Matthew 2:1-12

“A Journey worth Taking”

January 4, 2009

Rev. Susan Cartmell: The Congregational Church of Needham, Boston Massachusetts

Today I have two stories about 2 different people on different journeys. The first is Ryan Bowen, a recent graduate of Occidental College. Like many Americans, this 22-year old decided that he wanted to do something to celebrate the upcoming presidential inauguration. So he decided to attend. Working with a tight budget this athletic young man decided to ride his bike from LA to DC. Once he got the idea he was energized by it. Ryan trained for 2 weeks, mapped his route, created a website and started out heading East on this 4000 mile trek December 2. At first his big surprise was how much he had to eat. He has lost 10 pounds from his slim muscular frame but now knows he has to consume 8000 calorie a day diet. Most nights he keeps his eye out for a Mexican restaurant with a buffet.  Dozens of tire changes later, Ryan averages 85 miles a day. Just this weekend he did 130 miles one day – a personal best.

Ryan spent Christmas in Texas. {He has been interviewed by NBC, NPR and The LA Times, and he chronicles his progress on a blog – www.bikingforobama.com.} If you read his blog Ryan has an unusual mix of pluck and calm, tenacity and optimism.

Ryan’s story reminded me of the Wise Men long ago. These sages from Babylon or Persia appear in the story of the birth of Jesus. Astrologers who mapped the sky, they studied the heavens and discovered a new star rising over Israel. So startled and intrigued were they by the brightness of this light that they mounted a caravan to cross the desert and discover what God’s newest star was pointing toward. It was an ambitious undertaking and the trip of a lifetime. For centuries now, The Wise Men have captured our imaginations. Who are these strange men and what are they telling us today?

In the first place, the Wise Men remind us that the journeys we take define us and shape our lives. The ancient sages stayed at court and advised the emperor with knowledge based on astrological signs. More like prophets or oracles their insights were not political but often based on unconventional sources of wisdom. They were called Magi because they used magic. These three arrived in Herod’s court to introduce themselves and ask directions. The Wise Men are mentioned only once in the Bible, but they are well-known. We admire their sense of adventure, and recognize the epic importance of this journey.

Whatever knowledge they possessed when they started out they could only grow in wisdom as they navigated the terrain far from home. Whether from India or Africa or what is now Iraq, they had long ago left their comfort zone. Anytime you journey far from home you grow in stature and understanding.  As you explore new lands you learn things about yourself you cannot see at home. You stretch your wings. You confront new ideas. You get lost and have to find new paths. You test your skills and force yourself to think more creatively.

Young adults like Ryan Bowen capture our imagination because we think of youth as the optimal time for adventure. But throughout life we all engage in important journeys. They may not seem as dramatic as a cross-country ride, but they are no less significant. Some trips involve passports to strange lands. Some trips involve personal exploration. Some excursions push us intellectually, or professionally. Some journeys deepen our relationships. Some trips help us solve life’s puzzles, or just make peace with our confusion.

Last weekend my daughter-in-law and son had a little girl, named Ruth. Almost daily now, I cannot resist calling to talk to Jon or Nancy about how they are enjoying this baby. They have been on a journey all week – as they welcome someone new into their family. It is an intense journey as the discover what their infant needs, learn to work together in different ways, and share the spiritual bond that often surprises couples as they contemplate the miracle of a child.

As a church we are starting a new governance process in 2009. We hope it will improve our communication, our ability to make decisions, and our experiences together in this community. We may get lost or make mistakes but this is a journey we are ready to take together. I think it will be good for our church.

The Wise Men remind us that life is a series of journeys. Trips like this test us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. They test our courage and resolve. Sometimes they test our stubbornness. Here at the beginning of another New Year let us pause for a moment to consider our paths. Let us question whether we want to make some course corrections in 2009. What journeys define your life today?  What new adventures call to you in this New Year?

