Being People of Action

Gospel: Matthew 2:1-15

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

Sermon: The Rev. Dr. Maryann Amor

One of the reasons Christianity is often viewed with scepticism is because we are seen as being all talk. Christians say we are kind, loving, generous people who follow Jesus…but often our lives don’t show it. Churches can become places where those who feel “holier than thou” cast judgment, while returning to life-as-usual the moment worship ends. And it is this disconnect that causes many to pull away from the church altogether.

Joseph speaks directly to this today. You heard him describe himself as “a man of more action than words.” Four times God spoke to him, and four times he acted. He protected God’s dream for the world, by protecting both Mary and Jesus. Joseph doesn’t give speeches, he doesn’t talk about his faith…instead, he puts faith into action.

So how might Christianity be viewed if we emphasized supporting and protecting God’s dream, if we became people of action? What if, instead of telling others how faithful we are, we simply lived it? What if our church became fully activated—recognizing that we, all of us gathered here, are the church, and our lives in the world are what matters?

As we begin a new year, I hope we continue living this out—not only in our words, but in our actions. Could we change people’s assumptions about Christians by how we show up in this city, in this country, in this world? By who we help, the doors we open, the welcome we offer, the compassion we show?

In a little while, we will have a chance to take our Star Words for this year, something that I did last year on Epiphany. There are two baskets on the table: one with easy words, such as joy, hope, love…and one with harder words, such empathy, altruism, salvation. When you share the peace, choose one word from whichever basket you prefer; youth, I encourage you to choose from the easy words basket.

And this year, I want to invite you to take your word a step further. Don’t just hold it in your heart and in your prayers, but live it, put it into action. Ask yourself: How can I act on this word? How might this word shape my daily choices in 2026? How can I, like Joseph, support and protect God’s dream by the way I live this word out?

So, before we move on in our service, before the peace and your chance to choose a word, let us now offer this prayer for our star words, we say together: Holy One, as the star once guided the magi, so may these words guide our hearts and steps. Let each word shine with your light, becoming intention, prayer, and guiding force behind our actions in the year ahead. Amen.

Joseph's Script is taken from Illustrated Ministry's Advent-Epiphany Liturgy: https://www.illustratedministry.com/thewilltodream