WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.719 That's the theme of epiphany, the idea that the gospel is able to cross cultural boundaries. 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:17.179 And we see in this story that God's desire is that the gospel would cross cultural boundaries, 00:00:17.660 --> 00:00:24.740 right? And yet as we say that, as we begin to talk about evangelism, sharing the gospel with 00:00:24.740 --> 00:00:29.179 people who haven't heard about Jesus, I think if we're totally honest, people, probably most of the 00:00:29.179 --> 00:00:34.140 people in this room, younger Christians especially, we kind of wince when we hear that. You know, wince 00:00:34.140 --> 00:00:40.820 at the idea of sharing faith and trying to convert other people to our faith. That's kind of a, it's a 00:00:40.820 --> 00:00:46.659 very taboo thing to do in this culture. It's one of the great sins that we can commit is to try to 00:00:46.659 --> 00:00:52.600 convert somebody. You know, Barna did research on this and they found that if you try to convert 00:00:52.600 --> 00:00:58.799 somebody else to your belief system, your worldview, 60% of Americans would consider you to be a 00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:05.379 religious extremist, which is not a good label to have in our culture. And so the majority of 00:01:05.379 --> 00:01:10.979 people out there, you know, a lot of Christians included, feel very negatively about evangelism. 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:16.719 And then you take that a step further when you begin to talk about cross cultural evangelism. 00:01:16.719 --> 00:01:22.439 Because a lot of times when that comes up, we immediately think of the horror stories in history, 00:01:22.439 --> 00:01:31.060 a number of which are true, very true, where people confused evangelism with cultural imperialism. 00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:37.599 And right, if you're anything like me, you begin to get a mental image of men in pith helmets, 00:01:38.060 --> 00:01:44.039 sort of robbing indigenous people of their land and their resources and forcing them to adopt 00:01:44.039 --> 00:01:50.599 not only Western religion, but Western clothing and Western lifestyle and Western values and Western 00:01:50.599 --> 00:01:56.039 language. And these are horror stories. And nobody wants to be a part of that. 00:01:57.159 --> 00:02:01.299 And so we think, particularly as younger Christians, that we've come to a place where we've sort of 00:02:01.299 --> 00:02:05.579 seen through that. We feel very cynical about it. We certainly don't want to ever repeat it. 00:02:05.579 --> 00:02:10.459 And so when it comes to the idea of evangelism, most of us sort of shy away from that. 00:02:11.419 --> 00:02:16.400 It's just not done anymore. Let people believe what they believe. I'll believe what I believe and you 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:21.860 believe what you believe. So I think that there is this sense that we all feel discomfort with it. 00:02:22.159 --> 00:02:29.759 And yet when you read the story of the Magi, there is one point being made very loudly and clearly in 00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:38.700 this passage. And that point, the central point of the story, is that God desires for all the nations 00:02:38.699 --> 00:02:47.159 to hear the good news of Jesus. That God's heart is that every man, woman, and child would come to 00:02:47.159 --> 00:02:53.919 recognize the truth of Jesus Christ. And you know, I'm married to my wife, Laura, and I love Laura. And 00:02:53.919 --> 00:03:00.479 because I love Laura, I love the things that she loves. And I prioritize the things that she prioritizes. 00:03:00.599 --> 00:03:05.120 It's part of what it means to love her and to be committed to her. And in the same way, those of us who 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:11.700 are here who love the Lord, part of what it means to love God is to love the things that God loves and 00:03:11.700 --> 00:03:17.360 to care about those things. And this is telling us that God cares about the gospel going to the nations. 00:03:17.700 --> 00:03:24.319 So how do we reconcile that internal tension we feel over evangelism? Is it all cultural imperialism? 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:29.920 Are we forcing our beliefs on other people? Should we not avoid that at all costs? That thing, 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:36.159 how do we hold that together with this very clear sense that God's desire is for the gospel to spread 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:41.719 around the world? I think the story of the Magi helps us begin to reconcile these things a bit. 00:03:41.859 --> 00:03:47.119 So we're going to focus in on Matthew 2. We're going to look specifically at the Magi and the star and 00:03:47.119 --> 00:03:53.599 how they come to faith in Jesus. In years past, we've talked about Herod and things like that. We've gone 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:58.599 into more detail there. Tonight, we're really just going to focus on the Magi and this looming question. 00:03:58.599 --> 00:04:02.359 And we're going to trust that the Lord's going to speak through His Word. So let's pray, 00:04:02.539 --> 00:04:07.359 and then we'll open His Word together. Lord, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You that we 00:04:07.359 --> 00:04:15.419 can come to You with questions and uncertainties and doubts, and we can come with the hope that You're 00:04:15.419 --> 00:04:21.500 able and willing and that You do speak through Your Word to us. And so we know that that's our hope 00:04:21.500 --> 00:04:25.500 this evening, not the wisdom of human beings, but rather that You would be the God who speaks, 00:04:25.500 --> 00:04:30.199 as You always have been. We pray that You would do it again in Your Son's name. Amen. 