In that most wicked command to the Wise Men, Herod the King, intent on murder, actually phrases exactly the glorious commission entrusted to us Christians, through the mystery of God hidden for ages, "Go, and search diligently for the child, and when you have found, him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." Odd perhaps, to conceive of Herod's murderous design as the accurate articulation of the enterprise of catholic Christians. But there have been and are and will be equally inappropriate vehicles for the mediation and proclamation of the grace of God. It is the words themselves, and their import, not Herod's intention or purpose, but God's intention and purpose that permits us to see the wicked charge to the Wise Men as in fact the glorious command to each of us, "Go, search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." The whole point and purpose of the Christian endeavor is no less, than this, when we have found him, and been found by him, to then go, and bring them word, bring all of them word, that they too might come and worship him. This great Feast sadly falls on a Sunday only once in every seven years -- not sure I have ever preached on it before -- and so best to keep it simply and obvious, but, I hope perhaps a timely reminder of what we all already know. The commission we have been given, not in our case by an evil tyrant like Herod, giving a command to Kings, but by a gentle, gracious inviting just us, asking us, to make that very Lord manifest today to all -- that same Lord, whose final earthly words were "Go, and teach all nations." That is, in one sweet sentence, the first, last, and ultimately only essential commission issued to us Christians, to search for the child, and, when found, to spread the word, that all might come and worship, that all might find and be found by him, that all might be illuminated by the manifestation of Christ. All that we do in word or deed, what we plan and hope and dream and think and fashion and say and do, how we relate to each other, how we treat each other, the things we permit ourselves and the things we deny ourselves, the love freely given and the love modestly received, all, all, all must be undertaken with the sole governing purpose of making manifest the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. If it is not our first and continual and enduring care to bring word that they too might come and worship him, then all of our best intentions and our finest offerings, all of the gold and the frankincense and the myrrh that we bring is gratuitous if we do not also and always and everywhere bring word as well, that they too might, and worship him.