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“The Road Isn’t Straight”
January 5, 2025 Cobleskill United Methodist Church, Pastor Anna Blinn Cole
Matthew 2:1-12 | Isaiah 43:16-21
Epiphany Sunday
Matthew 2:1-12
2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east[b] and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah[c] was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd[d] my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi[e] and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east,[f] until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped,[g] they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Isaiah 43:16-21
16 Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters,17 who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior;they lie down; they cannot rise; they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:18 Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old.19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.20 The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches,for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert,to give drink to my chosen people,21 the people whom I formed for myselfso that they might declare my praise.
As we come to the end of our series, we turn to the Magi. This year, as I read the story with fresh
ears and eyes, I was struck by how their long and unexpected journey resembles a core truth
for us all: life will unfold with unexpected turns. At some point, we could be called to embark on a
long journey in an unknown place. We will surely encounter barriers, detours, and deterrents along
the way. Sometimes when our path changes direction we can feel distance from God. Other times we might see that it’s God’s still, small voice, that is guiding us into a different direction.
It’s my hope today that this statement: “The Road Isn’t Straight” can be a liberating and empowering message, though, not a scary one. What if life’s road was never meant to be a straight line from one point to the next. What if, at best, that concept is aspirational; and at worst it brings shame and despair. It feels eerily like the old adage that many Christians were taught to follow “the straight and narrow.”
This week’s scripture encourages us to give ourselves grace when our life doesn’t follow a straight and narrow path. The magi who found Jesus are often depicted as peacefully arriving at the stable in the glow of Jesus’ birth. But in reality, their arrival was not a straight path and it didn’t end peacefully for all. You see, back in the 1st century there was a man named King Herod who ruled with an iron fist at the time when Jesus was born. He was violent. He was jealous. He was willing to do anything to stay in power. The Magi were out-of-towners. They didn’t know Herod for who he was and so when he summoned them they spilled the beans. “There’s this king of the Jews that’s been born,” they said. The thought of it sent Herod into a violent rage. Suddenly the road that was straight had to be bent because of Herod’s rage. The Magi had to be told in a dream by God to go home another way after their visit to Jesus. That bought Mary and Joseph some time. We know from the story that all works out okay for Jesus and his family. But in reality, the only reason Jesus wasn’t swept into Herod’s violent rampage, remembered now as the Slaughter of the Innocents, is because Jesus and his family had time to escape. God gave them the opportunity to flee to another country and they took it. The road wasn’t straight. But God made a way.
A lot of the world has changed in 2000 years, but a lot of the world hasn’t changed in 2000 years. There is still violence. There is still jealousy. There are still political leaders and political systems that threaten those who want to live peacefully. Families continue to need to run to other countries where they can be safe. And yet, we as a culture are still tempted to cast blame and shame on those whose lives don’t fit into neat and perfect, linear paths.
This week the Council of Bishops, which provides wisdom and leadership for our United Methodist Church, issued a letter for each congregation to read together. I’ve made copies to share with you on the back shelf. I’ll summarize it now by saying, Epiphany is an important moment in the church year to pay attention to the ways ourselves and others around us may face roads that aren’t straight. It’s an important moment in the church year to recognize that Jesus and his young family were once forced to change their plans; to find a new road; to face an uncertain future. Jesus and his family were, in every sense of the word, refugees. People looking for safety. And God was with them.
Today as we think about giving ourselves grace for times when our life takes unexpected turns, let us also think about giving others grace, too. If we are ever in the position of meeting someone whose life has taken them down roads they didn’t expect, can we be better at showing grace than we are at casting judgement. There are immigrants, refugees, and migrants who live right within our own community. Can we strive toward seeing the ways God might be guiding their path to safety instead of assuming they are guilty of something?
I want us to believe that life is complicated and nuanced and that even so God is with us. I want us to not only validate that there are many faithful paths that our own lives can take, but to extend that same grace to those around us who may feel they have very few options. If we believe that God can use a star to guide foreigners from a distant land to pay homage to a young child in whom they saw a loving king, we must have faith that God can chart a faithful path that resists the deception and oppression that sits in mighty thrones of power where love is scarce. We must believe in a God that draws outsiders and insiders alike to kneel to a king whose real power lies in his ability not to hold on to power and rule with an iron fist but to relate to the most vulnerable and love in the face of fear.
We have heard about how the star guided the Magi toward the light of Christ and how the path took some twists and turns. We’ve heard about how love ultimately won over fear and how this is still a challenge for us to seek out today as we see the face of God in those whose roads are bending.
But now we’d like to hear from you. Last year, if you were here on Epiphany, you may have received a Star Word. How did this word guide you? What little bits of wisdom did God teach you as you went down, potentially, unexpected paths?
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Anna
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