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:37.939 So let's look at the Magi and just get a little context on who these individuals are. You know, 00:04:37.939 --> 00:04:46.259 the story or the song, We Three Kings of Orient Are, is more or less sort of wrong on every count. 00:04:46.259 --> 00:04:51.699 You know, they're probably not kings. We have no idea how many there were. There could have been a 00:04:51.699 --> 00:04:57.779 dozen, we dozen kings. But, you know, three, I think, has been the traditional understanding. But 00:04:57.779 --> 00:05:02.719 we really don't, we're not told how many there are. They're probably not kings, most likely not kings. 00:05:02.920 --> 00:05:07.279 And I wouldn't really say they're from the Orient. We don't really say anybody's from the Orient 00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:12.980 anymore. We, they're from a region, what was formerly, probably the former site of Babylon, 00:05:12.980 --> 00:05:20.800 which is in modern-day Iraq. So this is probably where they're from. Simply put, the Magi are very 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:27.640 highly educated religious scientists. They don't have the post-Enlightenment hang-ups about faith 00:05:27.640 --> 00:05:33.640 and science that some of us do. They're religious, they're very religious, and they're scientists. And 00:05:33.640 --> 00:05:38.920 for them, that is one and the same. And they're into a lot of different things. These are very learned 00:05:38.920 --> 00:05:45.819 men. They are very, very knowledgeable, very widely read. And one of their major points of focus was 00:05:45.819 --> 00:05:53.800 astrology. Astrology, the idea that you can observe the movements and the behavior of the heavenly 00:05:53.800 --> 00:05:59.720 bodies. And if you're observing these things and interpreting the signs in the sky, you can discern 00:05:59.720 --> 00:06:06.960 all kinds of things about the world, about the activity of the gods, about the future. And so they 00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:13.060 paid a lot of attention to the sky. And then the other thing that we realize from this passage about 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:19.079 the Magi is they're very knowledgeable about the Jewish scriptures. These are not Jews, 00:06:19.699 --> 00:06:25.899 and yet they're very well read in the Old Testament scriptures. And we ask, well, how could that be? 00:06:26.459 --> 00:06:33.419 Well, hundreds of years, roughly 600 years before this account takes place, Israel had been taken 00:06:33.420 --> 00:06:39.800 into captivity in Babylon. You read about this in places like the book of Daniel. And Daniel had been 00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:45.900 taken into Babylon against his will in exile. And then the plan was that Daniel would be trained as 00:06:45.900 --> 00:06:51.980 a Magi. So he's actually taught and trained and learns how to be a Magi. And then what you have there 00:06:51.980 --> 00:07:00.000 is the kind of cultural exchange happening at Babylon University, where Daniel is learning how to be a 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:08.600 Magi in Babylon. And he's also introducing the other Magi to the Hebrew texts. And so from that point 00:07:08.600 --> 00:07:16.199 forward, you have this influence, not only of Babylon on Israel, but an influence from Israel on Babylon. 00:07:16.600 --> 00:07:24.920 And those scriptures became incorporated into the library of the Magi. So this is the setup. This is how 00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:31.699 we're to understand these people. And we don't really know much beyond that about them. So we have 00:07:31.699 --> 00:07:36.100 the Magi. The other detail that we need to understand a little bit more about is the star. 00:07:37.259 --> 00:07:42.720 Right? We have these Middle Eastern religious scientists, and they know the scriptures. And 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:47.319 then there's some kind of major celestial event, which if you're paying attention to the stars and 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:53.700 looking for signs, this would have been a big one. Big new bright star appears. So there's a lot of 00:07:53.699 --> 00:07:58.779 theories about what this could have been. I think one of the more prominent, more plausible theories 00:07:58.779 --> 00:08:04.420 is in fact that it was not a star. That it was more likely a planetary conjunction. 00:08:06.019 --> 00:08:12.800 We know there's a cuneiform inscription from the observatory of Sippar in Babylonia that tells us 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:17.139 that right at this time, right around the time when this would have been, there was actually a 00:08:17.139 --> 00:08:25.519 planetary conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn. Now I've never seen that happen. It happened again 00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:32.819 in Kepler's day. And according to Kepler's writings, this is a pretty amazing thing to witness. Very 00:08:32.819 --> 00:08:40.419 bright, very hard to miss. It looks like a new bright star appears in the sky. And we know this happened 00:08:40.419 --> 00:08:48.379 right around this time. And it also happened within the constellation known as Pisces. Right? If you're 00:08:48.379 --> 00:08:53.039 into astrology and you believe that the different constellations have meaning and significance, 00:08:53.519 --> 00:09:00.139 then you would note that this conjunction appeared within Pisces. And so if you're one of the magi, 00:09:00.199 --> 00:09:05.319 if we can kind of get ourselves into their mindset, and you see this