the same heading. On a more mundane level of pilgrimage: apparently there has been a stampede at the sales this week; literally millions of people up and down the country went in search of some wonderful bargain that would make them happy. But that wonderful designer handbag in Oxford Street, knocked down to half price, will be out of fashion by the end of next year and will be sold for a few pounds on E-bay the year after. Sometimes pilgrimages are just not worth the bother. We search in all sorts of places for fulfilment or happiness, And sometimes we are not even sure what it is we want or what it is we are searching for. This week a new space probe Corot has been launched, at vast expense, to find possible planets like ours in another solar system. that might possibly support life. Maybe I am rather a ludite, but I cant help thinking it would be better to spend that money on supporting the life we have under our very noses here. We dont have to travel out of our county, let alone out of our solar system, to find poverty and deprivation, people who could do with supporting. The other day I heard a recording of a 1950s broadcast by an astronaut orbiting the moon; he was the first person to get a close-up view of the moons surface. He said words to the affect: Its all grey, there is no colourjust shades of grey, its all rock and dust. What he thought he had gone to see was a disappointment, what he had not expected was how much he suddenly appreciated what he had left behind: he could see from a new perspective our beautiful planet earth, covered in vibrant blues and greens and yellows. And why on earth do people climb Everest? The stock answer is, Because it is there. I really admire that kind of energy and determination; but apparently Everest is strewn with litter, and when they get to the top it is so cold that you can only survive standing still for a few minutes, you cant see the view because of the clouds, and then. there is no where to go but back down again, which is when most accidents happen. These days people still go to Holy sites, this coming year a group of us from the Benefice are making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land Im really excited about it. Other people of other religions or denominations will visit the Vatican City, or Mecca, or the Wailing Wall or the River Ganges. Perhaps some of the romance has gone out of travel because of the queues for Easy-Jet at Luton, but some journeys are embarked upon not just for the interest but because it is seen as a way of securing spiritual brownie-points. (If spending money on your credit card gets you air-miles, does going to a Holy place increase your suitability for a place in heaven?).... No it doesnt I am not going to be any holier, God is not going to love me any more for visiting Jerusalem or Bethlehem or the Sea of Galilee. any more than I am going to be any cleaner spiritually by using Hope on a Rope. There is nowhere we can go, and nothing much we can do for ourselves that will increase our chance of eternal life, that is in Gods gift, and by his grace alone, entirely undeserved by us. How often do we spend time and money and energy looking in the wrong place? barking up the wrong tree? Of course we all like a challenge, its one way we can enrich our liveswonderful but the hardest challenges are not always to do with physical exertion, or extraordinary intelligence, or influencing people. The challenge is much more subtle than that, its quiet and private, it takes a sense of purpose, and persistence, it may be arduous, it is in finding God, catching a glimpse of his Greatness. A stronger, deeper awareness of Him is the greatest achievement, the most rewarding adventure is kneeling at his feet and offering him your life, your devotion, your energy, yourself. We persist in searching for answers. We think that the answers might be success or fulfilment or recognition. We might never understand our place in the world, or Gods part in our lives, or all that is expected of us, we might never realise our full potential. Like the Magi we may only experience the presence of Jesus for a few minutes, as a tiny fragment of our understanding, we may never see the big picture. The Magi had expensive and symbolically important gifts to offer Jesus, apart from ourselves, we have nothing to offer him, only our love and our worship. But we dont have to travel hundreds of miles to see the Christ child. He is here with us all the time. The journey is neither dramatic nor hazardous. The challenge is not in logistical ingenuity, nor in physical endurance; but in prayer and patience and trust, the ability to watch and wait and stay awake and attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit of God. To expect an experience that is deeper and more meaningful, to live our lives in expectation of the Holy Spirit listening to him as he guides us. Unlike the Magi we know the end of the story, that Jesus was and is the son of the one true God, that he died to save us from our sins; that he was raised from the dead and is alive, that he offers us his love and the promise of eternal life to all who believe in him. Sat Nav will be great, I will normally trust Reginald but I know he is not infallible . there are strange stories of people turning up in farmyards bogged down in the mud, because Reginald has got it wrong. God will be great, I will trust God completelybecause he is infallible he guides me through the complicated bits, He takes me in the right direction. If I take a detour He doesnt get upset, but guides me back onto the right road. He knows the whole route before I do, all I have to do is listen to His voice, and do what He says. So what will the year 2007 bring for us? An exciting holiday destination? Success at work? More time with our family? A healthier lifestyle? Perhaps any or all of the above. But my prayer for us, is that we will be able to trust God, and to listen to His voice that even in moments of adversity we will be able to know peace, that even in times of boredom we will know contentment, that even in moments of loneliness we will know his presence with us. 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