01-06-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 6, 2024
Today, on what is officially Epiphany (we will celebrate it tomorrow in worship and with the Camel Walk), I am mindful of the Magi, or what some believe might better be described as astrologers or Zoroastrians. Over the years, some people have told me that after their visit with the Holy Family, the Magi became Christians. First of all, there was no Christianity at that time, plus I don’t necessarily believe that the sharing of gifts and paying the child “homage” suggest a change in religion as there is nothing in scripture that points to some sort of “conversion.” In fact, they returned home after meeting the child. And though it says they “returned home by a different way,” often interpreted as those whose hearts have changed, the alternative road was more practical. They didn’t want to see Herod, whom they knew was not happy with the child. What does it mean to describe the people who were not considered insiders in the Jewish faith and not converts of this new thing that was happening as being central to the story of God’s redeeming love?  The scholar and rabbi, Abraham Heschel, wrote, “Any god who is mine but not yours, any god concerned with me but not with you, is an idol.” There is no question in my mind that one of the primary pieces of the Jesus message was the removal of barriers that separated people, including the institutional religions whose real purpose was self-preservation. I am a follower of Jesus, yet if I believe the God I meet in Jesus is only on the side of those who love Jesus and that God desires health and well-being only for those who celebrate the name of Jesus, then I am pretty sure I have dismissed most of the teachings of Jesus. The Magi are only one example of God inviting all kinds of people to participate in the sharing of redemptive love.

Help me to stand strong in my convictions, O God, while also remaining open to how you creatively and joyfully utilize those I might least expect. Amen.