“Time Marches On”- Matthew 2:1-12.

In life, time does march on. Yet, in Christ, life doesn’t have to remain that way. Through Christ, your joy can remain, and be stronger, no matter the changes in your life, and who or who isn’t in your life. “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.”- John 15:11. Have a blessed day! 

Transcript

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Please stand if you're able for the reading of our scripture this morning. It comes to us from the Gospel of Matthew. Here are these words of faith, of worship, of hope, and a little bit of fear. I'm reading from Matthew chapter 2, verses 1 through 12. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod, man died 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. When King Herod versus served and all Jerusalem with him, when he called together all the people to create the teachers of the law, he asked them where the child was to be born. But these best land and the land of Judah are by no means released among the rulers of Judah. Or how do you become a ruler who will separate from people in trail? The parent called the managed secretly and found out there at the exact time. As soon as you find it, report to me so that I too may go and worship it. After they were 16, they went on their way, and the star they could see when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with its mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented them with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in the dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another vow. This is the word of God for the people of God.

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Please be seated. And now, Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be fully acceptable, graceful, and worthy in your sight. For you are and forever shall be our strength and our redeemer. Amen. In March 1996, songwriter Bobby Braddock wrote a great song about the changing situations of life. All he needed was a classic voice to sing the song that he wrote after an extensive search in Nashville and not getting a lot of ideas from people who could sing this particular song. According to legend, even the great and mighty Garf Brooks turned down this song that Bobby had offered to him. An agent suggested a veteran singer who had a great voice that holds up. And in the following month, Tracy Lawrence agreed to sing this song. The name is Time Marches On. Bobby Braddock said the idea for a song came from watching time change people in communities. He would return to his hometown in Florida and he noticed that people who were middle-age were gone. And the young teachers he once knew were growing old, so he had become fascinated about how quickly life passes and wondered if he could tell an entire family story in just a few minutes. Braddock intentionally wrote the song, if you know it, you know what I'm talking about, to feel like the ticking of a clock. You hear the song, and just the clock is ticking in the background as he's singing, as the listener moves through decades of a family's life. He packed the lyrics of snapshots of ordinary life, children growing up, marriages, aging parents, sickness, grandchildren, even death and a changing culture. One particular unusual choice was including dementia in a country song. That had never been done before this song had been written. Braddock said he wanted to write about real life and subjects that people and songwriters often will not touch with a 10-foot pole. By the final verse, one parent had passed on, another parent was losing their memory, and the children have become grandparents themselves. The heart of a song is captured in the bridge. You might know it. A star is born, a star burns out, a star is born, a star burns out. The only thing that stays the same is everything changes, everything changes. Song reach number one. Number one! That's a sad song. But people requested it and it went up to number one. Why? Because the nation related to it, not because they like change, but because they don't. They don't like it. And they knew that there was a that song communicated how somber change can be. That is the attitude in our text today. Not everyone in Jerusalem is going to like the changes that Jesus brings. Not everyone was going to like it. We are in a new era as a church, and my last Sunday will be next week. And while I have high hopes that many of them will do just fine because it's God's church. The church belongs to Jesus, it's his church. But let's be real. Some things are going to happen under the next leadership cycle that you may or may not like. Just get that in your hands right now. You may like it, you may not like it. That's just how it is. That's how change works. It may be unusual to preach epiphany in the summertime, but I think this text sums up a new era that is coming for 1 Methodist and for all of us. The word Epiphany comes to us from the Greek-Roman context. Originally, the word served as a designation for a public appearance. State officials and provinces. That's what Epiphany meant. The literal meaning of Epiphany is to manifest, reveal, or clarify. So if Jerusalem, and by extension, us, or anybody that has a pulse and doesn't like change, if we don't like the change that Jesus brings, let's clarify that. What do we not like sometimes that Jesus will do? What do we like that Jesus will do in our church? Let's get to it. Number one, the birth of Jesus reveals worry. It reveals worry. Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship Jesus. