Thursday, December 22

Matthew 2:7-10

Carol Ferguson

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.

Tonight we read about the close of the magi’s uncertain journey. They were literally following a moving target, and one that disappeared entirely for most of the day. In our busy modern lives, we can empathize with the magi. We seem to be chasing moving targets all the time—a better GPA, that next promotion, a perfect relationship, a moment to ourselves. Like the magi, we find ourselves lost in strange lands, listening to treacherous voices. And we seem worst at Christmas—we run around to malls and parties, seeking that elusive “Christmas spirit,” because we have forgotten—or maybe, like the magi, we don’t yet know—the peace of Christ.

The scripture says the magi were “overwhelmed with joy” when the star stopped and they entered the stable. When was the last time you were overwhelmed with joy? Not just happy, or cheerful, but truly overpowered by a deep, radiating joy? It’s difficult. Joy requires us to stop, to put aside the gifts and the preparations and the lists and the menus. It is natural for us to want to chase after the glitter and the gold, but that chase will never cease. The only thing that is abiding in our lives is God. Joy—that still, peaceful, powerful feeling of possibility—comes from seeking what is real, our eternal Lord.

This is not the end of the magi’s story. Eventually they had to return home, their journey made even more chaotic because they had to avoid Herod. Like the magi, we must also soon move on from Christmas. When we snuff out the candles and turn off the Hallelujah Chorus, it will be tempting to go back to the endless pursuit of wealth or power or security. But while the star the magi followed has long since disappeared, our newfound peace should not. Don’t let the words of peace on earth, goodwill to men fade with the turning of the calendar. Don’t let the hecticness of everyday life keep you from prayer, from kindness, from justice. Don’t let this busy, fractured world distract you from loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Because when we finally find that still light, that center, that Christ child, we too may be overwhelmed with joy.

Prayer: Prince of Peace, Thank You for the center You bring to our lives. Forgive us when we stray from You, when we think we have found something better. In these weeks when we remember Your great act of love, strengthen us to commit our own smaller acts of love. As you once sent Your son into the world, send us out now to do Your will. We are Your willing hands and feet; help us to overwhelm the world with Your joy, so that Your kingdom will come to dwell on earth, as it does in heaven. Amen.