By Another Way
Matthew 2:1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 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.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘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.’” Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 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.” 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. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
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There's this app on my phone that magically syncs up with my location, and if I point the camera up at the sky, I can see the names of stars, planets, and the shapes of constellations. Unfortunately, the magi didn't possess such a tool and thinking about their journey, I wonder what they saw as they looked up at the celestial bodies that danced across the void of space. These privileged individuals, scholars, and priests believed that the stars were telling them something, so they set out to find what would be the place of Jesus' birth. Yet what happened after they left? What happens to the magi after they go back another way? The text doesn't say anything except that the magi were warned to go back another way.
[Who were the Magi?]
To return home another way is a motto for us this year as we begin to purge the buildup of toxins from our hearts and souls. Because, unfortunately, there's a buildup of intolerance, hate, and fear that keeps us from returning home, the home we knew, so we must go a different route that might allow us to avoid the same mistake and find redemption in the brokenness we've left behind. The magi received a dream telling them not to return to Herod, and today we receive this message every time we open scripture and more explicitly two weeks ago when we celebrated the birth of Christ who tells us we cannot return the same way we came. The wise men who followed the star to the birthplace of Christ were not yet done with their journey.
Who knows what the magi left behind when they embarked on their journey, following a star to an unknown land. Finally, they end up in the land of Judea and run into King Herod, who, on the surface, appears innocent enough but is filled with malice and ill intent. The magi most likely didn't catch onto Herod's evil heart but instead focused on finding the one prophesied about in their sacred texts. We aren't told how much time had passed from when they first set out, but they made it to the place where Jesus lay and offered their gifts. Perhaps life wasn't good in their home countries, or they left loved ones or those who needed them, so maybe when the divine spoke to them in a dream to head home another way, they were given a chance to process their journey to the Christ child.
A good part of my heart believes this year will be the year we return home. Not the way we left, but by a new path that shows us the faults and highlights we have faced together as a people. This, I believe, will be the year where we begin our journey home and a time where we wrestle with naming the ways we have been both faithful and rebellious to the life-way of giving, following in the footsteps of Herod instead of the footsteps of Christ. We have received the dream from the heavens; we've just haven't been paying attention. If body counts, hurting souls, and a peak of us vs. them mentality isn't a vivid enough dream that we need to return by another way, then I'm not sure what will get back on track. But I believe we can return home, one step at a time.
Let us return by another way, leaving behind the things of Herod. God is speaking to us this day to reveal that there is an alternative, one that allows us time to reflect and grow and repent. This is the year friends, I feel it deep down in my bones, where we will have the opportunity to make our way back home. We have received the vision, the dream, that warns us of what will happen if we return to the toxicity that lies behind us. Let us follow in the footsteps of the magi who returned to their home countries by a different route. We are afforded the same opportunity and a chance to continue following the star that leads us to the heart of God, where there exists a wellspring of life and a place of healing for all.