The Endurance to Follow

 

Scripture

 Matthew 2:1-12

2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ² asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” ³ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

⁶ ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸ Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹ On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.  (NRSV)

Devotion

 Tomorrow marks Epiphany--the official end of the Christmas Season as we celebrate the arrival of the Magi.  The Greek term "magi" technically referred to Zoroastrian priests from Persia, but by Jesus's time, it has also become kind of a catch-all term for people gifted at astrology and/or magic.  Matthew doesn't tell us much about these "wise men from the East" except that they could read the stars and had traveled far  in order to bring the Christ child costly gifts full of religious symbolism.   It's that lengthy journey that I want to focus on today.

Later in Chapter 2 of his Gospel, Matthew says that when the Magi didn't return to Herod, the tyrant had every child under age 2 in and around Bethlehem killed.  This implies that the Magi had been traveling for something close to 2 years.   Jesus is no longer a baby in a manger.  He is a toddler who is running around the house and getting into everything.  The Magi  have spent that entire time risking life and limb in order to follow a star.  They even briefly got confused and had to stop and ask for directions just before they reached their destination.  What's more, when they leave, they will have another 2-year journey back to their homelands...and this time, Herod will be looking for them.

I don't know about you, but I am humbled by the Magi's  dedication to their task.  Nearly 2 years into this pandemic, I am beyond weary of wearing face masks, social distancing, and "thinking creatively" about how to be the Church in world today.  There are times when I just want to throw my hands up and give up on trying to do the right thing.  This is especially true when case numbers swell or people I love make decisions that I just don't understand.   Can't we just turn back and have everything go back to normal already? 

And yet, here we are: still in the thick of it.  Still trying our best (for the most part) to follow God's will through a strange world filled with hidden dangers and unexpected obstacles.  Just as the star eventually guided the Magi to exactly where they needed to go, the Holy Spirit will get us through this.  We just need to have the faithful endurance it takes to keep following the pull that God places on our hearts.  To pause and regroup when necessary...but to then to get back to our feet and keep following Christ's beacon through the darkness.

What goes for the pandemic and for the Magi can be applied to any part of our lives where we feel our faith tested and our patience and endurance running thin.  In such times, the best thing we can do is turn inward and prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to shine forth and point us in the right direction.  For if we keep following it, we can trust that we will get where God wants us to go. 

This Epiphany, let's look to the Magi as our role models and rededicate ourselves to following Christ's star wherever it leads.  The world around us may feel dark and dangerous.  The road may have unexpected twists and turns.  We may find ourselves weary and doubtful and tempted to turn back.  But the destination we are headed to is more than worth it, and the Holy Spirit will make sure that we will get where we are going.  All we need to do is have enough faith to follow the star that shines on...

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for providing the Holy Spirit that lights our way through the darkness.  Help me follow your star so that I may make wise decisions and one day come to see you face to face.  Amen.