As I was leading our church's contemporary service tonight and we read through the Christmas story, I half-hatched a reflection on the story of the Wise Men, a story I'd never really given much attention to before.
1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them when the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the profit:
6 "And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel."
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 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." 9 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. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
-Matthew 2:1-12
We are well aware of the conflict in this story. Yet, we allow it to stay hidden underneath the main narrative of the three kings' homage to Jesus as they come to praise and rejoice at his side. The Herod narrative is still very present underneath though.
Similarly, we come to worship to rejoice, often taking our own long path to get there--hurrying to get a quick dinner on the table for evening services, wrestling children into clothes or running quick errands for morning services, pushing aside other to-dos to get there on time. But as we come to praise and rejoice in God's presence, we come with our own conflicts and turmoil "brewing" underneath, distracting us even when our main purpose for being present is clear.
Similarly again we know we cannot stay at Jesus' side forever, and we must eventually choose which path to take away from this holy place.
As the kings left, "they left for their own country by another road" or in other versions, " they returned home by a different road" knowing that to go the same way they had come spelled disaster.
As we leave the holy place of our churches, are we called to return home by a different road than we came?
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