Sermon preview, week of January 2, 2024
When God Shows Up
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?
This Sunday’s order
- Sunday
- Reading
- Matthew 2:1-12
- Preaching
- FBC Muncie
The readingMatthew 2:1-12
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. From Matthew 2:1-12
Read Matthew 2:1-12
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’
” 7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and learned from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8And sending them to Bethlehem, he said: “Go and search carefully for the Child, and when you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.” 9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the Child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight. 11On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another route.
Berean Standard Bible, public domain
Epiphany is the liturgical season marked by Jesus revealing himself not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles. It’s a time when the Church has historically looked at what it means to be a disciple of God who takes the good news into all the world. This year, FBCM will be celebrating these themes by studying well-known “light bulb moments” found in scripture–these moments when God unexpectedly breaks into the world and changes everything. Through these stories, we hope to be reminded of how God is breaking into our world here in Muncie, IN, and how we can come alongside God’s presence to be better neighbors that share our lives and God’s love with them.
This week we begin a series titled, Light Bulb Moments, and the message is titled “When God Shows Up, Rulers Bow Down.” Our Scripture, Matthew 2:1-12, tells us a familiar story about the Wise Men or Magi. The Magi came to see a prophesied king but instead, they encountered God, the light of the world. Who were the Magi? Were they wise men, scholars, kings, astrologers, or something else? What did they expect to find and what did they encounter that prompted them to bow down before an infant? This Sunday we will gather and discover what these Magi sought, what they found, and what that means for us and our neighbors.