THE OTHER CHRISTMAS STORY
Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-23
Epiphany Observed — Sunday, January 8, 2023
The Rev. Dr. Ritva H. Williams
a star shining in the night
bright angels glowing with light
ox and sheep lying in the straw
poor shepherds kneeling in awe
three kings from the orient
offer gifts on knees a-bent
adoring eyes of parents and strangers
gazing at the baby in the manger
beauty, peace, free from danger
This is what we imagine when we think of the Christmas story. But this familiar nativity scene is actually a mash up of two very different stories. The gospel of Luke tells us a story about Mary and Joseph seeking shelter in a stable, the baby Jesus lying in the manger, the angels appearing to shepherds in the fields who then go to visit the Christ-child.
Matthew’s Christmas Gospel begins with Joseph’s worrying about the predicament he finds himself in. Mary is pregnant and he is not the father. He is anxious to respond in a way that does not publicly humiliate Mary and endanger her life. His dilemma is solved when the angel appears in a dream, telling him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, the child she carries is holy. With God’s guidance, Joseph steps up to parent the Christ-child. Together, he and Mary will go on to have 4 more sons and at least 2 daughters. But first …
There’s the visit of the magi some weeks, months, perhaps even a year or more after Jesus’ birth. These magi were priests and sages of an ancient Persian religion, called Zoroastrianism which is still active in the world today. The magi studied the stars, practiced astrology, interpreted dreams, and counseled kings. Their beliefs included a promise that the Lord of Wisdom — creator of all that is good — would send miraculously born prophets to save humanity and the universe from Satan and his evil demons. The stars would give them clues when a savior was born.
The “star” they followed was most likely a series of planetary conjunctions that began in 7 BCE. Three times that year, Jupiter and Saturn appeared together in the constellation Pisces. The magi read that as a prediction of the savior’s birth, and set out to pay homage to one they thought would be a king. A conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn together with the sun and moon in Aries on April 17, 6 BCE may have been their final sighting of the “star” in the night skies of the Holy Land.
Since astrology is not as precise as a GPS, the magi stopped for directions in Jerusalem. As King Herod quakes in fright, his priests and scribes pour over the Hebrew scriptures to discover the promise of the messiah’s birth in Bethlehem. The magi go there, find the Christ-child in the house with his mother. Rejoicing with great joy, they pay him homage and give him their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. A dream warns them not to go back to Jerusalem. They head east by a different road.
But the story does not end there …
As the magi hightail it out of Bethlehem, Joseph is faced with another dilemma. The visit of the magi has stirred up fear and dread in King Herod and in all Jerusalem. That’s only 6 miles away! What will Herod do? What should he do? Again, the angel appears in a dream, tells Joseph to take his family to Egypt.