happening in the sky, 00:09:05.320 --> 00:09:11.780 here's probably what you would have thought. You would think, well, Pisces represents the end of 00:09:11.780 --> 00:09:17.180 an old age and the beginning of a new age. It's the end of a solar cycle. So you would think, okay, 00:09:17.400 --> 00:09:22.360 something is ending and something else is beginning. And then if you looked at Jupiter, 00:09:22.560 --> 00:09:29.860 Jupiter was the royal planet. It was associated with royalty and sovereignty. And then Saturn had long 00:09:29.860 --> 00:09:35.960 been associated with the nation of Israel, symbol for Israel. So if you're the magi and you're observing 00:09:35.960 --> 00:09:40.980 the celestial event and you're reading the scriptures, you would have said to yourself, well, 00:09:41.800 --> 00:09:48.700 it seems as though the heavens are telling us that a new age is beginning when the seat of royal 00:09:48.700 --> 00:09:56.460 sovereign power in the world is going to shift to Judea. Right? So it's pointing them in that direction. 00:09:56.460 --> 00:10:00.259 Then they would go to the scriptures and say, are there anything in the Jewish scriptures 00:10:00.259 --> 00:10:06.300 that would help us understand a little more? And then they came across Micah 5, 2, which is quoted 00:10:06.300 --> 00:10:12.540 in Matthew. And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of 00:10:12.540 --> 00:10:19.700 Judah. For from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. They would have said, okay, 00:10:19.820 --> 00:10:26.320 aha, we need to go. A new king, a new ruler of some kind is being born in Judea. Right? 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:30.940 And so they would have set out. And the other thing we know about the conjunction is that it 00:10:30.940 --> 00:10:39.760 actually happened three times in one year. Because we can track and know the precise movements of the 00:10:39.760 --> 00:10:46.020 celestial objects like stars and planets, we can know exactly when this happened actually down to 00:10:46.020 --> 00:10:55.300 the day. So the magi likely could have seen this happen the first time on May 29th. And after that, 00:10:55.299 --> 00:11:00.179 at some point they would have set off. And then along the way they would have seen it again on 00:11:00.179 --> 00:11:06.039 October 3rd. And they would have seen it a third time on December 4th. Right? So from their 00:11:06.039 --> 00:11:11.859 perspective, which is what really matters here, they would have seen a very bright new star appear. 00:11:12.120 --> 00:11:16.379 They would have set off traveling. They would have seen it appear again and then appear a third time. 00:11:16.459 --> 00:11:20.459 It was very much as though the star was leading them, prompting them. Right? 00:11:20.460 --> 00:11:25.879 Right? Westward leading, still proceeding. Right? They're following yonder star. 00:11:27.220 --> 00:11:31.940 And so this is, I think, a very plausible way of understanding what's actually happening. 00:11:32.139 --> 00:11:37.100 But what I want to do now is I want to think about the implications of this frankly kind of bizarre 00:11:37.100 --> 00:11:42.259 story. You know, it's a weird story. There's some weird elements here that I want to unpack a little 00:11:42.259 --> 00:11:51.039 bit. The first implication, first implication is this. This story is telling us loudly and clearly 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:59.019 that the gospel does not belong to any one culture. But rather the gospel is meant for all cultures. 00:11:59.779 --> 00:12:06.379 The gospel does not belong to anyone. It's not proprietary. Rather it's meant for all cultures. 00:12:06.379 --> 00:12:14.320 What we need to understand about this story is if you were a first century Jew and you came across this account, 00:12:14.759 --> 00:12:20.000 you would be shocked and you would be offended. Because the point of the story is essentially this. 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:25.000 The Jews have been waiting and waiting for the Messiah to come. 00:12:26.200 --> 00:12:31.879 The deliverer. And this story is saying this. The Messiah finally came. 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:40.220 All of you Jews were utterly oblivious. But these evil, pagan, foreign astrologers, 00:12:40.419 --> 00:12:44.279 they were clued in. And while you were looking in another direction, 00:12:44.659 --> 00:12:50.220 they were worshiping the Messiah. Right? Because you need to understand that in the first century, 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:58.279 magi had become associated in Jewish culture with all manner of occult practices. 00:12:58.279 --> 00:13:04.720 They were occult practitioners. This is where we get the word magician and magic. Right? 00:13:04.860 --> 00:13:10.079 All of those were very negative associations. Virtually every time the word magi shows up in the Bible, 00:13:10.179 --> 00:13:16.299 it's almost always a negative thing from a Jewish perspective. So this is essentially saying to the 00:13:16.299 --> 00:13:23.079 Jews, you completely missed the ball. You completely missed it. The Messiah came and these evil, 00:13:23.079 --> 00:13:26.879 wicked, pagan, occult practitioners, they're the ones who got it. 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:34.480 And this is a warning to religious insiders. This is a stern warning to anybody who assumes 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:40.700 that they have a claim over the gospel. Or that somehow because of who they are, 00:13:40.820 --> 00:13:46.740 they are entitled to some kind of special insider relationship with God. God is saying, 00:13:46.860 --> 00:13:53.860 absolutely not. The gospel does not belong to any one culture. It is meant for all cultures. 