Follow the Star...

I have been particularly struck by the story of the wisemen this Christmas season.
Thoughts about how these men picked up and left everything they had and knew
to follow a light that was brighter than the others.
Can you imagine what kind of flack they would get today?
Hop on a camel -
granted that was the current day mode of transportation -
but, really, it wasn't a two year dune buggy ride across the desert.

One of the parts that got me this year
was someone describing the arrival of the magi in Bethlehem.
Be reminded that Jesus was about 2 years old at this point.
It wasn't the same craziness of the census -
people everywhere, animals and travelers taking over the town.
It was 2 years later.
The original excitement of the shepherds and the angels had died down.
The meetings with and prophecies from Simeon and Anna long since past.

Imagine a quiet day in Bethlehem.
Mary had been working in her home all morning while Jesus toddled about
landing hard once or twice as he tried to run along the uneven dirt floor of their small home.
Joseph had been home for a lunch of stew and freshly baked bread,
but had returned to his carpentry shed out back.
With lunch finished, Mary had put Jesus down for an afternoon nap before they would visit the neighbour down the road to share some vegetables from her small garden.

And then it happened.

There was a noise coming from out the window.
Men speaking a language she was unfamiliar with.
And before she knew it there was a knock at the door.
And so she opened it.
Can you imagine the sight?

Men dressed in robes and jewels,
riding camels,
carry gifts.

Can you imagine the talk amongst the neighbours at the arrival of these out-of-towners?

The men started to explain their story.
A star.
A king.

And Mary un-packed the treasures she had buried in her heart and knew this was just another unbelievable moment in her story as the mother of the Messiah.

She invited them in.
And ran to get Joseph from out back.
She hurried back to the house and lifted Jesus out of his finely crafted cradle.
He fussed a bit as his sleep was disturbed.
She tried to quiet Him,
explaining that He had special visitors.

All the while the neighbours peaked through the windows in their tiny homes.
Who where these foreigners?
And why were they visiting this family that had only moved into town a short while ago.

Can you imagine?


Our service this morning centred on the visit of the Magi.
Our children's message talked about the invitation to the Magi as they saw something spectacular and decided to follow it, trusting that it would lead them to a king.

And what a King they found!

I had to ask myself if my faith is such that I would follow that invitation to put so many things aside to truly seek after the King. It often seems that my time and energy for directly and intently seeking after the King get put somewhere else.

The prayer that followed struck a chord with me -
"Lord, forgive our poor sense of direction..."
(for those who don't know, getting lost and asking for directions could easily top my list of gifts and talents...)
We know the way.
We know where the star leads.
And yet it seems at times that we are incredibly mis-guided.
Maybe a new year is a time to roll out the map again.
To take out the compass and do a direction check.
And when I see the needle pointing west when I know I've been called north,
what difference will it make?
What difference should it make?

"Lord, forgive my poor sense of direction."