Matthew 2:1-12
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with giftsof gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Last summer I took my kids to a maize maze in Devon. The walls were 18ft high and there were tricks and deceptions at every turn. Of course, we split up as a family and all agreed to meet at the exit. There were plenty of u-turns and changes of mind until we finally all arrived at the right location.
Following the path of God in your life can feel a lot like a maze. There are not many clear directions and while we may know the goal, the route can seem to go in circles and there are plenty of dead-ends that we need to turn around from. In fact, it is easy to want to give up but there in only one thing that you can not do when you are lost in a maze and that is to give up. You have to keep moving forwards and keep searching.
The magi were not Jews or Christians in the way that we think of them. They were pagans who had seen a sign and wanted to search for the meaning. I have no idea if they expected to find a baby or a pot of gold when they set out. However, they moved forwards, searching, and exploring. They were sensitive to the signs that God was placing around them. They looked at stars and they listened to their dreams. The result was that they became the first people to discover the bay Jesus and to bring him their offerings.
We don’t know anything else about their journey other than this but I imagine that they were never the same. I wonder if the trajectory of their lives was forever altered and they spent the rest of their days on an adventure, following the direction and purpose of God.
Let me encourage you. God has littered this day with signs and messages that are designed to direct you through the maze of life. Take some time throughout the day to pause and aso God what he is saying to you, take note of your dreams and be sensitive to what is happening in the world around you. God is present and he is leading you.
Holy Spirit, lead me today. Open my eyes and ears to what you are doing. Guide my feet and my hands to your work and your will. Be the centre of all that I am and all that I do today. Amen.