00:13:53.860 --> 00:13:59.279 Right? So the best way to understand the gospel is that it's like, you know, one of the analogies we 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:04.539 could use is the analogy of planting grapes in different soil. Right? And I use this analogy 00:14:04.539 --> 00:14:09.100 because I think it's a helpful way to understand how the gospel can take root in different cultures. 00:14:09.779 --> 00:14:16.680 You know, if you plant the same grape at several different points, one on a hillside and one up 00:14:16.679 --> 00:14:22.939 further north and one further south, same grape, it will produce radically different kinds of wine. 00:14:23.359 --> 00:14:27.639 Right? With lots of different qualities. And the reason for that is all of the differences in climate 00:14:27.639 --> 00:14:33.819 from one location to the next. Right? And all of those differences from the mineral content in the 00:14:33.819 --> 00:14:39.259 soil to the level of humidity to how long and hot the summer is, all of those factors go into 00:14:39.259 --> 00:14:45.479 determining what kind of wine is produced from that grape. It's called terroir. And so in the same way, 00:14:45.480 --> 00:14:51.740 the gospel is meant to be planted in each culture like a grapevine. And all of those vines come 00:14:51.740 --> 00:14:58.259 together in Christ, the true vine. And they all produce very distinct expressions of the Christian 00:14:58.259 --> 00:15:03.500 faith. So there's not just one static kind of Christianity. Right? There's American Christianity, 00:15:03.620 --> 00:15:08.759 but there's also Arab Christianity. And there's Chinese Christianity. And there's Latin Christianity. 00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:13.220 And there's Indian Christianity. And if you know people who have worshipped in these contexts, 00:15:13.220 --> 00:15:19.300 yes, we're all Christian. Yes, we share the same faith in the same Savior. And yet the way that gets 00:15:19.300 --> 00:15:24.920 expressed looks very different. And I think what the Bible is saying is that's the way it should be. 00:15:25.920 --> 00:15:34.720 That's the way it should be. All of the nations, all of the nations expressing their faith in ways that 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:40.040 come through their culture, that are reflective of their culture. This is not about the eradication 00:15:40.039 --> 00:15:47.059 of culture. We're going to talk about that more in a moment. But God intends that the gospel would go 00:15:47.059 --> 00:15:55.459 to all cultures. This leads to the second implication of the Magi story. God is able to reach people 00:15:55.459 --> 00:16:02.240 through their individual cultures. So God doesn't come in and say, your culture's in the way. We got to do 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:09.039 away with that. Now let's talk about Christianity. God rather reaches people through their cultures. 00:16:10.060 --> 00:16:14.019 You know, I've read this story for years. It's one that even people who've never read the Bible are 00:16:14.019 --> 00:16:19.039 familiar with the story. It's very widely known in pop culture. Have you ever thought about how bizarre 00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:30.980 the star is? I mean, God uses a star that may not even really be a star to lead foreign non-Jews to 00:16:30.980 --> 00:16:39.820 faith in Jesus Christ. At face value, what does that seem to be saying? Astrology is true. I mean, 00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:44.360 that's what it seems to say, right? There is significance, right? It does matter that I'm a 00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:48.820 Virgo, you know? I should pay attention to that, right? Are you a Pisces? That matters. You know, 00:16:48.820 --> 00:16:54.680 I'm an Enneagram 9, I'm an ENFP, and I'm a Virgo, and all of that matters, right? It seems to be saying 00:16:54.679 --> 00:17:02.879 the Bible says astrology is true. What's it actually saying? What it's actually saying is that God is 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:14.220 able to use a pagan astrology to lead people to truth in Christ. In other words, He is able to use 00:17:14.220 --> 00:17:22.399 a religion that is broken, a religion that is ultimately false, but He's able to embed something 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:27.600 in that religion that ultimately points people in the direction of saving faith in Jesus Christ. 00:17:27.900 --> 00:17:34.240 Now, we have to note that it requires them coming to the Scriptures to actually fully learn who Jesus 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:41.440 is, but God is able to reach them through their culture, through things that make sense to them 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:50.160 and matter to them. And I think that we almost can't overemphasize how incredibly important that is 00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:57.279 in terms of what it tells us about the heart of God. That God is not sitting back with His arms crossed, 00:17:57.700 --> 00:18:03.460 waiting for us to get it right, you know, shaking His head and looking down on these kind of pagan 00:18:03.460 --> 00:18:10.920 cultures and waiting for them to Christianize. You know, that rather God is availing Himself of every 00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:19.120 opportunity. God is filling the world with signposts that point to the reality of who He is. That every 00:18:19.119 --> 00:18:27.679 culture, every religion has embedded within it truth that points to the ultimate embodiment of Jesus 00:18:27.679 --> 00:18:34.159 Christ as the truth. And you can find it everywhere. And I'm convinced that if we begin to have the eyes 00:18:34.159 --> 00:18:44.259 to see, we realize that there are signposts everywhere. Right? So, you know, the Bible scholar, N.T. Wright, 00:18:44.259 --> 00:18:51.980 says that if you look at cultures around the world, you will see that there are certain aspects of human life 00:18:51.980 --> 00:19:01.940 that seem to be universal. Right? So, every culture has some concept of justice, some concept of freedom, 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:09.900 some concept of beauty, some concept of the importance of relationships, some concept of spirituality. Right? 