Star of wonder
Star of light
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading
Still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light.
I wonder how many of us really consider the significance of Epiphany for longer than Jan 6th when the church focuses on it? Having a series that will run into early Feb means that I’ve been reflecting on it a lot. Today I’m considering whether this part of the story is important because we celebrate the civil disobedience of the Magi…
As a fan of Star Wars, the idea of being part of a band of rebels really appeals. I think (however subconsciously) this might be one of the reasons I became a lay pioneer. The Magi, a band of early rebels defied the violent, earthly king (Herod) to honour a different kind of King entirely — a humble baby, born of a peasant girl, come to save the world by loving and dying.
If you think about it, these mysterious Gentiles from the East are an inspiring example to us. We’ve been called to be a peculiar people, members of a Kingdom not of this world. Though the world is ruled by fearsome kings, who continue to slaughter people (socially, politically and sometimes physically) just to eliminate the threat of a competitor, we are called to follow a different kind of King. A meek and humble King. An all-powerful King who made himself vulnerable, who enters into our pain and suffering.
What might being a rebel mean to you in 2021?
Are we called to civil disobedience as part of being missional in our time?
Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, creator of time and space of season and epoch, of birth and evolution of both living creatures and galaxies alike, hear us as we humbly come before you as we mark our brief passage of time as another year begins. We have heard the Christmas story, about how you came to live among us. As we try to understand what this means in our lives we pray that you will guide our life journeys.
