Journey
/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. -Matthew 2:9
The Magi were on a journey. They’d seem something in the stars and felt moved to seek out more about the powerful royalty they saw prophecied in the heavens.. They followed this mysterious star-call for many miles, never sure where it might lead. I imagine them having many days of exhausting travel across deserts, through rivers, over mountains. Some nights may have been cold. Some days hot. They likely met all kinds of people along the way - including King Herod. And finally, after a very long journey, never being sure when or where it would end, they finally the star indicated their desitination. Even though they’d been led to just an ordinary house with just a mother and her child inside, they knew they’d reached their destination. And they opened up their treasure chests and offered their gifts to the Christ child.
Although the Magi are described in detail in the Hebrew Bible, they were not faithful Jews - they were from far away, Gentile lands in the east with mysterious religions, yet they were open to the importance of this prophecy and this child. Their story shows that you have to be open to mystery in order to find out more about God. You have to be willing to move out into the unknown, too, without being sure of your destination at times. Knowing God and receiving God’s gifts requires a leap of faith in this journey of life, and the Magi have come to represent that kind of faithful willingness to go outside of one’s comfort zone to seek a deeper wisdom.
We’re about to begin our journey into 2019 and who knows where this journey will lead us. If one of your hopes for the year ahead is to get to know God better, I hope you’ll find your way to our house on Sunday mornings to worship at the table with friends in Christ. I also invite you to consider taking part in a small group looking into many ways to pray. And of course, let’s start the year with a smile this Sunday at 10 with our annual Three Kings Pageant. Blessings for Epiphany!
