1-5-97	Where is the Child?	Isaiah 60:1-6

Ephesians 3:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12

There is a child in each and every one of us. Have you ever heard that? Some psychologists operate on the theory that within each of us there is a child, an adult, and a parent. The child is that part of us that wants to be loved and cared for. It is also the part of us that likes to play and have fun and be creative and have friends. It is also the part of us that cries when its feelings get hurt, or gets lonely or desperate or frightened. And we all have this child in us.

But, there is also an adult in each of us. It is this adult that has to deal with life's responsibilities, make sure the bills are paid, groceries have been purchased, the car is taken care of. And sometimes, in each of us, the adult gets more powerful than the child so that the child doesn't get out very often. Sometimes the adult gets so powerful that a person can never play or have fun or be creative or have very many friends. Sometimes the adult gets so powerful that we may find it difficult to cry when our feelings get hurt, or admit that we are lonely or desperate or frightened. And when that happens a person can get ulcers, or get depressed, or have a heart attack, or get asthma, or start drinking.

But, then all of us have an parent hiding somewhere in our psyches, as well. And that parent is the one who may actually nurture the child in us, by saying, "It's ok to play! It's ok to be creative! It's ok to cry! It's ok to share an intimate feeling!" Or, on the other hand, it may be that parent who may smother the child by telling it to, "Stop fooling around!" or "Quit writing that stupid poetry!" or giving the child parental messages, like: "You're being bad!"

And, so it is easy for our child to get hidden away, sometimes for hours at a time, or days at a time, or even years at a time, in some individuals. And when that happens a person's creativity stops, life ceases to be enjoyable, we forget how to play, or we can even get sick.

So, I would suggest that each of us look for the child that is in each of us and nurture that child a bit. Care for that child. Encourage that child. For, believe it or not, that child within you is your very soul. That child within you is what Jesus came to save. That child within you is the one whom we long for when we sing "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know." That little child is the one Jesus was talking about when he said, "Unless you come to me as a little child, you cannot come into the kingdom of God." That little child is who we really are!

And, so I start this morning's sermon about the Wise Men by saying that what they did would be a good example for each of us to follow their example. For what were they doing? They were searching for the child, a child who had been born in Bethlehem, a child whose star they had seen in the east, a child who had come to be the king of Israel, a child who would rule the world, a child who would be our Savior Jesus Christ.

Now, it is logical that as the Wise Men were searching for the child they would, of course, go to the palace of the King of Israel, located in Jerusalem. It is truly logical that they would have gone to the place where kings are usually born. But, of course, that isn't where Jesus was born, is it? Jesus wasn't born in a palace. He wasn't even born in a rich man's home. He wasn't even born into a middle class family. Instead, he was born to two homeless people who had been out on the street, and had to find shelter in a stable, in the midst of cows and sheep and donkeys. And, of course, that, in and of itself, reminds us that Jesus came to save the whole world, from the bottom up. Jesus came to save the whole world, starting with the homeless, and the shepherds, and the other wretched people of the earth, and on up to the rest of us. He was born there in the midst of them. And, of course, that is where we need to continue looking for him, today. And that is why we must never turn our back upon the lowest of our world, no matter what family they may come from, or what neighborhood they live in, or what color their skin is, or what ever humanity might consider their worth to be.

So, no, as the Wise Men went searching, they didn't find Jesus in Jerusalem in the palace of the King. But, you know what is interesting? What is interesting here is that as the Wise Men were searching for the child, they went directly to the man who had the most to lose by the birth of that baby. They went directly to the man who would try to destroy the very One they were looking for. Isn't that interesting? Isn't that ironic? Think about it! Do things like that ever happen in real life? It would be like having a flat tire and going to the home of a car-jacker to ask for help. Or, it would be like a conservative Republican running for the Senate unwittingly hiring an ardently liberal democrat to be his campaign manager. It would be like the burglar who goes to an uncover policeman for advice on where to fence the things he has stolen. Yes, things like that do happen in real life.

