During the presidential election campaign in the United States last year, the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - whose birthday observance falls today - found its way into the election campaign.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican, claimed that he saw his father march with Dr. King in 1963. In fact, Romney’s father had never appeared with Dr. King, even though he had been a strong supporter of civil rights during his political career. What Romney *meant*, his campaign stated, was that he “figuratively” saw his father with Dr. King. Frank Rich, a columnist for the New York Times suggested that the insertion of race into the discussion was to deflect any possible charge of racial insensitivity; Romney’s own church discriminated against blacks until 1978, and he had never spoken out.
Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton said in a speech that “Dr. King’s dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964... It took a president to get it done.” Members of Barack Obama’s staff felt her comment diminished Dr. King’s legacy. Senator Clinton’s staff said she was paying homage to both men.
Dr. King, however, would always point to the God who had been his guide throughout his life, and would have seen himself simply as a disciple living the call.
In her book “The Gospel of John: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections,” author Gail O’Day talks about the “drama of discipleship”. And this morning we have two stories of both call, and discipleship.
Samuel, just a boy lying in bed. Now, the name Samuel in Hebrew means “God hears”, and it also means “son of God”. This boy wakens to God's voice calling him. God tells Samuel that he is to go and speak to Israel with the authority of God behind him. It is the story of a great prophet being called, even when still a boy. God’s intent leaves absolutely no possibility of any doubt.
This is probably what most people consider a call - something so dramatic as to stop us in our tracks, and change the course of our lives so significantly that there can be no doubt.
In December of 1955, Rose Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama for refusing to move to the back of a city bus. Leaders in the African-American community organized a city-wide transportation boycott, and turned to the young black pastor, Martin Luther King, Jr. as the leader. King was just 26 years old, and he wrestled with issues of call; call to ministry, call to discipleship, and whether or not his role was simply local pastor. In the end, he concluded that God called him to this new ministry as well - and the rest is history. He became President of a new organisation called the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He organised the great civil rights marches. We know he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, but we also know that this call spelled the end of his life, figuratively and literally speaking.
Well, let’s look at the second story - the call of Nathanael. Nathanael means, in Hebrew, “a gift of God”. The story tells us Jesus had seen Nathanael sitting under a fig tree even before Philip went to get him. I wondered if perhaps there was some significance to the fig tree. It gave good shade, and maybe sitting under the tree was a good place to read, get cool, take a nap, or sleep off the previous night’s fun. Now, Jesus simply talks to Nathanael after Philip goes to “call him out” from under the fig tree. That’s all Jesus did. Nothing spectacular - and the funny thing is, Nathanael is called to be a disciple. No dramatic vision, just a man saying "Follow my way."
Now, as the author of the story, John believed Jesus was the Messiah, born in Bethlehem, but he *identifies* Jesus as from Nazareth, and Nathanael’s first question is “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” So he goes into this a sceptic. John’s whole point, of course, is that this Messiah is a real human being from a backwater town - and that this man was called as well.
Whose call was more real? The drama of God’s voice in the middle of the night? Or something as quiet as “Come out?”. Both Samuel and Nathanael were disciples - they were ordinary people who were called by God to live and speak faith. They were called to ministry - but the point is they were *not* called to *ordained* ministry or a specialised priesthood. God named them and called them.
We tend to think that a call has to be something dramatic, like a Damascus road experience, or a burning bush, or a voice in the darkness. John demonstrates to us clearly that we are all called and named, and it isn’t any sudden flash of insight - but instead something as simple as the words “I saw you sitting there. Come.”
It doesn’t mean you have to take up a call to ministry in the church. Not at all. It *does* mean that as someone professing to be Christian, you are professing that you are called and named as a follower of the way.
Dr. O’Day asks this question; “Why are there so many names for Jesus? Each disciple sees something different in Jesus and bears witness in his own way. Each disciple came to Jesus with differing expectations and needs – one needed a teacher, another the Messiah, another the fulfillment of scripture – and each of these needs was met…”
Can anything good come from Nazareth? Can anything good come from Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump? Or Ferintosh, Alberta? Or the tiny island of Gossen in Norway, or the lump of land in Finland known as Korvatunturi?
Nathanael missed it completely. So do most of us. God’s call *does* come to the ordinary. - farmers, fishermen, sailors, truck drivers, mechanics, engineers, carpenters. It is not a call to drop our current lives and go into ordained ministry - but a call to follow even while doing what we do. Seeing what we do as a calling, with God at the centre, as the voice which moves us.
