2 1-2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory— this was during Herod’s kingship—a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, “Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him.”
3-4 When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified—and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well. Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
5-6 They told him, “Bethlehem, Judah territory. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly:
It’s you, Bethlehem, in Judah’s land,
no longer bringing up the rear.
From you will come the leader
who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel.”
7-8 Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared. Then he told them the prophecy about Bethlehem, and said, “Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word and I’ll join you at once in your worship.”
9-10 Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time!
11 They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.
12 In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country.
“Worshipped By Outsiders”
The Magi were outsiders who demonstrated a lot of faith, acting on such flimsy evidence. They didn’t know what we know; they just knew of a word of prophecy and a strange star. It was full of mystery and they were full of a searching faith.
“Our three Epiphany lessons unite, you see, to say that God does not despise the religions of outsiders, and neither may we. This is not to say that one religion is as good as another, but that the hunger for God is a common human trait and deserves respect wherever it is found.” Proclamation 2 A, pp.12,13
Outsiders: Bob would be one; not much of a church goer yet a man of deep insight. “Let us have a church that dares imitate the heroism of Jesus; seek inspiration as he sought it; judge the past as he; act on the present like him; pray as he prayed; work as he wrought; live as he lived.” (Bob Folk - letter to editor)
Gandhi would be one: “Find a Muslim boy and adopt him as your son (pause) and raise him as a Muslim.” Words spoken in Movie to a Hindu seeking peace in his heart for killing a Muslim child.
Christ belongs to all
and all belong to Christ!
That’s the secret of the Magi!
Prayer thought for the week: “Lord, help me to dare believe that Christ is for all, and let you sort them out.”
No comments:
Post a Comment