00:19:09.900 --> 00:19:18.740 Virtually every culture recognizes that these things are valuable. And people everywhere pursue these things. 00:19:19.660 --> 00:19:26.980 And yet, the paradox, he says, is that humans everywhere value these things and pursue these things, 00:19:27.259 --> 00:19:35.860 and yet nobody seems to be able to attain them. Right? Everybody values freedom, but we can't even agree on what 00:19:35.859 --> 00:19:44.159 freedom is or how to get it. Everybody values justice, and yet we can't even agree on how to define justice 00:19:44.159 --> 00:19:51.740 or how to achieve it. Everybody seeks beauty, and yet your experience of beauty is that it is always elusive. 00:19:52.740 --> 00:20:01.079 It never lasts. And it's never as satisfying as it promises it will be. You know, you experience something 00:20:01.079 --> 00:20:08.859 beautiful, and very often you're left not feeling fulfilled, but feeling an ache. There should have been more there. 00:20:09.579 --> 00:20:16.720 It should have lasted longer. It should have satisfied me more, but it's almost as though it awakens a hunger in you 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:21.559 that it can't fully satisfy. Now, why would that be the case? 00:20:21.559 --> 00:20:27.960 Because? Lionheart says it's because all of these things, justice, freedom, beauty, 00:20:28.339 --> 00:20:36.839 these are God-given vocations that human beings are meant to pursue. In other words, what does it mean to be human? 00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:43.000 It means to pursue justice. Create and appreciate and pursue beauty. 00:20:43.000 --> 00:20:47.500 create and live within relationships, right? 00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:51.140 Seek to ensure that everything living is free, right? 00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:53.839 All of these things are a part of what it means to be a human. 00:20:54.480 --> 00:20:58.740 And yet these vocations are impossible apart from God. 00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:00.539 They're impossible. 00:21:00.900 --> 00:21:03.279 So every human being everywhere yearns for these things, 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:07.200 and yet we can't achieve them apart from Jesus Christ. 00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:10.920 And so what Wright would say is these are broken signposts. 00:21:10.980 --> 00:21:12.019 Every culture has them. 00:21:12.299 --> 00:21:13.480 Everybody's longing for them. 00:21:13.900 --> 00:21:18.200 Most of the great world religions try to achieve them. 00:21:18.379 --> 00:21:20.019 Some freedom, justice. 00:21:20.139 --> 00:21:20.940 These are universal. 00:21:23.059 --> 00:21:25.559 And yet he says these are all ultimately signposts 00:21:25.559 --> 00:21:29.980 that can only ever be fully satisfied in Jesus Christ. 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:31.980 You'll never find them apart from Him. 00:21:33.379 --> 00:21:33.639 Right? 00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:36.059 So the world is full of signposts. 00:21:36.059 --> 00:21:39.180 God is able to reach people through their own cultures. 00:21:40.059 --> 00:21:41.879 And I think that this matters tremendously. 00:21:42.019 --> 00:21:44.339 For how we think about culture. 00:21:45.019 --> 00:21:47.779 No culture is evil or good. 00:21:48.819 --> 00:21:54.500 Every culture has within it aspects that are broken and aspects that are beautiful. 00:21:54.920 --> 00:22:00.599 And every culture has within it embedded aspects or pieces of truth. 00:22:02.059 --> 00:22:02.619 Right? 00:22:02.680 --> 00:22:04.579 So the Magi followed the star. 00:22:04.579 --> 00:22:07.819 But the star ultimately led them to the God who made the stars. 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:14.179 In the same way I think we are called to follow justice, beauty, freedom. 00:22:14.740 --> 00:22:19.679 Ultimately they're meant to lead us to the God who made justice, beauty, and freedom. 00:22:19.799 --> 00:22:23.519 Those are the stars that are out there in the sky for us to follow. 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:28.000 So the first point, the gospel is for all cultures. 00:22:28.119 --> 00:22:28.940 It's meant for everybody. 00:22:29.559 --> 00:22:31.700 The second point flows out of the first. 00:22:32.139 --> 00:22:36.960 God is able to reach people through their individual cultures. 00:22:37.099 --> 00:22:37.779 He's able to do that. 00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:38.779 He's that kind of God. 00:22:38.779 --> 00:22:42.680 And then the last implication that I want to consider with you is this. 00:22:43.279 --> 00:22:47.799 That the gospel is meant to renew all cultures. 00:22:48.220 --> 00:22:51.220 In other words, the gospel doesn't just come in and affirm the culture. 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:55.619 Nor does the gospel come in and replace the culture. 00:22:55.619 --> 00:22:59.019 The gospel comes in, it's far more nuanced. 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:03.339 And it begins to renew the culture. 00:23:03.439 --> 00:23:04.279 So what do I mean by that? 00:23:04.359 --> 00:23:09.619 Well, in the story of the Magi, it's obvious when they set out they're bringing kingly gifts. 