Of Magi and Pilgrims

The Thanksgiving holiday has mutated!  What used to be a celebration of the pilgrimage of some brave men and women who crossed the turbulent Atlantic to find an escape from religious control has become a trek demanding shopping endurance. The pilgrims came to America to find a place where they could freely love the God of the Bible and His son Jesus Christ. The meaning of the holiday has definitely changed for some.

The stores are continuously open right now, to make Black Friday become the harbinger of good economic times ahead. Early reports have indicated the economy is sluggish and Black Friday is in the red. Others say it was great! That's the way the world bounces!

Two thousand years ago, a caravan of some smart wise men set off from Persia (known as Iran today) because they wanted to worship the arrival of a king. They too were on a pilgrimage at this same time of the year. On the way they did not stop at a mall, swipe a piece of plastic and wait in long line to get their gifts wrapped. They were men who knew that some force put this universe together and that the Creator was about to do something big. They were astronomers who believed that even the stars are arranged to magnify the love of a Creator.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. ² Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. ³ There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. ⁴ Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, ⁵ Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. Psalm 19:1-5

Some of my ancestors were aboard the Mayflower and I celebrate them this time of the year. The persecution they faced was for a lot more serious than things  like being dropped from FaceBook or a cyber attack on Twitter. Their personal Exodus was because they loved God because He first loved them. Oh! that we could all get it to love others with the love of God that we have been abundantly given. There would be no judgements, criticism, and gossip. God's love comes with no monthly payment and interest, long lines and frantic rushing around. Instead it always brings a deep abiding peace.

A Shur Wilderness: The Mall

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Last night I had to run out to mall to change a gift I was giving to someone. So on December 23rd at 4:30 in the afternoon, I ventured out to one of the busiest malls in the country. There was a sea of cars everywhere. The streets that led into the perimeter of the shopping center were extremely backed up.

If Abraham could get across the desert, I could certainly do this! It did turn out to be an amazing journey! I drove up to the store, headed right into an empty parking space waiting for me, got in and out of the store and home in about a half hour! I also met and talked with a very nice salesperson. When I walked out of the store, I saw someone just sitting in the middle of the road of the parking lot, unable to decide where to go for a spot. It was so hectic. The car driver had a frazzled look so I yelled out to him, "Follow me!" Then I waited until he turned in the right direction and led him to my spot. It was actually a fun experience!

My husband was shocked that I was home. He had decided to make dinner thinking I would be be suffering from sojourn fatigue. He had it prepared up to the cooking part and was just putting it in the fridge thinking he would be cooking it later when I walked in! We both marveled. What looked like the Wilderness of Shur going forward into the errand at the beginning, turned out to be a promised land celebration at the end.

This time of the year is so wild. I'm not sure Christ wants to be associated with this holiday, so I am not getting too upset about the 'war on Christmas'. It is one less thing to worry about. God's love is year round and He is the ultimate giver. The story of Christ is about wholeness (salvation) in our hearts; it transcends holiday trees, mistletoe, holly wreathes, and Santa Claus.

What a privilege it must have been for the magi to meet the child Jesus. They were from Persia and and traveled far to honor Jesus as a king.

Matthew 2:1-2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Judeans? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

The magi were probably followers of Zorastrian teachings of the east. They were not Judeans and yet when they got to Jerusalem looking for the child, the people who should have been in the know about the birth of Christ were not aware of it. Actually, only two groups of people truly knew of the birth of Jesus: the shepherds from the fields and the magi who trekked over desert and mountains to pay respect to a King.

There were people around the Roman Empire at that time who celebrated 'Saturnalia'. It was a winter solstice pagan festival. It was from this culture that holiday trees, raucous celebrating and gift giving as a ritual came from when Christians reached out to the culture in the first century. Hence the evolution of the holiday season.

If you are traveling this season somewhere to be with loved ones or simply staying at home, we can truly rejoice that our path is lit up and plain with a light that not seasonal.  It is the light held up by Jesus Christ because he is the way, the truth and the star by which we can look to handle any desert or mountain in life and even a trip to the mall!  Romans 10:9 and 10 is a good place to park.

Who Are Those Guys? Very Wise Men!

Who were the wisemen? It was the the magi who figured out exactly where to find the child, Jesus.  How did they know who he was, when the political and religious leaders of the day didn't realize who he was? It is interesting that these men who were 'Gentiles' saw a pattern in the stars and saw  significant events involving the planet Jupiter and knew to follow it's path to Judea. They were astronomers. Astronomy can be a precise science when it pertains to the motions of the planets and position of the stars in relation to the earth night time sky.

Magi were advisors to the oriental kings. They carried tremendous power and influence in there own kingdoms, that often they were influential in the designation of a king. We can read about them during the time of Daniel when certain ones of Judea were carried away captive to Babylon and became part of the Persian court where the magi served. Daniel exhibited tremendous spiritual insight as he listened to God and spoke for Him among these people. The king respected and gave glory to the God of Daniel and made him president over the magi. Daniel would have taught them the Word concerning a coming Messiah. Daniel had a huge impact on these men as they watched him believe God in some very severe challenges.

Several years ago, I taught Astronomy at the local high school and the deeper I got into studying the stars and planet motions I knew there was no accidental design involved in their display. It is  a truly humbling experience. I imagine those magi saw and understood the same thing. Can you imagine the great conversations with Daniel they had. It must have been exceedingly rich interaction.

On one occasion at an Astronomy teacher's conference, someone asked about the Bethlehem star. At that moment we were looking at a computer program that could come up with the exact replica of the night time sky, once you programmed in latitude, longitude and a range of dates. So I told the computer operator to type in August/September  3BC over Bethlehem and up came a representation of the sky  around the time of Jesus Christ's birth.  The sky spoke for itself. There had been a couple of beautiful conjunctions involving the constellation Leo (the king constellation) and Regulus (king star in the constellation located between the feet of Leo the lion) and the planet Jupiter (the king planet). It was beautifully represented!

It is also beautifully spoken of in the Word in Genesis 49:9-10

Genesis 49:9-10 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

God is the designer of the universe. In Psalm 147:4, the psalmist says:

He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

Who were the magi? They not only journeyed to see him, they also provided wonderful gifts to support the new king. I'd say they were very humble, respectful men of action.