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled. And all Jerusalem with him. The founder of our Mathos movement, John Wesley, writes that the Magi were asking to pay Jesus, not Herod, the honor of bowing to the earth before him, which Eastern nations usually reserve for kings and monarchs, but they wanted to bow to obey him. Before a foreign power visits a country, they always ask, if possible, to talk to the leaders of said country. The Magi go to Herod, but they don't seek permission. We're here to worship. We don't care if you like it or not. Herod knows Jesus is a new variable to consider, and he doesn't like it that his life is about to change. This feeling of worry over Jesus and change, it's not just Herod. Any Israeli king would have had haunted memories at the first mention of a rival trying to challenge the throne. The son of King David, Absalom, gained in power in 2 Samuel 15. His rise in power was such a threat that King David said, We need to leave, or there won't be any escape. Herod has been in control for a long time and has kept people under his thumb. He even killed his own wife. Killed two children because he thought they were out to get his throne. So when Herod hears about Jesus, he tries to stay ahead of the game. Tell me where he is. He asked the Magi. Where's he at? So I can go and worship him. But he really wanted to kill him. Herod is not going to be like David and run. He's not going to take chains lying down. Time may march on, but he's not going to give up without a fight. Friends, if you want relevance in the Bible, there it is. If you want relevance in the Bible, it is here. We are Herod. Say, Pastor, you're lying. Sorry. Change one thing in your life and tell me how you react to it. We are Herod. We don't want to lose control, and we will panic, worry, and respectfully sometimes lie to keep control. We don't like new. We don't like change. We worry about it and stay up late about it. I know Jesus will lead first Methodist. I also know that not everyone likes change when change happens. Such changes in church usually bring up important questions. Will the church take a step back? Will the pastor be young or old? Will it be a full-time or will it be an interim? Friends, these are important questions, and you should have them. But I want to encourage you. Regardless of those questions, hear me clearly. You're not here for answers to those questions. You're here for Jesus. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, including the weight of what leadership's going to look like. Look at our eyes unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. Some of the best examples of believers staying focused on Jesus in the midst of change have been believers in the church when pastors leave. I spoke of a friend who is serving at a church I used to serve. I'm proud of her. She's going to do a great job for Jesus there. She was telling me the other day of individuals serving in BBS and leading prayer devotionals. And when I caught wind of the names, I was overjoyed. You want to know why? If I mentioned the names, she would know who they are. They are the same names that were doing the same thing when I served at that church five or six years ago. Friends, that's what it means to stay faithful to Christ. Staying obedient to him in the midst of change and watch him work wonders in your life. My dad served at a small church outside Lubbock called Canyon Methodist. We had a good time there and had a lot of great memories. But what struck me was when mom and dad and my brother Paul attended an area-wide church conference a couple years ago. The West Plains Conference did a video of all who were there, and in the video, John Rigg was talking to mom and dad in the video and passed by them. I said, Wait, I know him. I remember him. John was a member of Canyon Methodist Church that dad preached at when I was a kid, and you wouldn't believe it. I called Dad and I said, Is John Rigg still a Kenyan? Yes, he is. He's been there 30 years. Been there for pastor after pastor. And he continues to say, John will tell you, as Wen mentioned a minute ago, there was a little fear when Dad left, but he loved Jesus and he didn't have a choice to stay in. He just said, I'm gonna stay right here. I'm gonna stay in the canyon because Jesus is here. My church family is here, and I'm not gonna leave them just because there's a change. See? It revealed an interesting point. To defeat worry, a biblical response. Write this down. A biblical response to worry is obedience to Christ. Worried about finances, worried about your family, worried about your future, go obey. That's not just a temporary relief strategy. The more you obey Christ, the more his presence will walk with you in your season of change. In the weeks ahead, I invite you to find somewhere in the church where you can contribute your obedience to Jesus. If you're already leading somewhere in the church, keep doing it. Don't stop. That's why would you break a good thing? Don't stop leading just because there's change in the air. Keep doing it. Watch what Jesus will do in your life when you do so. Thankfully, the story doesn't end with bad news like worry. Jesus not only reveals worry in our lives over change, but he also reveals joy. For the Magi, the birth of Jesus reveals joy. Wise men from the east came and saying, Where is he who was born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star and have come to worship him. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great joy. And after going into the house, they saw Jesus with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then opened him their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. There's a lot of debate on where the magi were from. A lot of debate. Someone said that they're Aramaic out of Persia. Someone said that the Magi weren't Persian, they were Chinese, that they took the Silk Road from China all the way to Bethlehem. Why did the Magi come? Did they come? Because they were enduring change in their own lives. So we need to go somewhere else? Did they know enough of the prophecy to know a solution was coming to their changes? Whatever it is, whatever prompted the Magi to follow the star, they ain't there for diplomacy. They're not there to make nights. They aren't there for ceremony, gossip, or slander. They are there for worship. The Magi's visit is likely two years after Jesus' birth. You can tell the Magi are focused, they're wise, they're locked in. For weeks they rode into Bethlehem, knowing their lives were going to change because of the joy of seeing Jesus. Psychologists are catching up to the biblical concept of joy. Listen to this note. I have it up here for you. Studies show that the more you focus on what brings you joy, such a search will literally rewire your brain to look for more joy. Understand that. The