Following Yonder Star

I am a bit befuddled by the consumeristic ploy to rush the Christmas season, only to see Christmas trees litter the sidewalks on December 26th.  There are 12 DAYS of Christmas!  Do something counter-cultural and savory the days – enjoy them, rather than rush to the next marketable holiday (Valentine’s Day).
Christmas ends on January 5th, as we celebrate the arrival of the Magi to the Christ child on the Epiphany, which the Church remembers on January 6th.  In 2016, this auspicious occasion is on a Wednesday, the middle of the week when many are busy with work or school concerns and probably not thinking much about the theological importance of the day. So I offer a short reflection to help you savor this day as well, because it is deserves of our time and attention.
The story of the Magi [Matthew 2:1-12] is one of incredible faith and worthy of celebration in and of itself.  In it we are witness to Christ as “a light to enlighten the nations” [Luke 2:32] as these individuals, who are Gentiles, decide to leave their homes and travel many miles because they discerned that a star was showing where the Messiah was located. It is interesting that they were studying the stars for such celestial events in the first place, and then to interpret this event as the birth of the King of the Jews is a leap of faith. 
Being good diplomats, they go see the appointed King, Herod, and ask for his help and direction.  Unfortunately Herod is threatened by the Magi’s revelation of the birth of this child, and while he seems to be helpful by allowing them passage in the land, it is only because he asks them to be his agents and report back to him of the exact location of the child – in order for him to kill the child. 
The Magi press on in their journey and eventually find what they seek.  We are told that they entered the house and knelt to pay the child homage. These individuals, whoever they were, had the means and knowledge to set out on such a journey and have an audience with a king.  They held status and position, and yet, without question or hesitance, they knelt to a child.  This would have been unheard of in that time and place (even now it would seem odd!).  Children were ignored for the most part by adults not related to them, and yet here we witness adults worshiping a child.  The Magi forgo their earthly prestige in order to give honor and glory to God.
This is the truly amazing part of the story.  What an act of faith! We are not told that the Christ child did anything in the presence of the Magi in order for them to believe that he was indeed the King they sought – they just knew.  They humbled themselves to him not because Jesus required or requested it, but because they were moved to do so in his presence.   They know God when they met him, regardless of their own religious traditions.
And to this child they offered gifts worthy of a king: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold as a symbol of wealth and power, frankincense for worship and myrrh to foreshadow of the sacrifice Jesus would make of himself.  Together they make a powerful testimony of who and what the Magi thought Jesus was.  Another powerful example of their faithfulness – a faithfulness that is repaid when they are warned in a dream not to return to Herod.
Making an enemy of a king is never a good idea, but the Magi paid no heed to that danger and choose, once again, to faithfully follow where they were being led. And we never hear from these mysterious individuals again.  They vanish into history just like the star they followed.  But their story invites us into a faithful journey toward finding Jesus and offering him homage. 
As we celebrate this season of light, I pray we can commit ourselves to be as humble and faithful as the star-following Magi, seeking Christ always and in all ways. 
In Christ,

Rev. Valerie+

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