New Year's Hope ~ Matthew 2:1-12 ~ Epiphany of Our Lord

Recently, Forbes magazine named Pittsburgh “the most livable city” in the United States.  They lauded the city for having everything you could ever want: world-class hospitals, major universities, a great cultural scene, good job prospects, a low crime rate, and an affordable cost of living. 

But one thing the magazine didn’t mention is what I believe to be the city’s worst quality—commuting.

Pittsburgh is a tangled spider-web of roads, ramps, bridges and bypasses that test the patience and directional senses of even the most seasoned city driver…

Here’s a two-minute sample of our return trip following a visit with my family in the South Hills:

1.       You’re heading north on Route 19, merging onto the Parkway west at one of the city’s most congested bottlenecks.  You must get left two lanes before you enter the tunnels, all the while traffic is traveling nearly bumper-to-bumper at fifty-five miles an hour. 

2.       At the end of the tunnel, you’re on the Fort Pitt Bridge—and you must get left another two lanes in about six seconds time…

3.       But don’t get too comfortable—because you’ll immediately be crossing the Fort Duquesne Bridge—and you must get right two lanes in about four seconds time—so you can take the exit for Route 28 north.

4.       You better to be sure and be in the center lane, or else you’ll miss out on sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic as all commuters traveling north into the Allegheny Valley merge into a single lane at the construction zone. 

That’s how you commute through Pittsburgh. 

But today we’re embarking on a journey that’s even more harrowing: the year 2014… 

We turn the page on the new year with high hopes—and rightfully so. 

But none of us knows what 2014 will bring—and that is a very scary thing. 

There are two certainties for the children of God: 1) the certainty of uncertainty; and, 2)the certainty of God’s love.  God will be faithful even when everything is going wrong.

When you think about it, God had to have chosen the absolute worst-possible time in history for Jesus to be born.  The Holy Land is under the dominion of the ruthless and godless Roman Emperor.  The bloodthirsty King Herod rules over the Jewish people and reports directly to him.  The religious affairs of the Jewish people are controlled by an elite and learned class of men who exploit the common people’s faith for their own selfish benefit.  We know them as scribes, Pharisees, and teachers of the law.  All of these persons would be vehemently opposed to Jesus.  The moment he is born—his life is in danger.  It is as though everything and everyone is against Jesus, right from the start.

But just then, these Magi show up—by far, the most unlikely people to visit the newborn Jesus.  They weren’t Jews—and they certainly weren’t local.  They were astrologers.  They dabbled in magic and fortune-telling, the likes of which were strictly forbidden by God’s Law.  But somehow, God sent the Word across thousands of miles to announce the birth of the Messiah—and they learned it so well, they knew exactly what was to be the star that would rise at the Messiah’s birth.

So they come—and they present these very curious gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Certainly not the kind of gifts you’d find on a baby registry at JC Penney. 

But there are reasons why they came.  God is certainly up to something here.

For starters, Jesus wasn’t born to be the Messiah exclusively to the Jews.  He’s the Savior of the world.  And now, these Magi can go back home, and share the good news of his birth who probably didn’t even know of the existence of the God of Israel. 

And God is up to something in these gifts—of incredible monetary value to a family as poor as Joseph and Mary.  As soon as the Magi leave and the family goes to sleep, Joseph is warned in a dream that King Herod is out to destroy Jesus—and that the three are going to have to leave Bethlehem in the middle of the night and journey thousands of miles into Egypt.  The Magi’s gifts are sure to provide for all their needs for the unknown length of time that they must be there. 

It’s all because God has a plan for Jesus to be the Savior of all humanity, which he will accomplish by his life, his ministry, his death, and his resurrection.  And today we see God providing everything necessary to make it all happen.  God is working through all the complications, the setbacks, and even the enemies so that Jesus can do God’s will. 

And God has a plan for our lives just the same.  God is always busy, leading us to Jesus so that we may know (1) the peace of his presence; (2) the comfort of his compassion, and (3) the power of his resurrection.  God’s purpose for you is that you may be one with Jesus in his life, in his work, and ultimately his resurrection.  If we are committed to living in obedience to God’s will for our lives, God’s faithful provision for everything we need is as certain as the rising of the sun at dawn. 

So on this fifth day of 2014, consider then what is your every worry about the year ahead…  What hurts from 2013 are following you into the 2014?    What are your greatest hurts—and your greatest fears?  Name these before God today—because Jesus will be there with you in every one of them.  Jesus will show you his faithfulness in taking care of you, and delivering you from every single trial and temptation.  He will provide the gifts you need so that you may know the power of his love and live in obedience to his purposes for your life. 

Don’t live in fear of what can go wrong—and don’t live in the misery of what has gone wrong—because none of these things is will keep God from you.  Resolve to make Jesus the first and only treasure you seek.  Don’t just have faith, live by faith.  Walk with Jesus as he walks with you and you’ll see the truth—that God will be up to something good.