All Philip said was "Come and see" – a simple invitation to meet Jesus. What good can come from Glen Ayr? What is our call to discipleship? It is up to you - because you are all called and named. Each of you - each of us, is a Nathanael - a gift of God, and we are each a Samuel - a child of God. So - come, and see - what is the call in this world, today, in this tiny corner of the city of Toronto?
CALLED
We are called
to leave behind our solitary searching,
to put on that single garment of destiny -
the uniform of faithfulness -
worn by creatures great and small,
old and forgotten,
young and eager,
broken and bewildered,
spirited and set on fire:
sisters and brothers who share not race or tongue,
but whose hearts are claimed by love,
signed by a cross.
Our future is together, arm in arm,
finding healing as we heal,
knowing freedom in our forgiving.
We are the strangest travellers:
seeking no reward at trail's end,
As long as we know the joy of journeying with him.
We are called
Disciples.
We are called
His.
Sources and acknowledgments:
1. Dr. Frank Trotter, First United Methodist Church, Pasadena, California Sermon “The Drama of Discipleship” January 20, 2008.
2. Dr. Gail O’Day. The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995). Dr. O’Day is Professor of Homiletics at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia.
3. Rev. John Nadasi, Paonia United Methodist Church, Colorado. Sermon “Can Anything Good Come from Nazareth?”
4. Poem by Timothy Haut, Deep River, Connecticut. January 18, 2009.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
By Water and Word Baptism of Jesus Genesis 1:1-7, Mark 1:7-11
On the communion table this morning, there is a kind of arrangement of candles, water, and greenery. I was trying to find a way to bring together the light of creation, light of Epiphany, light of Jesus. Christmas lights and Christmas candles are a kind of theological statement of light being born into the world, and a direct connection to the story of creation. The light of Epiphany is connected to a star, but also connected to understanding, insight, and new creation. Water is also a sign of creation, and a sign of new insight, new beginnings, new life patterned after the way of Jesus.
And so the symbols for Epiphany, particularly this Sunday in the Epiphany season, are the liturgical colours white - for light - and green - for creation. And candles symbolise creation, light, life, the Holy Spirit. So does the water.
Ralph Milton, in his weekly comments in the newletter Rumors, says: “Light is far more than simply something to see by. The light of the sun is converted to energy that is stored in plant life and from there in animal life. In fact, life would be impossible without the sun........So the metaphor works.” God provides the light in our world by which we live physically, and God provides light in Jesus, through which we draw our spiritual life.
Baptism and the use of water for purification, or “mikvah” has its roots in Jewish rituals. In the Jewish texts, immersion in water for ritual purification was established for restoration to a condition of "ritual purity" in specific circumstances. I have mentioned purity laws and rituals in other sermons. For example, Jews who (according to the Law of Moses) became ritually defiled by contact with a corpse had to use the “mikvah” before being allowed to participate in the Holy Temple. Immersion is required for those who wish to convert to Judaism. Immersion in the mikvah represents a change in status in regards to purification, restoration, and qualification for full religious participation in the life of the community.
So Jesus came to be baptised by John, a man who preached repentance in the face of God's imminent judgement. John had a large following during the time of Jesus, with many people seeking John's baptismal purification in the River Jordan. Many of the earliest followers of Jesus were other people who were baptized by John. Scholars broadly agree that the baptism of Jesus is one of the most historically likely events in the life of the historical Jesus. Jesus and his earliest disciples accepted the validity of John's baptism.
Some of the questions raised are “Why would Jesus, who was supposed to be sinless, come for baptism of repentance?” “What was it that happened to Jesus during that moment?”
Some scholars feel that Jesus simply came to be baptised and become one of the followers of John - that in fact he had no idea of going into ministry. His actions certainly raised the issue of his potential submission to John, and we know from early writings that many people thought John *was* the Messiah, and Jesus the false prophet. In Mark, the baptism by John is the setting for the theophany, the revelation of Jesus' divine identity as the Son of God. Matthew shows John objecting to baptizing Jesus, an obvious superior, and only agreeing when overruled by Jesus (Matt 3:14-15) but omits Mark's reference to baptism for the forgiveness of sins. Luke emphasizes the subservience of John to Jesus while both are still in the womb (Luke 1:32-45) and omits the role of John in the baptism of Jesus (Luke 3:18-21). The Gospel of John omits the baptism altogether.
