Christmas Far & Near
January 5, 2025
Matthew 2:1-12
Because they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.
Matthew 2:12
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The Magi gaze long and hard into the darkness. They spend years, perhaps, scanning that night sky waiting for the appearance of a certain star.
When they finally spot that star, a star that is bright enough to follow, they set out on a journey. They take gifts of value and meaning: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Never in the course of this journey is there any sense of jealousy among the travelers. They do not compare the gifts they carry, trying to decide which is best. Somehow, they have the grace to cherish and come to love each of the unique gifts that they are bringing, content that those gifts are enough…
When the Magi reach the place where the Christ child is, they gesture their commitment. They do not just journey to this place; they stop and walk over the threshold, they enter in.
Bending low, they open their gifts and surrender them, laying them at the feet of the child. They trust that each gift is received and is accepted.
Then, in a completely unexpected turn of events, just as they have reached their long anticipated goal, they must abandon their intention to return the way they came. They are cautioned to go home by another route, ultimately because of threat or danger.
They must find another way; the familiar and the planned will not work.
~ excerpt from The Epiphany Cycle, Marianne Hieb
Walking through the story of the Magi, Marianne Hieb suggests a 7 stage cycle that applies quite well to our own spiritual journey and it is a cycle we repeat many times throughout our lives.
As you walk through the stages on the other side of this page, consider where you might be on your own journey right now.
The Epiphany Cycle for your Spiritual Journey
Waiting in darkness
Searching the night Sky
Recognizing the star enough to follow
Setting out on a journey
Following the star
Identifying and bringing your giftedness
Enter the new place and find the Lord
Offering and laying down your gift
Returning home by a different route.
We may journey through this cycle many times and in many different ways, but a few key themes are necessary every time. First, we must begin with a deep awareness… waiting, searching, recognizing. We must be intentional about seeking God’s presence. Second, we must step out in faith and take the risk. We bring our whole selves and our gifts, meager as they may seem, to lay before God as an offering which God graciously and lovingly accepts. Finally, we must return by a different route. If our lives are not changed, we have not truly encountered God.
How will you cultivate awareness this week?
What gifts will you bring?
What transformation is God preparing in you for the journey home? What new route will you take?
Listen to full sermon here
