The Newborn King

Rebecca Sheridan
Sunday, January 4, 2026
Matthew 2:1-12

    I was wearing these silly Christmas bulb earrings the day before Christmas Eve when I got my hair cut, and my hairdresser said, “I love your earrings, what are you doing for Christmas Eve, having family over?”  Now, I went right from church to get my hair cut and was wearing my clerical collar.  “I’m pretty busy tomorrow,” I said, thinking she would get the hint.  She didn’t.  “I will be leading worship tomorrow, for Christmas Eve, at my church.”  “OH my goodness,” she exclaimed. “I have never seen you in your official uniform, I totally forgot you are a pastor, of course you are busy tomorrow!  What time is the service, maybe I’ll come!”  We both laughed about how she had been so distracted by my bright earrings, she didn’t even see a big obvious reminder about what I’d be doing Christmas Eve with the shirt I was wearing!
    Have you ever been looking at one thing, only to totally miss another thing right in front of your face that should be obvious?  This morning, we are celebrating the beginning of the season of Epiphany, which officially starts January 6.  Epiphany simply means “showing up” or “revelation.”  God wants to show us something about who he is and what he is doing in our lives for us.  And what God is doing is not something to miss!  Sometimes, though, we do miss what God is doing, because we’re paying attention to other things or looking elsewhere.  As we begin a new year and think about our resolutions and hopes for 2026, it’s a good question to ask – what is God trying to show us, this year?  How do we create healthy spiritual habits to be looking in the right places, so we don’t miss what God is up to in the world?
    The wise men (I like to call them magi, because there might have been women among them, and this is the word that Matthew uses, not wise men) are paying attention to what God is up to.  Although they come from the east and are not Jewish (in other words, outsiders), they do not miss what God is doing through Jesus.  They have been observing the stars in the sky, and this new star that God uses to guide them to Jesus.  They know the words of the prophet Micah foretelling of this shepherding ruler from Bethlehem, and recite this prophecy.  They are listening to God in dreams to head back home by another road to avoid Herod.  If you go back and look at our gospel passage for this morning, God is not directly mentioned at all – God’s actions are subtle.  You have to look between the lines to see how God is involved in this story of the magi.  There is no divine voice speaking from the opened heavens or from a burning bush.  But because the magi are paying attention, they see what others miss – that God is doing a new, wonderful thing in this baby born in Bethlehem of Judea, and they point others to what God is doing in this baby Jesus.  
The magi bring these symbolic gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to tell us who Jesus is, to further show us what God is up to in Jesus:  gold was a standard gift for a new king – Jesus will be the king not only of the Jews, but of all nations.  Frankincense was used by priests to symbolize the presence of God in worship – Jesus is the son of God, not merely another human king.  Myrrh was used as anointing oil for priests as well as for dead bodies before burial – Jesus the newborn King and Son of God will also be our suffering servant, the high priest who sacrifices himself on the cross for us and for our salvation.  The magi are not distracted by fear even in the danger of their journey, or by the wealth and threatening power of King Herod. They remain focused on worshipping and joyfully celebrating God’s greatest gift of Jesus, the newborn King, in Bethlehem.
In contrast, when King Herod speaks with the magi, he does not understand or want to understand what God is trying to show him in the birth of Jesus.  “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?” He thinks, “Aren’t I the king of the Jews? How can there be another king!”  He doesn’t rejoice in what God is doing through Jesus, rather, he is frightened and feels threatened.  He doesn’t want to give up any of his current power and control to adjust to God doing a new thing in someone else.  So he will order the slaughter of children two years old and younger as Mary, Joseph and Jesus escape as refugees to Egypt to try to stop what God is doing in Jesus, but of course, he cannot succeed.
This first story of Epiphany has us asking again, what is God trying to show us?  And how might I be preventing a new thing God is trying to do in me and through me in this new year?  We can think about what distracts us from God’s plan for our lives – busy schedules, pressures and expectations we put on ourselves or that we feel from others, a desire to be more in control or avoiding a difficult change in our lives.  God may not be speaking to us from a burning bush or from the heavens in a booming voice, but are we paying attention to our dreams, to signs, to God’s Word in scripture that is pointing the ways for us just as God does for the magi in Matthew?  God leads the magi to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem and reveals who this baby Jesus is as Heavenly King, Son of God, and Suffering Savior.  God will lead us, too, in this New Year, to deeper understanding of who Jesus is for us, and what our role in this great story of God is in 2026.  Pay attention!  Look for signs.  Rejoice, that Christ is the newborn king.  Amen.