more you focus in on what gives you joy, whether that be Christ, whether that be something you do during your week, your brain will literally rewire to look more for that thing. And while that goes into a lot of roads biblically, what the point is this. When the Magi get to Jerusalem, Matthew does not mess around with ceremony. They don't go through the bells and whistles of properly honoring Herod and worshiping Herod and all that. Matthew wants the real thing. Where is he? Who's been born king of the Jews? Can you blame them? Two years of riding on a donkey in the desert. They show up, they are ready, right? Where is he? We're not here for ceremony. Where is he who was born king of the Jews? For we have come to worship him. The Apostle Paul expanded on the benefits of intentional search for joy in Philippians 4. Finally, brothers and sisters. Whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, if anything is praiseworthy, think about such things, and the God of peace will be with you. I will admit, it is hard work to remain a joyful person in our time. For the Magi, the choice was simple. Seeing the star where Jesus stayed did not mean that was the time to be negative. Going into the house with the child and his mother, they worship Jesus and open their gifts. We can learn something from the joy of the Magi, can't we? I can. For so long we have searched for joy, purpose, and our jobs, and our relationships, and our money, and our politics. And it's empty, isn't it? You just restart the process in four years or one month or one day even. We have discovered all of that is empty. The power of the movie Soul from Pixar was when the main character, Joe Gardner, played by vitality, Jamie Foxx, was when in the big moment, after years of struggle, he was finally in a position to do what he always wanted. Play live music. And if you remember the movie, What Happens after he plays live music, you would think he would be satisfied. That's not what happened. Joe says, after his live performance, he says, I thought I'd feel different. I thought I'd finally get what I always, but I don't feel different. Friends, that is not the response of the Magi. Thanks be to God. Their comment after getting to the star is not, I thought I'd feel different. Their response is a new era. Something finally goes our way. We have finally made it. And they bow before Jesus and they lay before him the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Their joy was complete, you see. Didn't need anything else. They finally made it. To do what they always wanted, to see the Christ child. Time does march on. But hear me, in Christ it doesn't have to be that way. That's how the Magi felt. Through Christ, your joy can remain and be stronger no matter who or who isn't in your life. These things I have spoken to you. So that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. John 15, verse 11. What does the birth of Jesus then do for you? What does the Thomas family leaving do for you? Does it worry you? Does Jesus leaving this church worry you? Here's the good news. It worried Herod. Bad news, depending on how you look at it, because Herod was worried about Jesus leading. He was so worried he went to every child to and under and killed them. When Herod realized he may not be by the Magi, he was furious and gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity, who were two years and under, and according to the time he had learned from the Magi. Then it was said, through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, a voice heard in Ramah, weeping and mourning. Rachel's weeping for her children, because they are no more. Remember, when you quote an Old Testament passage, it's never singular, it's always plural. So Matthew is not only quoting one verse in Jeremiah, he's quoting the entire chapter in Jeremiah 31. Does Matthew really end chapter 2 on Herod killing kids? That's pretty tragic, if that's the case. Let's go to Jeremiah 31 and see what Matthew is quoting, plural. Thus says the Lord, a voice heard in Rama, lamentation and weeping. Rachel's weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted, for they are no more. But then plural, listen to this. So good. Thus says the Lord, keep your voice from weeping and wipe away those tears. There is a reward for your work. They shall come back from the land of the enemy, your children will. There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, and one day your children will come back to their own country. Friends, you want to know what Matthew is saying? You want to know what he is saying? He is saying the day of hope is today. Your hope is here. Your hope in Christ is now. The time of sin's power in your life is over. I hear what you're saying. Pastor, I can't get my hopes up. The Bible talks about the birth of Jesus being a new day, but how do I know I won't be disappointed by new church leadership? Let's read the rest of Jeremiah. What does the rest of Jeremiah say in Jeremiah 31? Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day, and a fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar, the Lord of hosts is his name. Listen to this. If this fixed order passes away from my sight, if this fixed order departs before me, declares the Lord, only then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever. Y'all, God is awesome here. He's using hyperbole. How can a holy God lose track of the universe? Huh? How can God lose track of the universe? Can his plans fail for First Methodists? Can his purposes fail for Rihanna and I? He tells the audience and tells you and me. When pigs fly. Pigs will never fly, right? God will never lose track of the universe. When pigs fly, only then will I lose track. If I lose track of the stars, only then will the Thomas family and believers at first Methodist cease to exist. So here are the good news. Our God is Almighty. He's mighty, man. Some of you are living testaments of that in the building today. All of you are. He is mighty, and his purposes will never lead you astray. Time marches on after next week. But because of Jesus, first Matthew's Miniola and the Thomas family. We'll make it. In the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.