Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Word of the Lord which engages us this morning comes from our Gospel lesson (Matthew 2: 1-12, the visit of the Magi).

Every Christmas, the media helps the church proclaim the message of Jesus' birth around the world. Articles are written, church services broadcast, and TV news pieces written about the impact the birth of Christ has had on our world. It is difficult for us to understand that there are still countless millions of people who do not know of Christ's birth, or his teachings, or his death and resurrection (modified from Rev. Ray Mirly, Concordia Pulpit Resource, Epiphany 2002). Billions more know the facts of Christ's birth and life and death and resurrection, but approach those facts with a "Ho Hum", lackadaisical, even apathetic attitude. That is the attitude that we Christians have to watch out for in ourselves. When the marvel of, the mystery of God's revelation in the person of Jesus Christ becomes dull and uninteresting to us, we need to search God's Word and our own hearts to rediscover the wonder of this little child, God and man.

God chose to reveal this marvel, this mystery to the Magi, the wise men. They were, apparently, not Jews themselves, but Gentiles like nearly all of us. God chose to reveal the mystery of Jesus to them, first in the star, then through God's Word in Micah "But you Bethlehem� out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel." These Magi did not respond with indifference or apathy. They were willing to travel hundreds of miles, probably on camel backs. My family laughs at me when we pass the camel herd over on I-70 and Deep Creek Road east of here. I'm always saying "look for the camels" as we drive by. But as enthusiastic as I am about seeing those camels, I am certainly glad that God has never called me to ride on them from here to Salt Lake City. But our Lord chose to reveal this marvel to the Magi, and they traveled. When they saw the star stopped over the place where the child was, they were overjoyed. On coming to His house, they bowed down and worshipped Him. They opened up their gifts and presented their expensive treasures to this newborn King. And they did not yet even know the full story that was to come.

They only knew that God had done something spectacular, wondrous, mysterious in the heavens. What the Magi did to find Jesus, the King of the Jews, paled in comparison to what He had done and would do for them.

Stephen Brown, in his book, If God Is In Charge, tells a wonderful story about a young couple that says a great deal about God's work in this world: "She was eighteen and he was nineteen when they met. They fell in love, and one year later they were married. Some six years and three children later, she decided while standing before the kitchen sink with a pile of dirty dishes and with a pile of dirty diapers on the floor, that she just couldn't stand it any more. She took off her apron and just walked out the door. Sometimes she would call home to check on the children, and on those occasions he would tell her how much he loved her, and he would ask her to come home. Each time she refused.

After a number of days, he hired a private detective to find his wife. The report said she was living in a second-class hotel in Des Moines, Iowa. He packed his bags, placed the children under the care of a neighbor, and took a bus to Des Moines. He found the hotel and made his way to her room. When he knocked on the door, his hand trembled because he didn't know the kind of reception he would receive. His wife opened the door, stood for a moment looking at him in shocked silence, and then fell apart in his arms. Later, at home, when the children were in bed, he asked her a question that had long troubled him: `Why wouldn�t you tell me where you were when you called? You knew I loved you. Why didn�t you come home?� "She replied, `Before, your love was just words. Now I know how much you love me because you came.�" God came! That�s the glorious message of Christmas. It is the message of the Apostle John when he say, The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (from Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com, Adapted from Stephen Brown, If God Is In Charge, Baker Book House, October 1994). He came because He loves us even though we don't deserve his love.

The Magi traveled along way to find the baby born King of the Jews. They sacrificed much of their time and money and energy and gifts to come and worship Him. But their little trip paled in comparison to the length and cost of the trip He undertook. Their sacrifice of time and gifts paled in comparison to the sacrifice He was making for them, that He was making for me, that He was making for you. Their sacrifice was risky, because they had to face the treachery of an evil ruler like Herod. But the Lord protected them in a dream and they returned safely to their country by another route. Jesus' sacrifice to come was even riskier. He had to face the treachery of many evil rulers and religious leaders, all the evil of the world itself in our stead. He had to face the wrath of God Himself, to make Himself a ransom for our sin. The Lord Jesus protected us through giving Himself on the cross.

The Magi came and were overjoyed at finding the child. He wasn't special looking. He wasn't arrayed in fine jewels or robes or living in a fine palace. He was in a house in simple Bethlehem.

When the marvel of, the mystery of God's revelation in the person of Jesus Christ becomes dull and uninteresting to us, we need to again search the simple things that He has given us to find Him. We need to search God's Word to rediscover the wonder of this little child, God and man. When our hearts start to lose the enthusiasm we once had about this simple baby, we need to turn to His Word and His Sacraments, the simple places where He has chosen to make Himself present for us. I came across this little verse this week, by John Betjeman, which portrays the marvelous simplicity of our salvation.

"No love that in a family dwells,
No carolling in frosty air,
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells
Can with this single Truth compare
That God was Man in Palestine
And lives to-day in Bread and Wine."
(from John Betjeman, Last verse of his lyric "Christmas")

I said earlier that it is amazing to us that millions even billions of people still have not heard the message of Jesus 2000 years after the visit of the Magi. The Epiphany, the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ still continues today. The message of His appearance still comes in simple means, through God's people like you and me. Jesus gave the Great Commission to his disciples of old and that message still holds for you and me: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you�" Jesus' message of God and Man and the salvation He brings comes to the world now not through Magi and Mary and Joseph. That message of Jesus comes through other simple means: You and Me.

C.S. Lewis once wrote that a saint is a person who makes God believable. Saints make God believable by living a life of truth and light, as Jesus did.

You're doing that here this morning. The Magi traveled hundreds of miles on camel to follow the star and see the Baby Jesus. We traveled a few minutes by car, but for a similar reason: To hear the Word about Baby Jesus. We have come to again "have the mystery of God's grace made known to us by revelation, to increase our understanding of the mystery of Christ" (Ephesians 3 paraphrased). We have come here again to be made disciples anew, to be taught to follow, not a star, but every gracious Word of God He has called us to follow (Great Commission paraphrased). By being here this morning, you are following the trail of the Wise Men, seeking Baby Jesus, the Savior of the World.

The Magi were the first Gentile evangelists, the first to make the mystery of the Christ Child publicly known. We can continue on their trail by seeking to be later Gentile evangelists. How can we do that? Well there are thousands of ways, but I will mention just a few. We can invite others along with us on our short trips to hear Jesus, that is we can invite them to church and share with them why we are worshipping Him. We can present Him with a portion of our time and treasures, as the Magi did, so that the message of His salvation can be spread throughout Junction City and Africa and the rest of the world. We can let them see our own enthusiasm for the message that "God was Man in Palestine and lives (among us) today in bread and wine.

And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7)