00:23:09.739 --> 00:23:11.599 Gold, frankincense, myrrh. 00:23:11.679 --> 00:23:13.879 These are gifts that you would give a great king. 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:16.719 They're hoping to meet this king and to pay tribute. 00:23:17.439 --> 00:23:21.619 Well, what happens when they get there is they realize, it's very clear that they realize, 00:23:21.619 --> 00:23:24.919 that they're dealing with more than just a human king. 00:23:24.920 --> 00:23:29.200 That they have encountered a heavenly king, a divine being. 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:31.759 And we know that because they don't just give the gifts. 00:23:31.960 --> 00:23:34.840 It says that they fall down and they worship him. 00:23:36.180 --> 00:23:39.720 Now, they come out of a pagan monotheistic religion. 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:44.600 And there's a kind of form of idolatry that's happening there. 00:23:45.380 --> 00:23:48.039 And yet, I think what we see at the end of this passage, 00:23:48.039 --> 00:23:49.620 when they fall down and they worship, 00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:54.039 is a transferring of their allegiance away from the idolatry. 00:23:54.039 --> 00:24:00.500 And two, the one who actually merits and deserves their worship and their allegiance. 00:24:00.500 --> 00:24:03.019 I think this is a conversion that happens. 00:24:04.139 --> 00:24:09.940 And so, when we see that, we recognize the same thing happens anywhere the gospel is proclaimed. 00:24:10.180 --> 00:24:12.139 Because in every culture, as I said a moment ago, 00:24:12.779 --> 00:24:14.940 there are aspects of that culture that are beautiful, 00:24:15.379 --> 00:24:17.399 that reflect the truth of who God is. 00:24:17.400 --> 00:24:20.300 And there are aspects of that culture that are broken. 00:24:21.740 --> 00:24:27.100 They're broken because they are under the power of idols. 00:24:27.380 --> 00:24:31.620 In other words, every culture has embedded within it idolatry. 00:24:33.220 --> 00:24:35.800 Idols that hold sway in that culture. 00:24:35.960 --> 00:24:38.680 It's one of the things that makes cultures different from one another. 00:24:38.800 --> 00:24:42.300 It's that every culture has its own embedded idols, right? 00:24:42.299 --> 00:24:45.539 And so, the gospel enters into a culture, 00:24:46.259 --> 00:24:50.319 and it renews it by subverting those idols, 00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:53.799 and then offering something better. 00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:56.240 In other words, the gospel says, 00:24:56.559 --> 00:24:58.200 the ways that you're going about, 00:24:58.759 --> 00:25:03.119 trying to find justice and beauty and freedom, 00:25:03.279 --> 00:25:05.919 those attempts are falling short. 00:25:06.940 --> 00:25:08.519 And then the gospel offers something better, 00:25:08.519 --> 00:25:13.279 something that fulfills the deepest hopes and aspirations of that culture, 00:25:13.420 --> 00:25:17.039 in a way that the other religions and the idols never could. 00:25:18.079 --> 00:25:19.559 So, I want to give you some examples, 00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:20.779 because I know that's pretty abstract. 00:25:21.019 --> 00:25:23.619 One of the people I like to bring up from time to time 00:25:23.619 --> 00:25:25.420 is a guy named Laman Sana, 00:25:25.639 --> 00:25:26.680 who teaches at Yale, 00:25:27.119 --> 00:25:29.299 and he wrote a book called, 00:25:29.619 --> 00:25:31.279 Whose Religion is Christianity? 00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:35.700 And he talks about the power of the gospel to renew African culture. 00:25:35.700 --> 00:25:39.700 And he gives a very interesting example of cultural renewal in Africa. 00:25:40.140 --> 00:25:40.880 He says, 00:25:41.080 --> 00:25:44.340 part of what it means to be African 00:25:44.340 --> 00:25:46.720 is to believe in the supernatural. 00:25:47.620 --> 00:25:49.259 You believe that there are good spirits, 00:25:49.340 --> 00:25:50.660 you believe that there are evil spirits, 00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:51.759 and he says, 00:25:51.840 --> 00:25:55.960 the problem is the fear and the superstition that that creates. 00:25:56.360 --> 00:25:59.420 How do you protect yourself from the evil spirits? 00:25:59.860 --> 00:26:01.120 How do you protect your family? 00:26:01.720 --> 00:26:03.279 A lot of fear, a lot of superstition. 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:05.200 And so, Laman Sana, 00:26:05.500 --> 00:26:07.160 who, because of his experience at Yale, 00:26:07.420 --> 00:26:08.039 he says, 00:26:08.099 --> 00:26:08.259 you know, 00:26:08.339 --> 00:26:10.039 what happens when I send an African 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:12.099 to Harvard or Yale or Princeton 00:26:12.099 --> 00:26:13.160 or Oxford or Cambridge? 00:26:13.379 --> 00:26:13.579 He says, 00:26:13.619 --> 00:26:14.339 here's what happens. 00:26:15.079 --> 00:26:16.660 They go to a place like that, 00:26:16.899 --> 00:26:18.180 and here's what they're told. 00:26:18.899 --> 00:26:20.799 We love multiculturalism. 00:26:21.720 --> 00:26:23.819 We love the fact that you're African. 00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:25.700 We want you to stay African. 00:26:25.980 --> 00:26:27.799 We want you to wear your African clothing. 00:26:27.940 --> 00:26:29.839 We want you to dance your African dances. 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:32.019 We want you to eat your African food. 00:26:32.019 --> 00:26:33.579 But when it comes to the supernatural, 00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:34.619 they're told, 00:26:34.779 --> 00:26:35.259 oh, no, no, no, 00:26:35.259 --> 00:26:36.259 you've got to leave that behind. 