Keep those Mardi Gras decorations in the storage room, it’s still Christmas! That’s right, according to some church traditions, Christmas begins at midnight on the 25th of December and extends for twelve days after (remember that song?). Epiphany is on Saturday, January 6, when we celebrate the arrival of the Magi to the home of Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus. I like the carol, “We Three Kings” written by a clergyman named John Henry Hopkins back in 1857. It’s a good tune but is not accurate about several things. First, the men who traveled “afar” were not kings.
They were “Magi” which is the plural for “Magus” (where we get our word “magic”). They were stargazers from a kingdom east of Israel, likely modern Iran or Iraq. This class of priests or seers dated back to the time of the writing of the book of Daniel or before. They watched the movement of planets and the stars for signs of the supernatural. Some think that their native country may have been the Kingdom of Parthia. Parthia was a rival empire to Rome at this time, strong and unconquered. So, the arrival of this caravan (not just three people) of expensive gifts to a new king, certainly got the attention of paranoid King Herod. Matthew does not give much detail as to where they came from or returned to but makes the point that God’s gift to humankind through his son was for all the people in the world- even strange folks who stare at the stars.
From this account we know that even though they were not kings and likely much more than three, they were wise. They were wise to look for God to come into their lives. They were wise to seek and find Jesus Christ even in an unlikely place. They were wise to worship Christ when they found him. And at the end of the story, they were wise to follow the direction of God, rather than a human, and found new paths to travel. May the year 2024 bring the wisdom, focus and devotion of the Magi to your life and may God bless you by directing your paths to peace and joy in the coming year!
(Steve Berger is pastor of First Methodist Church Minden, a Global Methodist Church. He is the husband of Dianne, his partner in ministry, they have two adult sons, a dachshund, and love living in Minden.)