From the children’s book Alice in Wonderland: In her travels, Alice encounters a Cheshire cat, which has the annoying habit of appearing and disappearing at random moments in the story. Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” `That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat. `I don't much care where--' said Alice. `Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat. `--so long as I get SOMEWHERE,' Alice added as an explanation. `Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, `if you only walk long enough.'
The wise men in today’s Gospel took a rather more focused approach in their travels than Alice did. Our reading from Matthew’s Gospel tells us that the wise men – we don’t really know how many there were; tradition puts the number at three – approached King Herod, explaining that they had been following a star that marked the birth of a new king of the Jews. They would have come from quite a distance – Bible scholars think they’d likely have been seers and astrologers from the regions we now call Iran or Iraq. Their visit would not have gladdened the heart of Herod; so far as he was concerned, Herod was King of the Jews, and any purported new king would have been a threat. But Herod forces a smile, calls together his advisors, and sends the wise men on their way, requesting that when they find the babe, they bring Herod word so he may come and, er…. worship him. Worship….yeah, that’s the ticket.
In Matthew’s Gospel, up until this point in the story, the birth narrative has pretty much been a family affair within Judaism. Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, likely the shepherds, everyone we’ve encountered up to this point is of the chosen people. Jews one and all. Epiphany marks the revelation of Jesus to the nations, to the wider world. Ultimately, Epiphany is where we become a part of the Christmas story. This is why, in a number of the eastern orthodox Christian traditions, Epiphany or “little Christmas” is where the real Christmas celebration begins.
As the bumper sticker says, “Wise men still seek him.” I have it on good authority that wise women do as well. So what do we search for when we search for Christ. The traditional answer is salvation. If we ask “Salvation from what?” most good church folk would respond “from sin”
But we live in a society today that, for the most part, doesn’t feel the overwhelming sense of guilt bearing down on us that some of us grew up with. This doesn’t mean that we don’t need Jesus, or that we’ve given up on searching for Christ. Rather, we may experience our need for Christ in different ways.
For many, our search for Christ is a search for meaning, a search for a sense that our life matters, that living by the saying “he who dies with the most toys, wins” is a prescription for emptiness and a hollowed-out life, that life is more than possessions. We want to be a part of something larger than ourselves, want to feel that the world is better off for our having been here. For still others, it’s a search for companionship when family members have passed on and friends are at a distance. Jesus is our companion on the road. For others, it’s a search for comfort, a search for shelter from the pain that life offers; or a search for assistance, for freedom from hunger and destitution. For yet others, it’s a very real search for safety, literally for sanctuary. For youth from violent homes, church can be the place they know that if they go there, nobody will hit them; the church bells the voice of God reminding them that God will never forsake nor abandon them. At heart, all of these problems – lack of meaning, isolation, pain, hunger, and violence are consequences of sin, personal or societal. So all of these searches are at heart searches for salvation; at heart, all are searches for what only God can provide.
In Matthew’s Gospel, up until this point in the story, the birth narrative has pretty much been a family affair within Judaism. Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, likely the shepherds, everyone we’ve encountered up to this point is of the chosen people. Jews one and all. Epiphany marks the revelation of Jesus to the nations, to the wider world. Ultimately, Epiphany is where we become a part of the Christmas story. This is why, in a number of the eastern orthodox Christian traditions, Epiphany or “little Christmas” is where the real Christmas celebration begins.
As the bumper sticker says, “Wise men still seek him.” I have it on good authority that wise women do as well. So what do we search for when we search for Christ. The traditional answer is salvation. If we ask “Salvation from what?” most good church folk would respond “from sin”
But we live in a society today that, for the most part, doesn’t feel the overwhelming sense of guilt bearing down on us that some of us grew up with. This doesn’t mean that we don’t need Jesus, or that we’ve given up on searching for Christ. Rather, we may experience our need for Christ in different ways.
For many, our search for Christ is a search for meaning, a search for a sense that our life matters, that living by the saying “he who dies with the most toys, wins” is a prescription for emptiness and a hollowed-out life, that life is more than possessions. We want to be a part of something larger than ourselves, want to feel that the world is better off for our having been here. For still others, it’s a search for companionship when family members have passed on and friends are at a distance. Jesus is our companion on the road. For others, it’s a search for comfort, a search for shelter from the pain that life offers; or a search for assistance, for freedom from hunger and destitution. For yet others, it’s a very real search for safety, literally for sanctuary. For youth from violent homes, church can be the place they know that if they go there, nobody will hit them; the church bells the voice of God reminding them that God will never forsake nor abandon them. At heart, all of these problems – lack of meaning, isolation, pain, hunger, and violence are consequences of sin, personal or societal. So all of these searches are at heart searches for salvation; at heart, all are searches for what only God can provide.
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