"And Herod was afraid" Sermon for the Week of Christian Unity in Jerusalem 2022

 

Sermon for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

The Rev. Carrie Ballenger

Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem

Matthew 2:1-12

“When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him.”

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight O God, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.

Photo credit: Don Binder

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The world has lost several wise ones in recent days.

Just before the close of 2021, we learned of the death of the great Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who through his words and his life taught us “goodness is stronger than evil, love is stronger than hate, light is stronger than darkness, and life is stronger than death.”

And just a few days ago, we lost the Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hahn, who taught us “there is no way to peace. Peace is the way.”

And then there was the news of the death of American poet bell hooks, whose name may be less familiar to many, but whose words are no less wise. She shared with us these powerful words: “The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others.”

Desmond, Thich, and bell…may God grant each of these wise ones peace and eternal rest. Amen.

And here we are on this day, hearing the story of wise ones from the East who came to this land following a star. Scripture actually doesn’t tell us their names, or even how many there were, although we often talk as if there were three, and we know them by the names Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. These wise ones followed a star to Bethlehem, but on the way they stopped here, in Jerusalem. And here, in this place, they met with King Herod, asking him, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”

When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all of Jerusalem with him.

King Herod was afraid! And why was he frightened? After all, the news the wise ones brought was the birth of a baby. Why would a king be afraid of a tiny baby? What did he have to fear?

But of course, Herod knew this was not just any baby. He was afraid because this was the baby who had been foretold. This was the baby who would be called Prince of Peace and King of Kings. This was the baby the world had been waiting for.

Herod was afraid because those with power and privilege are always afraid when they understand that their empires, their kingdoms, their systems of oppression, and their worlds are soon to be turned upside down.

Desmond, Thich, and bell knew this truth all too well. Those who speak truth to power always face criticism from those who fear them, and often much worse.

For example: our late beloved Archbishop Tutu was not always so beloved. When he was speaking out against apartheid in South Africa, when he was criticizing his own church for positions he felt were unjust, when he was speaking for truth, reconciliation and forgiveness here in Israel and Palestine, he was called every name you can imagine. Even upon his death he was accused of bigotry and hatred—this for a man who spent his entire life preaching non-violence, peace, and love for all humans.

Thich Nhat Hahn was not a Christian of course, but his life and works espoused many of our Christian values. He was a peace activist whose life mission was to reduce human suffering. For this mission and passion of love he was exiled from his own country for 39 years. Only in his last years was he able to return safely to the country of his birth.

Through her writing and speaking, bell hooks aggravated nearly everyone as she critiqued capitalism, feminism, racism, classism, social media, and anything and anyone else who stood in the way of her message of love and liberation for all humans.

Clearly, the Herods of the world do not appreciate those who try to unseat them from power, upset their privilege, or change the way they live. The Herods of the world will do anything to stop wise ones from speaking the truth.

When King Herod heard about the birth of Jesus he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him.

Let’s be honest: Sometimes, it is not just those holding seats of power who are afraid when wise ones preach challenging messages. All of Jerusalem was afraid when the wise ones from the East came speaking about a star and baby born in Bethlehem. Why? Because it is unsettling to hear that the world is about to be unsettled. Because it is frightening to hear that things are about to change…even when that change is the birth of a Savior, the birth of a new kingdom, the birth of love incarnate.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the world was turned upside down. This baby would grow to be a powerful prophet and would be revealed as the Son of God. Jesus’ message of love, peace, forgiveness, and righteousness would change the world. So, of course Herod was frightened. Of course, the people of Jerusalem were frightened. And of course, we are often frightened today when we hear news or ideas or human experiences unlike our own that challenge our understanding of the world.

But as we consider the wise ones who followed the star to Bethlehem, and as we consider the other wise ones who have brought us holy wisdom, let us remember something important: The wise ones were following a light that was provided by the Creator of the universe. This was not just a star, this was a gift from God. And while we may not interpret that heavenly sign in the same way—we may pray differently, sing different liturgies, or choose to structure our church institutions differently—we are all still following the same star. We are all looking to the One who created the heavens and the earth, the One who endowed us with the gifts of love and light and empowered us to share that love and light with our neighbors. We are all seeking to understand the words of Jesus, as well as the words of the wise ones who have gone before us—the church fathers and mothers, the saints of old, the musicians and the poets and the prophets who have challenged the Herods of the world.

Sometimes, this is frightening. Sometimes the wise ones among us share words that challenge us, that cause us to reconsider our beliefs, our traditions, or our systems of government.

And still, we know that we are not alone on this journey. We have a light to guide us. We have Jesus, the Son of God, crucified and risen, who is still the Lord of our churches as well as the Lord of the universe. He leads us to proclaim justice, as our brother Desmond Tutu did. He leads us to work for peace, as our brother Thich Nhat Hahn did. He leads us to love radically, as our sister bell did.

 

This is the Christian unity we are called to, especially in such challenging times. The Lord God almighty, the Creator of the universe, shines brightly in the world today, even when the night seems long and we can’t ourselves see the end of the pandemic, or of the occupation, or of other life struggles. Dear friends in Christ, we may not yet be able to see the future, but God has granted us a light to follow. We can always follow Jesus, our Morningstar, to a future of peace in Palestine and Israel, peace among our different churches, peace among the different religions, peace between men and women, peace for all whom God has created.

In the words of another wise one, Brazilian Archbishop Dom Helder Camara:

“Why fear the dark? How can we help but love it when it is the darkness that brings the stars to us? What`s more: who does not know that it is on the darkest nights that the stars acquire their greatest splendor?”

 Thanks be to God for all those who have pointed us to the true light through their words, their creations, and their lives. Amen.