Christmas tells us that God has come seeking us. Not as a nice idea or lofty philosophy, but a flesh and blood reality. Jesus’ Christmas name is Emmanuel - meaning God with us. We don’t have to be separated. We are not alone. We are loved. The Creator of the universe wants a relationship with us.
God is seeking you. This is the good news! But it also offers an invitation, and perhaps an interruption to your plans.
The magi are a fantastic example of what it means to pay attention. Likely a group of far more than three, these astronomers and astrologers were paying close attention to what was around them - the world, the sky, the stars. But they were also paying attention to what was going on within them.
And so when they saw an unusual star arise, they were willing to make a long and arduous journey in search of the newborn King.
There was no guarantee that in travelling hundreds of miles in unknown territory they would find the prophesied incarnation - but because of their desire to know God, they were willing to risk the journey.
In Jeremiah 29:13 God makes a promise: “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” This is what the wise men did, and it is ultimately what made them wise.
This Christmas, let their journey be an invitation for your own life. Where can you see signs of God in your world? Are you willing to follow where he leads, even without any hard and fast guarantees? Are you willing to offer him the best you have in worship and gratitude for his love and your life?
A Prayer of Discernment
My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me
Nor do I really know myself,
And the fact that I think I am following Your will
Does not mean that I am actually doing so
But I believe that the desire to please You
Does in fact please You.
And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this,
You will lead me by the right road
Though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust You always though
I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for You are ever with me,
And You will never leave me to face my struggles alone. Amen.
Prayer to Do God’s Will (Thomas Merton)