00:26:37.839 --> 00:26:41.059 Because we've progressed further than you as a society. 00:26:41.220 --> 00:26:43.460 We've realized that everything has a scientific explanation. 00:26:44.119 --> 00:26:46.019 We're no longer superstitious. 00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:48.779 We no longer believe in the supernatural, 00:26:48.920 --> 00:26:50.079 so you've got to leave that behind. 00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:52.220 Wear your clothes, 00:26:52.379 --> 00:26:53.059 dance your dances, 00:26:53.639 --> 00:26:55.279 but let go of the supernatural stuff. 00:26:55.799 --> 00:26:56.299 And Sana says, 00:26:56.359 --> 00:26:58.460 you may not realize that when you tell that to an African, 00:26:58.460 --> 00:27:01.100 you're stripping them of their Africanness. 00:27:01.860 --> 00:27:04.779 You're stripping away something that is quintessential 00:27:04.779 --> 00:27:06.500 to their sense of identity 00:27:06.500 --> 00:27:07.880 and the way they construe the world. 00:27:08.220 --> 00:27:08.480 And he says, 00:27:08.559 --> 00:27:08.759 you know, 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:11.100 they may not be wearing pith helmets, 00:27:12.340 --> 00:27:15.640 but this is cultural imperialism at its best, 00:27:16.140 --> 00:27:17.440 or should I say at its worst. 00:27:18.519 --> 00:27:19.000 And he says, 00:27:19.079 --> 00:27:19.460 by contrast, 00:27:20.700 --> 00:27:22.460 Christianity respects my Africanness. 00:27:22.460 --> 00:27:27.079 Because the good news of Christianity says, 00:27:27.900 --> 00:27:29.319 yes, 00:27:29.400 --> 00:27:30.940 there's a supernatural world. 00:27:31.720 --> 00:27:31.980 Yes, 00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:33.000 there are good spirits. 00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:33.860 And yes, 00:27:33.940 --> 00:27:34.900 there are evil spirits. 00:27:35.380 --> 00:27:35.880 And yes, 00:27:35.940 --> 00:27:36.660 at one time, 00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:38.319 we did have to worry about that. 00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:39.360 But now, 00:27:39.500 --> 00:27:41.440 because of the victory of Jesus Christ, 00:27:41.620 --> 00:27:43.539 we have been set free from that fear. 00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:46.500 And anyone who puts their faith and their trust in Jesus 00:27:46.500 --> 00:27:49.579 no longer has to fear the supernatural world 00:27:49.579 --> 00:27:51.960 because he is Lord over all of it. 00:27:52.460 --> 00:27:57.480 And you were utterly safe and utterly free in him. 00:27:57.940 --> 00:27:58.160 And so, 00:27:58.160 --> 00:27:59.380 so Sana says, 00:28:00.319 --> 00:28:03.000 the gospel renews my Africanness. 00:28:03.400 --> 00:28:05.740 It allows me to hold on to my belief in the supernatural, 00:28:06.120 --> 00:28:10.380 but it sets me free from the idols of fear and superstition. 00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:13.319 This is how the gospel renews culture. 00:28:13.600 --> 00:28:15.759 And we need to understand that that's one example, 00:28:16.059 --> 00:28:19.059 but this kind of thing happens all the time 00:28:19.059 --> 00:28:21.140 in all different ways. 00:28:21.140 --> 00:28:21.640 Right? 00:28:21.640 --> 00:28:22.040 Right? 00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:23.780 So in our culture, 00:28:24.020 --> 00:28:27.800 we could pick any number of idols that hold sway in our culture, 00:28:27.920 --> 00:28:31.320 but we are a very individualistic culture. 00:28:31.580 --> 00:28:34.520 We worship personal autonomy. 00:28:35.300 --> 00:28:37.900 We worship individual freedom. 00:28:37.900 --> 00:28:41.900 And the gospel would come into a culture like ours and say, 00:28:42.120 --> 00:28:45.940 life isn't about building up your own brand. 00:28:47.320 --> 00:28:49.320 Life is about giving yourself away. 00:28:50.320 --> 00:28:51.220 And the gospel would say, 00:28:51.340 --> 00:28:53.960 you're not meant to live on your own. 00:28:54.420 --> 00:28:59.140 You're not meant to have that kind of existential autonomy that you crave. 00:28:59.140 --> 00:28:59.840 In fact, 00:29:00.100 --> 00:29:02.000 you're made and wired for relationship. 00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:05.440 So community matters and family matters. 00:29:05.740 --> 00:29:07.640 And those things should be among your highest priorities. 00:29:07.800 --> 00:29:07.900 Right? 00:29:08.040 --> 00:29:12.840 So the gospel begins to subvert that idol in our culture. 00:29:12.920 --> 00:29:14.560 But then you go to another culture. 00:29:14.660 --> 00:29:17.780 There are other cultures that are on the other end of the extreme. 00:29:17.880 --> 00:29:18.020 Right? 00:29:18.019 --> 00:29:20.119 They make an idol out of family. 00:29:21.220 --> 00:29:24.420 And these are cultures where family matters so much, 00:29:24.920 --> 00:29:27.759 and the honor of that family matters so much, 00:29:28.319 --> 00:29:31.779 that if you bring dishonor or shame on your family, 00:29:32.599 --> 00:29:36.539 you could be exiled or even stoned to death. 00:29:37.420 --> 00:29:39.839 And people would see that as being justice. 00:29:40.839 --> 00:29:41.019 Right? 00:29:41.460 --> 00:29:45.200 And so the gospel would have a very different message to that culture. 00:29:45.279 --> 00:29:45.879 The gospel would say, 00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:46.619 yes, 00:29:46.779 --> 00:29:49.000 your nuclear family matters, 00:29:49.119 --> 00:29:51.740 but there's actually a family that matters more than that. 00:29:52.420 --> 00:29:56.619 And that is the great family that God is building out of all the families of the earth. 00:29:57.440 --> 00:30:00.500 And that family is not bound together by honor. 