In the second place, real journeys surprise us. They change us. Even with all their preparation, the Wise Men got lost. So they went to Herod’s court to seek advice and ask for directions. It was Herod’s advisors who knew the prophecy that a king was to be born in Bethlehem. Jealous of the baby Herod, hoped to manipulate the Wise Men , so he encouraged them to report back after they had found Jesus. But the Wise Men were warned in a dream to go home by another way. I imagine that whatever route they took home, they would be going home differently than they came.  Surely the trip changed them. Often it is the detours that are the most significant part of our trips. It is the people we never expected to meet that make the trip most memorable.

When reporters ask Ryan why he is riding his bike cross- country this winter he states the obvious – he is between jobs and single. He wanted to see this country and get to know its people. But that does not adequately explain his fierce initiative. Like many young people, inspired by the recent election, this African American young adult started out hoping to show, by example, that you can do anything. But instead, the surprise for Ryan is that he has been the one inspired. Overwhelmed by the generosity and friendliness of strangers, he is full of hope and gratitude because of the trip. Last week in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Ryan got hit by a Jeep. The collision wrecked his bike and his GPS, and he badly bruised his leg. But the driver of the Jeep took Ryan to the hospital and the physical therapist there told him he could keep riding once he got a new bike. So he is heading north in Florida this morning.  He started out trying to give other people hope, but he discovered that he was the one most inspired. Tempered by adversity, his optimism has been transformed into a deeper self-confidence. His patriotism has matured too – he is more realistic, but also clear about his place in this land.

If we allow it to, life will change us. I have another story about a different journey and a different African American man. Bishop Carlton Pearson is minister in his mid-fifties. He attended Oral Roberts University where he was top of his class, and someone Oral Roberts took a personal interest in. A staunch evangelical, Pearson was ordained in the Church of God in Christ, and soon started his own mega-church in Tulsa Oklahoma. The church grew to 5000 members and Pearson was elevated to bishop in 1997. Honored by President Bush, he was invited to the White House 10 years ago.

But one day in 2001 he was watching a television show about people dying in Rwanda. Pearson got angry at the loss of life but as an Evangelical he was outraged that these Muslims and any who were not born again Christians were going to hell for all eternity. In that moment Pearson started to question God right there in front of his television. He believes that God came to him and he had a conversation with the Creator. He asked God “How can you condemn these people to hell?” He heard God reply, “I don’t condemn them to hell. It is you who teach that. I don’t say that; why do you?” Pearson replied – “That is what I was taught.” And he heard God say, “That is what you teach others but it is wrong.”  In that moment Bishop Pearson knew God was challenging him to re-examine his beliefs and open his mind to a more inclusive view of God’s love and acceptance. Once he began to question his understanding of salvation he could never go back home to his evangelical faith. God had led him to a new place. Like the Wise Men he knew he had seen God face to face and his life would never be the same.

That moment was a turning point for Bishop Pearson. For a year he studied, prayed and wrote a book called The Gospel of Inclusion. In it he said that God loves all people regardless of nationality or religion, race or ability, age or sexual orientation. God does not condemn us to hell because of who we are. God loves us whether we are saved in the traditional way or not. God accepts us now and in the day of our death. That message was so radical for Pearson’s church that people started to leave his church. Then, in 2004 after hearing Pearson’s argument for universal salvation he was excommunicated from the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops. They shunned him as a heretic. His church continued to shrink. Down from 5000 to 1000 members, he lost the building and started meeting in an Episcopal church in Tulsa. Then two years ago –and here is the detail I enjoy most in this story – Bishop Pearson transferred to the United Church of Christ and started a brand new church call – New Dimensions.

Sometimes we choose our journeys, but more often it feels like they choose us. That is alright. It helps us to live with a sense of adventure. It helps us to take risks. The story of the Wise Men coming as it does on the cusp of this New Year reminds us to think carefully about our the journey of our lives. Are we headed in the direction we want to be going in? Are we on a trip that is really challenging us and using our gifts? Are we exploring new paths? Are we meeting people who stimulate us to grow?  Are we stuck in traffic or are we following a star?

Have you seen a star that has captured your attention – a bright orb that has caught you in its gravitational pull?  If you feel uncertain about how to answer any or all of these questions, then stay open to the possibility that God is searching for the chance to touch your life in some significant way this year. As you begin this New Year, I pray you have some good journeys.