CHRISTMAS JOURNEY

Christmas continues.
We're half way through these twelve days of celebration.
Great stories of prophecy fill the air.

Wonderings about the 'wise' men prompt us to dig deeper.

I journey with the seekers as they follow the Star.
I wonder as I wander through the brightness of scripture.

We never got around to putting up the big tree.
Our little tree should be full of decorations but . . .
Too much happened this year.
I did place a star on it, given to me in a card sent by dear friends.

I chuckle.
I have been focusing on this little star . . .
. . . just as the wise astrologers did over 2000 years ago.

They followed a brilliant light in the sky.
They knew it was unique, a once in a lifetime happening.
After all, they knew the skies better than anyone.
Perhaps this bright light would lead them to the king they had been seeking according to their Zoroastrian belief.  A human king . . . to lead those residing in a place very near where Abraham began his journey from Ur into Canaan.

These twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany play out the pageant of the journey of the Wise Men.
In these twelve days we race through great stretches of time.
Wandering takes time.
Just think of the Israelites wandering for forty years in the wilderness.

These Holly berries have taken three years to hold
strong through the wind and snow.  Their journey of
growth is not much different than ours.

It may have been well over a year before the astrologists began to wander.
We forget that Harod's temple, gilded in GOLD, was meant to reflect the sun as a beacon of light to draw crowds to his depraved territory in Jerusalem.
Travelers could not help but stop at the top of this highest point to wonder at the sight.
So, too, the wise men wandered . . . and wondered . . . visited Herod . . . and kept wandering.
When the brightest light in the sky stopped, they stopped.
When they moved, the bright sky-light moved with them.
And so the wandering and wondering continued for . . . we do not know how long.

They sought the answer to their wondering.
They sought a final destination to their wandering.

Don't we also do that?
Something sparks our attention that compels us to journey until we say, "Ahaaaaa, I understand."
Often the seeking seems endless.
My own journey into the presence of God's light in Christ took a long time.
My journey was circuitous, meandering endlessly . . . or it seemed so at the time.

Red poppies and peppers pop as Paper whites bloom
in the midst of a snowstorm.  Rosemary sprigs remind
 us of new life.  Slowly 'the light'  helps my little potted
 plants bloom and give life to my inside-world.

Tiny lights turned on in my heart as I felt compelled to seek more.
Tiny lights became stronger 'epiphanies' as I asked questions, dove into scripture and joined another group of seekers on the same journey.

And then, finally, quietly, I had my own personal 'ahaaaa' moment, my epiphany.
But that's for another time.

We have a long way to go with the wise men before they reach their final destination.
The journey is the best part.

May we all journey into the NEW YEAR with eager anticipation to expand upon the flicker of light or the vibrant beacon that draws us into a deeper love relationship with the Lord, thy God.