Matthew 2:1-2
"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 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.'"
The Magi. Wise men. Astrologers. Scholars from the East, probably from Babylon or Persia. They were not Jewish. They did not have the Hebrew Scriptures. They were Gentiles, outsiders to the covenant, people who studied the stars for a living. And God used a star to get their attention. He spoke their language. He used the very thing they had spent their lives studying to point them to the One who made the stars in the first place.
Think about the journey. These men traveled hundreds of miles. Across deserts. Through dangerous territory. On camels, probably, with a caravan of supplies and servants. This was not a weekend trip. This was a months-long commitment. They saw a star and they decided to follow it all the way to Jerusalem. They did not know exactly where they were going. They just knew that something had changed in the sky and it was worth finding out what.
God will use anything to draw people to Himself. He used a star for the Magi. He used an angel for the shepherds. He used a dream for Joseph. He used a census for Mary. He used a burning bush for Moses. He used a donkey for Balaam. There is no limit to the methods God will employ to get your attention. If He needs to write on the sky, He will. If He needs to rearrange the constellations, He will. He is not limited by our expectations. He is only limited by our willingness to look up.
The Magi went to Jerusalem first. That makes sense. If you are looking for a king, you go to the capital. You go to the palace. You go to the place where power lives. But Jesus was not in the palace. He was in Bethlehem. In a house. In a town so small it barely registered on the map. The Magi had to leave the city of power to find the King of humility. They had to unlearn everything they thought they knew about where greatness lives.
I think about the places I look for God. In the impressive. In the polished. In the places that look like success. And God keeps showing up in the small places. The quiet places. The places that do not look like much from the outside. The Magi had to adjust their expectations. So do I. The star did not lead them to a throne. It led them to a child. And that was enough.
"We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him."
That is the goal. Not to understand everything. Not to have a complete theological framework. To worship. The Magi saw a star and they came to worship. They did not wait for all the pieces to fit. They did not demand a full explanation. They followed the light and when they found its source, they bowed. Today I am asking God to give me the Magi's kind of eyes. The kind that see a sign and follow it. The kind that travel far and do not give up. The kind that find a child in a humble place and recognize a King.
With the fourteenth candle glowing and my eyes fixed on the horizon, I am following the light wherever it leads. Claire