Third Sunday of Advent, December 17, 2023 – Morning

…and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy… Matthew 2: 9-10

Illustrated by Grace Wooley, age 12

Do You See What I See?

I know this is Advent, but I’ve always been interested in the Epiphany, so bear with me.  Epiphany occurs twelve days after Christmas with the visit of the Magi, led by a star, and memorializes the introduction of Christ to Gentiles. It is, in fact, an older celebration than both Christmas and Advent, by a hundred years or so. It is depicted in paintings, crèches, and Christmas pageants galore as a trio of royal visitors crowded into a stable with shepherds, angels, Mary, Joseph, and a newborn Jesus, plus a cow, donkey, sheep, and sometimes a camel. And the star above. Our tradition says the Magi arrived twelve days after the birth, but in reality, who knows when or even where the visitors met the Messiah? Legend has it that the Magi travelled from as far away as India, which Google Maps calculates as a ninety-six-day walk, non-stop, to Bethlehem. If the star didn’t appear until the birth, that’s a long time for Yusuf ben-Yaaqob (Joseph, son of Jacob) and family to stay in a stable.

Matthew talks about the wise men, and, except for a reference in Psalms and a couple of the prophets, nobody else references them. He mentions three gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh – and we have assumed that there were an equal number of gift givers, as though nobody ever went to a birthday party and found their gift duplicated. The Eastern church thinks there were a dozen. And they were presumed to be royalty due to the nature of their gifts, while the permanent promotion to kingship occurred in 1857 in the carol “We Three Kings of Orient Are” by John Henry Hopkins, Jr.

So what does this have to do with Advent? Here’s what I see:

A star that may actually have presaged the arrival of the Messiah, that had to be lit in advance to guide the Magi to the event.

A star so big and bright and compelling that kings of Persia and Arabia and, yes, India would instinctively know that something was up that they had to get to.

And a trek by three, or however many, kings or Magi bearing expensive wares without entourage or retinue and sitting together around a campfire, unprotected from each other’s human greed and yet completely safe. And looking up, together, at that star, with the awe and wonder and hope and anticipation we all can feel during this season of miracles, this Advent.

Dear God, We know that the star is there, we just need help seeing it clearly and divining its path. Please be that help to us. Amen

Tom Massey