Now, wasn’t that so sweet. Baby Jesus is born in a stable with sweet hay in a manger bed. Shepherds kneel before him, angels sing, a star shines above, and three kings bring gifts.

Well, that’s done for another year. Let’s eat some more, party a little, return the gifts we don’t like, and buy more of what we don’t need. Then we’ll close out another year of political protests, wars, killings, migrant migrations, climate shifts and move on to normal, (however that’s going to look with a national election) in 2024. Ho, Ho, Ho, let’s just go.

Ok, if that’s the way you want it. This year has skirted hell at least, maybe a bit better than the one before. But if you’ve managed to bypass hell, you also might want to check out the distance you need to go to reach heaven.

It’s a slow journey, not one that’s knocked off in a night and a day. And to make the climb, watch out for what will pull you down and back. Careful people, just be careful. 

No Traveling Mercies Here 

First, don’t collapse it all down to a few hours or one pretty vignette. In a lot of ways, the story sucked. But they got through it. Joseph and Mary found a house in which to live instead of a barn. Things quieted down after the shepherds left. No angels had awakened them in the middle of the night for a long time. Nearly two years had passed; they had settled into their own kind of new normal with their toddler boy child.

If anyone had noticed though, there were some strange things happening in mysterious places unfamiliar to the simple folk in first-century Palestine. In Jerusalem, the first indication was when out of the desert came some strange figures. Their dress, customs, language gave them away in an instant. However, these were not traders with exotic goods to exchange. They wanted information, answers to questions that got attention in circles of government and religion. You’re right; these two don’t mix well, never have, never will. Careful, stand back. A combination like this can get dangerous.

Starry, Starry Nights 

The caravan consisted of what in the Greek language are called Magi. (And for the record, no one is saying there were just three wise men. Be careful. Don’t read into the story what’s not there or has been added by tradition, made into poetry and song.) Yet, wise they were thought to be, scholars and observers of the celestial bodies above, the closest to being scientists for that era and culture. Their acute observations had a mystical side as well, but one akin to those who seek in creation’s beauty the Creator behind it.

They had narrowed it down. The stars spoke to them. A new king had been born to the Jews according to what they’d discerned by this new star they had been following. Their purpose was to pay homage, to worship him. Certainly, everyone in Jerusalem and the surrounding country knew this good news. 

When Good News is Bad News 

Except, no one did. Again, be careful. Don’t assume everyone else knows what you know or that what you know is going to be welcome news. Likely, their queries were met with blank stares and heads shaking. These wise men didn’t seem that smart after all. And especially not smart when you consider who would not welcome this news the most. Enter government and religion, and wait for a long fuse to be lit.

A King? And a King of the Jews? Where’d that leave King Herod, the Roman tetrarch who ruled with an iron, sick fist? Herod ranked among the most narcistic and paranoid of all leaders, so obsessed with keeping power he even had three of his sons murdered so as to destroy a plot against his throne. Any, any hint, whiff, intimation that he’d be overthrown had to be squashed. No, this “sign”, even a story told by the stars, was not good news.

Then again, isn’t this what the people had been praying for? A king, a Messiah, to deliver them from this kind of oppression was their hope. One problem though, the religious hierarchy had no clue about it. Now if God was on the move, if the ancient prophecies were coming true, if a king no less than the great King David, their warrior and uniter of the nation, was on the horizon, wouldn’t God have sent them the message? Certainly not to these heathen foreigners who knew nothing of the Torah and how hard a job it had been to keep the people together in faith and festivals.

In the end, such news was taken by both as a threat, not because Herod or the priests believed it was real, but if others believed it, it could threaten their political and religious grip on power, wealth, and control of the people. They needed to get to the bottom and be rid of it fast.

An Unholy Alliance 

The teachers of the law informed Herod the prophecy stated the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Herod knew how to handle this. Feign interest, mislead these not-wise men, act like he also wants to bring the child-king his devotion. First though, he needs a bit of information.

They fall for it. Telling Herod, they assumed the child was born approximately two years ago because that is when the star appeared, Herod sends them off asking they inform him once they have located the child. What Herod didn’t count on was a power higher than himself. 

Tread Lightly 

The Magi continue their journey, and the star goes before them, straight to Bethlehem and right to the child. The waiting, watching, hoping, believing they were right in this long quest finds its destination. But be wary. Answer this question: did the Magi find their King, or was the star a search light looking for followers of the King?

In gratitude, they open their store of treasure and present gifts, gifts lavish and rich and fit for a king. Certainly, gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh are known to be immensely expensive. Yet, be careful in the realization and impact of their giving. Each gift carried its own significance for what this child would be. Gold was for a king, frankincense was for priestly worship, and myrrh meant his demise as it was used as an embalming spice. In brief, this kingly priest was going to die. 

Worst Nightmare 

God’s lieutenant, an angel again, appears in dreams warning these kings who worshipped the King not to go back to Herod and ordering Joseph to take the family to Egypt as refugees to wait it out until they could be safe from the villain Herod. When Herod realized he had been beaten in his own game, he retaliated. Evil found its target in the slaughter of all baby boys under the age of two in Bethlehem.

The birth of Christ is not a happy little story ending in “no crying he makes.” This tale can’t  be wrapped up, opened, and put away in a matter of a few days. Time hangs over it, and to be fully understood, wholly celebrated, clearly realized, it needs to be taken as a journey. Be careful. Give it at least a full twelve days, until January 6. You’ve heard that song? 

To Be Blunt:

Now is not the time to take down the tree and put away the lights. So what if they have been up since before Halloween? Consider the early need for holiday spirit as a call to begin a journey. Don’t make it a short stroll either. You have to be careful that half-truths aren’t swallowed, and false details don’t give wrong impressions. You also will meet those who would destroy your hope and belief with negativity and apathy. Sad, bad things happen even at Christmas, and not just in 2023.

When light shines in darkness, there still will be those who don’t welcome its brightness for what it reveals. Most of the world thinks religion should tell people how to find God. No wonder it doesn’t ring true for many. Magi tell the other side of the story. God comes to find us in quiet, unseen or unexpected ways like babies born to two ordinary people, a proclamation of good news given to marginalized people of the night, foreign entities who see celestial movements as divine search lights with cosmic relevance.

Epiphany: Wise ones aren’t seekers. Wise ones are found ones who follow.

Matthew 2:1-18

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