Helping Jesus

Sermon for the Green Lake Church of Seventh-day Adventists

December 22, 2012

(Preliminary manuscript)

Text: Matthew 2:1-15, The Wise Men.

Jesus needed help. The way Ellen White tells the story, it took scholars to deliver it. She describes the Magi as wealthy, philosopher-scholars. I like that.

In Matthew's gospel, when Jesus was born, nobody noticed. In that world, half of kids died before age five. Who knew whether this child would be one of the lucky ones to make it?

At the end of chapter one, as readers, we know this child is a Divine Being, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, the Messiah of God, the carrier of an extraordinary mission. As readers we also know that the specialness of this child is perfectly invisible. We—the church, people who are already believers—we know who he is, but how would people in his neighborhood know?

Maybe the religious leaders will give some kind of signal that God has arrived in the person of the baby of Bethlehem? Nope. Is the local king prepared to recognize the legitimacy of another claimant to the throne of David? Fat chance!

So at the end of chapter one, all we have in support of Jesus' status is Matthew's genealogy and Joseph's dream.

Then at the beginning of chapter two, mysterious strangers from the east show up in Jerusalem asking about the birth of a king whose star they've seen.

If these strangers had been shepherds no one would have paid them any attention. If they had been inn keepers from Bethlehem, yawn. But these strangers weren't shepherds or inn keepers. They were the Magi. The Wise Men. The Three Kings of the Orient. You can read various commentators' theories about the precise identity of these strangers. The central point Matthew makes is this: They commanded attention. The whole city of Jerusalem was stirred by their quest. Their status mattered.

Because of their status, Jesus' was marked as a special child. The wealth of the strangers' gifts funded the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt.

Jesus needed help. Help that only high status, wealthy patrons could give.

Jesus still needs the help of Kings, Wise Men and Magi.

In the mid 80s my personal introduction to AIDS came in a phone call from a church member. I could tell from Ron's voice that something was wrong. He had been to the doctor. He began talking in circles, unable to name the horror. I knew secret parts of his story, so as gently as I could I asked if the doctor had found Karposi's sarcoma. Yes. Had they diagnosed AIDS? Yes.

In those days, it was a death sentence. More than that, a diagnosis of AIDS was an entrance into the abyss. The person became untouchable. When I visited Ron in the hospital, I was required to gown, glove and mask.

The disease was unspeakable. Ron went home to die. In the world his parents lived in, AIDS was regarded as the curse of God. His parents never said the word AIDS out loud.

Jesus needed some help. He needed some one to touch Ron. To show him affection. To be willing to name the disease and still to bless Ron as a treasured son of God.

That help could have been provided by anyone with a generous heart.

But Jesus wanted more.

Jesus touched lepers, showing his gracious favor. But Jesus did more than that. He healed lepers. And Jesus wanted to heal people with AIDS.

Helping Jesus heal AIDS takes far more than than a generous heart.

Jesus needs Magi, scholars, smart people willing to spend years and years in school earning a Ph. D.

Jesus needs laboratories and grants.

AIDS is no longer an automatic death sentence, at least not here, not in places with appropriate medical care. But Jesus is not finished. Jesus is not satisfied that AIDS is now routinely and effectively treated in some populations. Jesus is worried about the rest of humanity.

According to Partners in Health, Paul Farmer's organization, there are 12 million orphans in Africa because of AIDS. Jesus needs help responding to that tragic reality.

Jesus needs virologists. And economists. Epidemiologists. He needs legislators and presidents who will pursue policies that permanently improve the economic and social conditions of their people.

Jesus needs business people who will create income-producing jobs and manufacturers who will produce quality products.

Jesus needs the Magi—smart people with generous hearts and bold spirits, wealthy scholars who dare to chase dreams.

Kids, Jesus needs you. Especially if you're bright. Especially if you have the gifts of drive and focus and intellect that will allow you to earn a Ph. D. and serve the world.

Some of you connect with this story through your life time of professional service, healing people, building houses, maintaining the transportation infrastructure of the region. You have invested decades in designing and maintaining the systems that support our well-being and quality of life.

Jesus is pleased with you. Your service connects with the Christmas story celebrates God's involvement with the messiness of life.

In Matthew's gospel, the Christmas story honors the Canaanite prostitute Rahab, who did what she could to protect life. Matthew pays homage to Ruth, the Moabitess, for her generosity to her mother-in-law. He mentions Boaz, the successful business man and Eliub, the perfect nobody. So we are all included in the glory of Christmas.

Matthew climaxes his telling of the Christmas story with his report on a group of wealthy, risk-taking, adventurous scholars. This is a special message to a certain portion of the population of Green Lake Church.

Today, we are saying Godspeed to Jenny as she heads to South Africa to continue her AIDS research. We salute you, Jenny for helping Jesus.

In the light of the story of the Wise Men, the scholars who came to the aid of Jesus, I wish a special blessing to all of you whose lives are devoted to study and learning. Jesus is counting on you. Keep it up.