The messenger of the covenant in whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

We saw His star at its rising, and have come to do Him homage.

Our Pastor related the story of Ibrahim ibn Adham, a Moslem emperor.

Ibrahim ibn Adham was king of Balkh, and a whole world was under his command; forty gold swords and forty gold maces were carried before and behind him. One night he was asleep on his royal couch. At midnight the roof of the apartment vibrated, as if someone was walking on the roof.

—Who is there?— he shouted.

—A friend,— came the reply. —I have lost a camel, and am searching for it on this roof.—

—Fool, do you look for the camel on the roof?— cried Ibrahim.

—Heedless one,— answered the voice, —do you seek for God in silken clothes, asleep on a golden couch?—

One of the key concepts in today’s scripture is the journey, traveling for the encounter. From Isaiah: Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you, and from Matthew: “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.— As with the Magi, we are in search of God. To search means to travel, to move in our quest to find God.

The problem is, we as a society no longer exert any effort in a search for God, nor even find it to be a worthy effort. Ibrahim had the right idea – search for God, and the lesson he learned was that he had to get up to do it. He had to go to meet God. Sadly, that impetus has been lost. Those who publicly search do it as a money making opportunity. If I can disprove God then I will be rich and famous. Beyond the hucksters, a larger and larger percentage of society no longer bothers to reflect, think on, or exert any effort, because they already deem God to be at best a distant concept, or at worst non-existent. Some search casually, seeking God, but only if He can be found in text messaging, E-mail, all from the comfort of their couch, without contact and apart. ‘Leave me be, and I will search in my own way. God will certainly come to me.’

In order to find God, to recognize His Triune reality, and to move into relationship with Him, we have to show-up. It takes work, and like the Magi, like Israel, we have to get to a place other than where we are.

As our Pastor related, the light has been given to the simple and the poor.

The simple and the poor have enough common sense, enough wisdom, to get up go. The light has been hidden from the wise and the rich, those who live apart, relaxing in silken clothes on a golden couch. It isn’t about money, it is about work, effort, and coming to Him. May we be found among those who got up to go in search of God.