Although we have tended to think of the baptism as Jesus marking the beginning of his ministry - I think it was even more mundane than that. I seriously wonder if Jesus even had that in his mind, or if, in fact he did come as a follower of his cousin John. Clearly Jesus was a spiritual person, a mystic even - and for him the symbolism of shedding his old life and taking on something new, of being purified as he entered this community, probably drew him to John. Maybe he was strongly affected by John’s message about the coming of the realm.
And so he enters the water, and in the process of baptism, coming up out of the water - he has an experience which shakes him to the core - the Holy Spirit is on HIM, and he realises he has been chosen for something. I wonder if that’s why he went off to the desert for 40 days. He had to decide if he really wanted to do this thing or not. Ralph Milton says “Mostly, though, I wonder if Jesus knew what he was in for, when the Spirit of God descended onto him. Was everything revealed to him in a great flash of understanding? Or did he figure it out as he went along?” Well, my feeling is that just like rest of us, revelation happened as he went along. A flash of insight, a feeling of understanding, a recognition of something to come - and then the feeling and the vision is gone.
But I want to come back to the creation story - because I really think that *is* what this is about. Genesis tells us the Spirit moved on the face of the water; the Book of Proverbs tells us that the Spirit, the feminine “ruach”, was present with God at creation, and delighted in all the things God made. The Spirit has been portrayed as a dove.
Mark tells us that Jesus went down into the waters, and as he arose, the Spirit of God - a dove - came down on him. And in that moment, Jesus has an epiphany experience - a deeply spiritual experience in which the universe is opened to him. It is totally unexpected.
It is also a parallel to the creation story - God has done something new and wonderful. God calls us to see its beauty, listen to its sound, acknowledge and follow. In Jesus, in the epiphany moments, in the coming of light and the creation by water and Word - we are baptised into something new. In this new baptism, while water is a sign, we are also baptised by the Spirit - and that is where the true baptism lies. It is the coming of light, insight, commitment to a life in the community of faith, life in a new creation, by the waters of creation and the power of the Spirit. May it be so.
Sources:
1. Ralph Milton, e-newsletter Rumors, January 4, 2009.
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptism
3. Proverbs 8:29-31
And so the symbols for Epiphany, particularly this Sunday in the Epiphany season, are the liturgical colours white - for light - and green - for creation. And candles symbolise creation, light, life, the Holy Spirit. So does the water.
Ralph Milton, in his weekly comments in the newletter Rumors, says: “Light is far more than simply something to see by. The light of the sun is converted to energy that is stored in plant life and from there in animal life. In fact, life would be impossible without the sun........So the metaphor works.” God provides the light in our world by which we live physically, and God provides light in Jesus, through which we draw our spiritual life.
Baptism and the use of water for purification, or “mikvah” has its roots in Jewish rituals. In the Jewish texts, immersion in water for ritual purification was established for restoration to a condition of "ritual purity" in specific circumstances. I have mentioned purity laws and rituals in other sermons. For example, Jews who (according to the Law of Moses) became ritually defiled by contact with a corpse had to use the “mikvah” before being allowed to participate in the Holy Temple. Immersion is required for those who wish to convert to Judaism. Immersion in the mikvah represents a change in status in regards to purification, restoration, and qualification for full religious participation in the life of the community.
So Jesus came to be baptised by John, a man who preached repentance in the face of God's imminent judgement. John had a large following during the time of Jesus, with many people seeking John's baptismal purification in the River Jordan. Many of the earliest followers of Jesus were other people who were baptized by John. Scholars broadly agree that the baptism of Jesus is one of the most historically likely events in the life of the historical Jesus. Jesus and his earliest disciples accepted the validity of John's baptism.
Some of the questions raised are “Why would Jesus, who was supposed to be sinless, come for baptism of repentance?” “What was it that happened to Jesus during that moment?”
Some scholars feel that Jesus simply came to be baptised and become one of the followers of John - that in fact he had no idea of going into ministry. His actions certainly raised the issue of his potential submission to John, and we know from early writings that many people thought John *was* the Messiah, and Jesus the false prophet. In Mark, the baptism by John is the setting for the theophany, the revelation of Jesus' divine identity as the Son of God. Matthew shows John objecting to baptizing Jesus, an obvious superior, and only agreeing when overruled by Jesus (Matt 3:14-15) but omits Mark's reference to baptism for the forgiveness of sins. Luke emphasizes the subservience of John to Jesus while both are still in the womb (Luke 1:32-45) and omits the role of John in the baptism of Jesus (Luke 3:18-21). The Gospel of John omits the baptism altogether.