And this is what happened to the Wise Men. They went to the arch enemy of the child, himself, alerting him of something that had happened in his kingdom that would threaten his power. Of course, we might even wonder at the wisdom of those men that the bible calls "wise" for having done such a thing. But, perhaps it was God's will that even the arch enemy of the child, himself, should be told of the Savior's birth. For this was news that had to be told to the whole world, even to the powers and principalities of evil.

It is tough going forth into the world with the message of the gospel. But, that is what all of us have been called to do. And the story of the Wise men tells us that we cannot limit that message to just the people we know, or to the people we care about, or to the people we think will listen, or just to the people who we think might make good contributors to the church, or just to those who might be useful to us, or just to those who we trust will not take unfair advantage of us. Instead, we may even be asked to take the Good News of the Savior's birth to those who might twist the truth for their own good. We may even be asked to take the Good News of the Savior's birth to those who might want to use us to safeguard their power, and even lie to us, or about us. Hey! That's what happened to the Wise Men, wasn't it, as they searched for the child? So, what else should we expect as we, ourselves, search for the child who has come into the world?

I was talking to a member of the Salvation Army a few weeks ago. In fact, those folks have a lot of interesting stories about people they have helped. And as I was talking to this person I asked, "What about the people who come to you and just want to take advantage of you? For instance, the people who had money, but spent it on liquor and now go to you for groceries? Don't you feel like they're using and abusing you?" I asked.

But, I was amazed by the answer of this person. She said, "You know, our first priority is not to feed or clothe or shelter people. That may be what it looks like. Rather, our first priority is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. And if people come to us to take advantage of us, or use us, or abuse us, or even take the shirts off of our backs, we can still use that occasion as an opportunity to share the gospel of our Lord." In the midst of being robbed, in the midst of being hurt, in the midst of being abused, you can still share the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone. And that's all that really counts. And isn't that the message of our Lord when he told us to love our enemies and pray for them? Isn't that the message Jesus had for those he told to walk the extra mile? And isn't that the message Jesus has for those of us in the church, today?

The Wise Men left King Herod and went to Bethlehem. They followed the star and found the child where they least expected him – lying in a manger in Bethlehem. And we're told that they offered him gifts of gold, frankensence, and myrrh.

You know, one of the amazing things about this story is that the Wise Men knew where to go when they got to Bethlehem. How could they have known which house, or what stable to go to? After all, how many babies might have been born in Bethlehem in those days? Or isn't it possible that the Wise Men ran into some shepherds on their way into the city, shepherds with news of the Savior's birth?

You know, it is very important for us to remember: When you let the least of the world know about the birth of the Savior, the message really doesn't take long to get around. If people know that this is where they can get in touch with the living Lord; if people who are hurting know that this is the place they can come to find healing; if lonely people find out that this is where they can come to find a friend; if sick at heart people find out that this is where they can come to find wholeness; if children find out that this is where they can come to get a hug, if poor people learn that this is where they can get in touch with riches that can never rot or spoil – the news travels fast. It doesn't take long. And before you know it the place is overrun with strange looking guys with funny hats on camels and who knows what or who else! But, isn't that what we want? Isn't that why we're a church? Isn't that what God has called us here to be?

The Wise Men came looking for the child. It is interesting what the book of John says about this child. It says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all people."

Remember what I said about how our psyches are composed of a child, an adult, and a parent? I said that it is the child in us that loves to play, be creative, and have relationships. Well, the same is true, for God, as well. The Son of God, God's only begotten Child, is the very Word of God without whom nothing would have been created. Through him all things were made. Praise God for the Father, the Holy Parent of the universe, who sent Christ into the world and set him free to be our Savior! And Praise God for the Holy Spirit, the eternal enabling adult, for making that Child available to us!

Are you searching for the child? I hope you find him. And don't let the parent or the adult in you, or whatever it may be, prevent you from your search or keep you from your quest.	Amen.