The wise men began their journey when they saw the star, the sign in the heavens that called out across the miles of the “good news of great joy for all people” the angels were singing to shepherds on a Bethlehem hillside. They set out through all that a pilgrimage brings – the obstacles, the anticipation, the exhaustion, the seasons of the terrain they were crossing. And, at some point along the way, the light that had started them on this journey disappeared (ever been there?). They knew the general direction it had been inviting them, so they stayed on the path to Jerusalem, and sought out the counsel of its leaders (who were maybe not the best choice, in this case, but what choice did they have, when their sense of direction had disappeared?). After conferring with the current “king of the Jews”, when these men were seeking its newborn one, they left on their journey again—and were overjoyed to see the star again! The last leg of their journey was full of light, when for so long they had been taking this pilgrimage in the dark, on trust that they would find what they were seeking, even when all the signs had disappeared from sight. Sit with this portion of the Magi’s journey today, as we move toward Epiphany in just a couple of days. When have you set out on a journey because of a brightness that drew you, only to find yourself back in the dark a little way in? What did that feel like? What were you tempted to do – give up? Turn around and go back where you came from? Sit right down there in the road and wait for the light to return? Are you in a place like that right now? What might it be to keep moving forward, even in the darkness, trusting that the light will return in some way, at some point? What would that mean for you today? What pilgrimage are you on—or being invited on—now, in this season? What persistence might be needed, to press on in the journey when the light seems to fade? What trust? How does the path of the Magi mirror your own?

Posted by Jamie Bonilla at 2022-01-04 16:07:57 UTC