Although we have tended to think of the baptism as Jesus marking the beginning of his ministry - I think it was even more mundane than that. I seriously wonder if Jesus even had that in his mind, or if, in fact he did come as a follower of his cousin John. Clearly Jesus was a spiritual person, a mystic even - and for him the symbolism of shedding his old life and taking on something new, of being purified as he entered this community, probably drew him to John. Maybe he was strongly affected by John’s message about the coming of the realm.
And so he enters the water, and in the process of baptism, coming up out of the water - he has an experience which shakes him to the core - the Holy Spirit is on HIM, and he realises he has been chosen for something. I wonder if that’s why he went off to the desert for 40 days. He had to decide if he really wanted to do this thing or not. Ralph Milton says “Mostly, though, I wonder if Jesus knew what he was in for, when the Spirit of God descended onto him. Was everything revealed to him in a great flash of understanding? Or did he figure it out as he went along?” Well, my feeling is that just like rest of us, revelation happened as he went along. A flash of insight, a feeling of understanding, a recognition of something to come - and then the feeling and the vision is gone.
But I want to come back to the creation story - because I really think that *is* what this is about. Genesis tells us the Spirit moved on the face of the water; the Book of Proverbs tells us that the Spirit, the feminine “ruach”, was present with God at creation, and delighted in all the things God made. The Spirit has been portrayed as a dove.
Mark tells us that Jesus went down into the waters, and as he arose, the Spirit of God - a dove - came down on him. And in that moment, Jesus has an epiphany experience - a deeply spiritual experience in which the universe is opened to him. It is totally unexpected.
It is also a parallel to the creation story - God has done something new and wonderful. God calls us to see its beauty, listen to its sound, acknowledge and follow. In Jesus, in the epiphany moments, in the coming of light and the creation by water and Word - we are baptised into something new. In this new baptism, while water is a sign, we are also baptised by the Spirit - and that is where the true baptism lies. It is the coming of light, insight, commitment to a life in the community of faith, life in a new creation, by the waters of creation and the power of the Spirit. May it be so.
Sources:
1. Ralph Milton, e-newsletter Rumors, January 4, 2009.
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptism
3. Proverbs 8:29-31
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Journeys Matthew 2:1-12 Epiphany Sunday January 4, 2009
Last week, a friend sent me a quote from a sermon by the Rev. Jody Seymour at Davidson United Methodist Church in North Carolina. She says:
“People who journey without being changed are nomads. People who change without going on a journey are chameleons. People who go on a journey and are changed by the journey are pilgrims.”
We have a hymn, in our hymnbook, called “Sister Let Me Be Your Servant”. Its original title was “We are Pilgrims on a Journey” - and it goes “We are pilgrims on a journey, fellow travellers on the road. We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.”
Every year, we celebrate Epiphany on the Sunday closest to the actual day of January 6. Every year, the lectionary brings us the Magi. Every year we take all the elements of three years’ worth of biblical story and scrunch it down into roughly six weeks - four of Advent, one for Christmas, and one for Epiphany. We tend to forget that this was a story played out over several years, and with many layers of meaning.
The Greek historian Herodotus cites the Magi as Medeans living in Persia, which at the time of Jesus’ birth was part of the Parthian Empire. They were scientists, priests, astrologers, and existed for around five thousand years; they were almost certainly Zoroastrians. They were not just 'wise men,' but an entire social class of priests and sages.
“They were the center of spiritual-political authority through the ages of several great empires. They interpreted dreams and were responsible for sacred rituals, including animal sacrifices. The Magi may have even been responsible for crowning any new ruler who came to power. If true, then to be crowned without the favor of the Magi would jeopardize the legitimacy of any king.
The Magi believed that the stars could be used to predict the birth of great rulers. They believed that the next great ruler was about to be born: the "king of the Jews." But even so, why visit the newborn king of a foreign nation? It is not implausible to assume that the main intention of the Magi was diplomatic in origin. If a new king had been born, it would prove useful to pay tribute to him and his family. They may have assumed that Herod, the ruler of Judea and Palestine, had produced a son, an heir to his seat of power, who would exceed his father's legacy by leaps and bounds. Rome and Parthia were the two "superpowers" of the era, and Palestine was a significant part of the political view.”