00:30:00.879 --> 00:30:04.259 That family is bound together by mercy and compassion. 00:30:05.500 --> 00:30:09.859 And you see that lived out in Jesus Christ in a way that you will not see it anywhere else. 00:30:09.980 --> 00:30:10.059 Right? 00:30:10.059 --> 00:30:11.899 And so the gospel comes into culture, 00:30:12.039 --> 00:30:16.539 and it begins to subvert the idols and offer something better in every case. 00:30:16.679 --> 00:30:16.779 Right? 00:30:16.940 --> 00:30:18.940 So in a culture that worships power, 00:30:20.039 --> 00:30:22.539 the gospel offers the meekness of Jesus Christ. 00:30:22.899 --> 00:30:24.839 In a culture that worships accomplishment, 00:30:25.299 --> 00:30:28.039 the gospel offers the humility of Christ. 00:30:28.119 --> 00:30:29.519 In a culture that worships wealth, 00:30:29.919 --> 00:30:32.659 the gospel offers the generosity of Christ. 00:30:32.779 --> 00:30:34.500 In a culture that worships relativism, 00:30:34.859 --> 00:30:37.539 the gospel offers the truth of Christ. 00:30:37.539 --> 00:30:39.639 In a culture that worships human reason, 00:30:39.640 --> 00:30:42.259 the gospel offers the wisdom of Christ. 00:30:43.960 --> 00:30:44.360 Right? 00:30:44.440 --> 00:30:49.180 Which is foolishness to those who would presume that they're wise. 00:30:49.520 --> 00:30:50.660 Again and again and again, 00:30:50.980 --> 00:30:51.840 in every case, 00:30:51.960 --> 00:30:55.280 the gospel subverts the idols and offers something better. 00:30:56.259 --> 00:30:59.000 And so these are the things that I think that the story of the Magi 00:30:59.000 --> 00:31:00.900 is meant to teach us. 00:31:00.900 --> 00:31:04.380 I think it's meant to teach us that the gospel doesn't belong to any one culture. 00:31:04.540 --> 00:31:05.820 It's meant for all the cultures. 00:31:07.080 --> 00:31:12.580 It's also meant to teach us that God is able to reach people through their culture 00:31:12.580 --> 00:31:15.180 on terms that they can understand. 00:31:15.320 --> 00:31:16.560 If you need more proof of that, 00:31:16.880 --> 00:31:18.580 that's what the incarnation is. 00:31:18.579 --> 00:31:20.919 It's God saying to human beings, 00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:22.259 I will condescend. 00:31:23.639 --> 00:31:26.779 I will empty myself of my glory and my power 00:31:26.779 --> 00:31:31.559 so that you can see me in a way that will make sense to you. 00:31:32.839 --> 00:31:36.139 So that you can perceive me on your terms. 00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:37.220 Right? 00:31:37.220 --> 00:31:39.019 So if God does that in the incarnation, 00:31:39.319 --> 00:31:43.299 wouldn't He at least do that in order to make the incarnation known? 00:31:43.779 --> 00:31:43.960 Right? 00:31:44.660 --> 00:31:45.680 And then lastly, 00:31:46.079 --> 00:31:50.079 that the purpose of the gospel is to renew culture. 00:31:50.600 --> 00:31:53.819 Is to bring renewal, freedom, justice, life 00:31:53.819 --> 00:31:55.720 to the people all over the world. 00:31:55.819 --> 00:31:56.019 Right? 00:31:56.160 --> 00:31:58.140 So one of my hopes for Advent this year 00:31:58.140 --> 00:32:01.880 is that this wouldn't just be something that we talk about on Epiphany, 00:32:01.980 --> 00:32:05.000 but rather that first we would be thinking together 00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:08.720 how does the gospel need to renew our culture? 00:32:09.640 --> 00:32:11.220 Our specific culture? 00:32:11.720 --> 00:32:14.799 What are the idols that need to be subverted in our lives? 00:32:15.700 --> 00:32:16.579 And then number two, 00:32:16.940 --> 00:32:20.200 what part are we as a church called to play 00:32:20.200 --> 00:32:24.019 in God's desire to bring the gospel to the nations? 00:32:25.119 --> 00:32:26.940 You know, we as a church, we support, 00:32:27.359 --> 00:32:29.299 you may not know that we support 00:32:29.299 --> 00:32:31.339 and have supported for years now 00:32:31.339 --> 00:32:34.519 missionary church planters in the Persian Gulf region. 00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:37.640 Because we believe that the gospel is for the nations. 00:32:37.759 --> 00:32:39.119 And there are things that we do like that, 00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:41.240 but we actually don't have to travel 00:32:41.240 --> 00:32:43.700 in a place like D.C. to the nations 00:32:43.700 --> 00:32:45.099 because the nations come here. 00:32:46.220 --> 00:32:48.400 And so how do we, a church like us, 00:32:48.500 --> 00:32:49.180 how do we, 00:32:51.160 --> 00:32:53.019 what role are we called to play 00:32:53.019 --> 00:32:57.880 in the gospel crossing cultural borders and boundaries? 00:32:58.599 --> 00:33:00.740 In everyone hearing the good news of Jesus Christ. 00:33:00.819 --> 00:33:01.720 What might that look like? 00:33:01.720 --> 00:33:04.799 Let's dream and pray about that together this year. 00:33:05.600 --> 00:33:08.259 It's only appropriate that we end with this collect, 00:33:08.700 --> 00:33:10.559 this prayer that comes from the Book of Common Prayer. 00:33:10.559 --> 00:33:13.059 O Lord Jesus Christ, 00:33:13.379 --> 00:33:15.200 you stretched out your arms of love 00:33:15.200 --> 00:33:16.379 on the hard wood of the cross 00:33:16.379 --> 00:33:18.740 that everyone might come within the reach 00:33:18.740 --> 00:33:20.039 of your saving embrace. 00:33:20.539 --> 00:33:22.099 So clothe us in your spirit 00:33:22.099 --> 00:33:25.039 that we, reaching forth our hands in love, 00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:27.240 may bring those who do not know you 00:33:27.240 --> 00:33:29.240 to the knowledge and the love of you. 00:33:29.799 --> 00:33:31.559 For the honor of your name. 00:33:32.619 --> 00:33:32.960 Amen. 00:33:32.960 --> 00:33:33.099 Amen. 00:33:33.099 --> 00:33:33.119 Amen. 00:33:33.119 --> 00:33:33.139 Amen.