Four days in and the New Year greetings are already wearing as thin as bargain basement tinsel. My latest ‘Happy New Year’ to someone barely registered a grunt in return, and this on a Friday when you would have thought that the short week has meant the return to work doesn’t feel too brutal!
Perhaps, my salutations were delivered to a fellow ‘de-toxer’; I have embarked on one myself and apart from the frankly revolting colour of the ‘elixir’ (dirt brown is a kinder way of describing it) that is promising to make me feel lighter and brighter come Day 10 (I always go for the abridged version of these things), I too am feeling far from my best. However, for those of us who are actually Christo, there is still one more major event to celebrate in the season marking our Lord and Saviour’s birth: the arrival of the Magi.
The Magi’s story is an interesting one: they are not there on the night of Jesus’ birth itself, but come later (scholars have argued forever about exactly how much later, but let’s not digress too much or spoil the tableau set in Nativity Plays everywhere of Shepherds and Wise Men all rocking up to the stable on the same night), having noted the Star of Bethlehem and decided to follow it:
“Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2
There is something terribly modern about the Magi’s story with its quest for the new king that has been indicated by an extraordinary astronomical event. At this time of year many of us are looking for something new: whether it is a health regime that finally gives us that hot body, a hobby that broadens intellectual and social vistas, or a job that’s more in line with our passions. Furthermore we all seek ‘signs’ that will affirm that yes, we are on the right path and that this is the best course of action to take. For the Magi, the sign was literally in the heavens, but what is interesting is that they chose to follow it: after all, these were not Jewish religious leaders, but foreign wise men who probably practised a different religion and had different norms and concerns. It was not them who had the benefit of ancient prophets stating:
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:2
However, it was the Magi, who are first quoted as both recognising Jesus’ kingship and declaring it openly. God is literally for everyone, regardless of where you’re form. Furthermore, they came with gold, frankincense and myrrh, gifts that both reflected this truth regarding kingship, pointed at what was to come in Jesus’ life and gave an all-important splash of exotic to proceedings (did anyone give you Myrrh this year?) . There is also a sense of certainty in the Magi’s declaration. Not for them a gentle meander through life, trying to figure out the ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’ but directed action, even if it took them to a foreign land, seeking a foreign king who they felt convicted to worship.
The traditional name for this coming Sunday in the church calendar is Epiphany; which derives from the Ancient Greek word for ‘manifestation’. It is a time when we are meant to celebrate apart from the Magi’s arrival the fact that through Jesus, God literally appears in this world. For those of us living post Jesus’s ascent to heaven, it is also a time to consider his return, when once again he will be made manifest in the world
In the meantime, just in case Jesus’ return should not coincide with our mortal lives, we can have a go at making Christ’s light manifest in our everyday activities. There’s no need for fancy courses, tonics or roadmaps although it is definitely a lot harder a resolution to keep than most. But wow, what a transformation, if you try to reflect some of his glory, and startaffecting those with your God given light, your very own version of Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar (the names of the Magi in case you were wondering) might just rock up to bear witness to your transformation. However, bling and scent are not guaranteed…
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