Well, what did they find in Jerusalem? Herod had syphilis, was paranoid and almost dead. There was a laundry list of people happy to take his place, and help him along to the next world if need be. He had killed his previous wife and several sons out of suspicion that they were trying to kill him. He knew the new king was not one of his offspring. So he consulted with advisors, found out about the prophecy, and determined to find this usurper to his power.
After a journey of about 1300 miles into a foreign country, the Magi found Mary, Joseph and the child who was approximately two. What went through the minds of these aristocrats as they met this peasant couple of a different race and religion? The gifts they brought imply a legitimising of the rule of this king. They were not Jewish. They were foreigners, Gentiles, considered pagan. If you look closely at your Christmas cards, you might see that tradition has one of them African, one Asian, and one Caucasian. Nowhere in the text does it say there were three - there could have been more.
Here’s a modern tale, from a blog by David Barker at West Hill United Church - and I believe it relates very much to this story and its interpretation. “This Christmas, more than usual, people have been crying foul over issues of political correctness. The most notable instance of this arose around the decision by Seattle's Sea–Tac International Airport authority to remove from its premises all Christmas trees and related paraphernalia. .... A rabbi had petitioned the airport for inclusion of a menorah amongst the decorations. After consulting with its lawyers (naturally), it concluded that it would be simpler to remove all decorations than be sensitive to the existence of other faith traditions and their ways of celebrating. Seattle residents are angry.”
David goes on to ask these questions: “What if the Messianic announcement and the Jesus birth were calls, not to a new believing, but to a new doing? What if that nativity was a grand act of ecumenism, summoning the faithful of every faith whatever the faith - like the Zoroastrian magi - to engage one another as fellow travelers on a spiritual pilgrimage? What if that is the Christmas message?”
Magi, rich and influential Zoroastrian priests, scholars and astrologers - made a pilgrimage to a town in a country more than a thousand miles from their home. They saw a convergence of celestial phenomena which they believed heralded the birth of a new king, perhaps even a new kind of king. They travelled an incredible distance, even by today’s reckonings, found the one they were seeking, and when they did presented incredibly expensive and significant gifts, and according to Matthew, worshipped the baby. They were not of the same faith as Jesus’ family, yet somehow what they found transcended any individual faith. The star, or the light, signifies to me God’s transcendence over even religion.
I believe something happened to the Magi in that pilgrimage. They knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they could not return the same way they came, that in fact there was no return. They were true pilgrims, because they were willing to set out on a long, long journey without knowing if they would even live. They found what they were seeking, and they went away changed by their entire experience. I am sure Mary and Joseph were changed by the encounter as well. In the story, Joseph and Mary did not turn away these “pagans”, or refuse to have anything to do with them because they were Gentiles. They did, apparently, welcome the visitors and accept the gifts.
So who are we, today? Who are the Magi today, who come seeking? Do we want them to be like us? Are we true pilgrims, willing to be changed by what we experience? Are we willing to set out on the road with them, looking for something we only think is happening? Are we pilgrims, nomads, or chameleons?
If the answer is pilgrims on a journey, then we are on this journey with all peoples of all faiths - and we owe it to those others, and to God, to have respect for the many ways God is revealed in the world. Our religion should not become our God, but rather it should be the means by which we find our God revealed in humanity. May it be so.
Sources
1. www.magijourney.com
2. http://nouspique.com/component/content/article/52/248-the-magi-today
3. Dr. Jody Seymour, Davdison United Methodist Church, North Carolina.
“People who journey without being changed are nomads. People who change without going on a journey are chameleons. People who go on a journey and are changed by the journey are pilgrims.”
We have a hymn, in our hymnbook, called “Sister Let Me Be Your Servant”. Its original title was “We are Pilgrims on a Journey” - and it goes “We are pilgrims on a journey, fellow travellers on the road. We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.”
Every year, we celebrate Epiphany on the Sunday closest to the actual day of January 6. Every year, the lectionary brings us the Magi. Every year we take all the elements of three years’ worth of biblical story and scrunch it down into roughly six weeks - four of Advent, one for Christmas, and one for Epiphany. We tend to forget that this was a story played out over several years, and with many layers of meaning.
The Greek historian Herodotus cites the Magi as Medeans living in Persia, which at the time of Jesus’ birth was part of the Parthian Empire. They were scientists, priests, astrologers, and existed for around five thousand years; they were almost certainly Zoroastrians. They were not just 'wise men,' but an entire social class of priests and sages.
“They were the center of spiritual-political authority through the ages of several great empires. They interpreted dreams and were responsible for sacred rituals, including animal sacrifices. The Magi may have even been responsible for crowning any new ruler who came to power. If true, then to be crowned without the favor of the Magi would jeopardize the legitimacy of any king.
The Magi believed that the stars could be used to predict the birth of great rulers. They believed that the next great ruler was about to be born: the "king of the Jews." But even so, why visit the newborn king of a foreign nation? It is not implausible to assume that the main intention of the Magi was diplomatic in origin. If a new king had been born, it would prove useful to pay tribute to him and his family. They may have assumed that Herod, the ruler of Judea and Palestine, had produced a son, an heir to his seat of power, who would exceed his father's legacy by leaps and bounds. Rome and Parthia were the two "superpowers" of the era, and Palestine was a significant part of the political view.”
Well, what did they find in Jerusalem? Herod had syphilis, was paranoid and almost dead. There was a laundry list of people happy to take his place, and help him along to the next world if need be. He had killed his previous wife and several sons out of suspicion that they were trying to kill him. He knew the new king was not one of his offspring. So he consulted with advisors, found out about the prophecy, and determined to find this usurper to his power.
After a journey of about 1300 miles into a foreign country, the Magi found Mary, Joseph and the child who was approximately two. What went through the minds of these aristocrats as they met this peasant couple of a different race and religion? The gifts they brought imply a legitimising of the rule of this king. They were not Jewish. They were foreigners, Gentiles, considered pagan. If you look closely at your Christmas cards, you might see that tradition has one of them African, one Asian, and one Caucasian. Nowhere in the text does it say there were three - there could have been more.
Here’s a modern tale, from a blog by David Barker at West Hill United Church - and I believe it relates very much to this story and its interpretation. “This Christmas, more than usual, people have been crying foul over issues of political correctness. The most notable instance of this arose around the decision by Seattle's Sea–Tac International Airport authority to remove from its premises all Christmas trees and related paraphernalia. .... A rabbi had petitioned the airport for inclusion of a menorah amongst the decorations. After consulting with its lawyers (naturally), it concluded that it would be simpler to remove all decorations than be sensitive to the existence of other faith traditions and their ways of celebrating. Seattle residents are angry.”
David goes on to ask these questions: “What if the Messianic announcement and the Jesus birth were calls, not to a new believing, but to a new doing? What if that nativity was a grand act of ecumenism, summoning the faithful of every faith whatever the faith - like the Zoroastrian magi - to engage one another as fellow travelers on a spiritual pilgrimage? What if that is the Christmas message?”
Magi, rich and influential Zoroastrian priests, scholars and astrologers - made a pilgrimage to a town in a country more than a thousand miles from their home. They saw a convergence of celestial phenomena which they believed heralded the birth of a new king, perhaps even a new kind of king. They travelled an incredible distance, even by today’s reckonings, found the one they were seeking, and when they did presented incredibly expensive and significant gifts, and according to Matthew, worshipped the baby. They were not of the same faith as Jesus’ family, yet somehow what they found transcended any individual faith. The star, or the light, signifies to me God’s transcendence over even religion.
I believe something happened to the Magi in that pilgrimage. They knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they could not return the same way they came, that in fact there was no return. They were true pilgrims, because they were willing to set out on a long, long journey without knowing if they would even live. They found what they were seeking, and they went away changed by their entire experience. I am sure Mary and Joseph were changed by the encounter as well. In the story, Joseph and Mary did not turn away these “pagans”, or refuse to have anything to do with them because they were Gentiles. They did, apparently, welcome the visitors and accept the gifts.
So who are we, today? Who are the Magi today, who come seeking? Do we want them to be like us? Are we true pilgrims, willing to be changed by what we experience? Are we willing to set out on the road with them, looking for something we only think is happening? Are we pilgrims, nomads, or chameleons?
If the answer is pilgrims on a journey, then we are on this journey with all peoples of all faiths - and we owe it to those others, and to God, to have respect for the many ways God is revealed in the world. Our religion should not become our God, but rather it should be the means by which we find our God revealed in humanity. May it be so.
Sources
1. www.magijourney.com
2. http://nouspique.com/component/content/article/52/248-the-magi-today
3. Dr. Jody Seymour, Davdison United Methodist Church, North Carolina.
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