I hope that you are familiar with the song that John and I played for the anthem this morning, We Three Kings. The lyrics read: “We Three Kings of Orient are. Bearing gifts we traverse afar. Field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star.” While I love this song, it got two pretty major things wrong about the bible story we read today from the gospel of Matthew.
First: Matthew never calls these men that visited Jesus “kings” but instead uses the term “magi”, which means “astrologer.” These men studied the heavens and interpreted signs in the stars, and they were following one particularly bright star in the sky to the place where they hoped to meet the new king of the Jews who had just been born.
Second: Matthew never tells us how many magi there were. But since Matthew mentions three gifts - gold, frankincense, and myrrh, Christians in the sixth century started telling the story of the three Magi, and they were even given names- Melchior, Balthasar, and Caspar.
Speaking of getting things wrong about these magi visitors, while the song “We Three Kings” is often sung during nativity plays, these men actually do not belong at the manger scene, because they did not see Jesus in the manger. They arrived at his house sometime later. Scholars say it could have been as late as two years after his birth, but most traditions say about 12 days, thus the “12 days of Christmas”. 12 days after Christmas Day is January 6, which is the holiday we call Epiphany, when we celebrate the arrival of the magi.
By the way, had the magi been women, they would have asked for directions and gotten to baby Jesus on time; helped deliver the baby; cleaned the stable; made a casserole; and brought practical gifts like diapers and bottles.
Seriously though, whether or not there were three Magi or eight, whether or not they were kings or astrologers, whether or not they arrived at the manger or at Jesus’ house, and whether or not they were men or women, there is a lot for us to celebrate during Epiphany. The term “epiphany” means "to show", "to make known", or "to reveal.” During Epiphany, we remember the Magi who first "revealed" Jesus as the light of the world. The Magi “made known” that something new and different was happening in the world, that light was coming to the darkness.
As we embark on this new year, it would be good for us to be reminded of this message, that the light does indeed shine in darkness, because there is a lot of darkness in the world right now. The COVID pandemic. Crushing economic disparities, racism, devastating effects of climate change, homelessness, drug addiction, domestic abuse, rampant gun violence, disabling diseases and debilitating pain, a steep increase in depression, anxiety, and loneliness, a deepening sense of emptiness.
In the midst of this dark, cold, bleak midwinter, our problems, disappointments, and failures may make us fear what the future may hold; may make us wonder whether the new year will really be any different at all, may make us question whether our dreams for a better life and a better world will ever be realized. Will this new year just be filled with all the same darkness as years past? A recent meme going around the internet sparked my attention: This is 2022, NOT 2020, too. It’s an apt mantra to hold in this new year, to believe that change is possible, that things can be different, that we don’t have to repeat our same old mistakes, that our hopes can be fulfilled. I reminded of a quote from the late Desmond Tutu, who was awarded the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent opposition against South Africa’s brutal system of apartheid. He once said, “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” After he died last Sunday at the age of 90, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) tweeted: “Remember the difference one voice can make. Remember that even in the deepest darkness, human rights and fundamental freedoms will always be our guiding light.”
This reminded me of yet another quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” It is often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, another champion of nonviolence and human rights, but while he never actually spoke these words, he definitely believed in the sentiment. A story is told of a young mother and her son waiting in line to visit with Gandhi. When it was their turn, the woman asked Gandhi to speak with her son to get him to eat less sugar.
Gandhi considered her request, but asked her to come back in two weeks and he would talk to the boy then. She wondered why he didn’t just speak to her son right then and there, but she complied. In two weeks they returned, and after waiting for a couple of hours, she was able to approach Gandhi once again.
Gandhi spoke with the boy, and got him to agree to begin working to eliminate sweets from his diet. After thanking Gandhi for his wise and encouraging words, the mother asked him why he had wanted them to wait two weeks instead of just offering his advice the first time.
Gandhi replied, “Upon your visit two weeks ago I too was eating too much sugar.” He explained that he could not encourage her son to not eat sugar if he himself had not taken that journey.
The message behind this story is clear: Whatever changes we would like to make in our society have to begin with our own individual actions, words, and beliefs. It’s like the old saying, “Practice what you preach.” We have to BE the change we want to see in the world.
This sounds like a great New Year’s resolution, doesn’t it? We can work on ourselves, we can make a change in our lives, we can take a new road, we can start over and try again to be the people God wants us to be, and by doing so, we can start to bring change to the world. But that’s easier said than done. When you’re in the midst of the darkness, change can seem impossible. We lose hope. We lose faith. We are dragged down by apathy, lack of confidence, our physical or mental state, extreme caution, and fear –disabling, crippling, immobilizing fear. When we feel this way, the temptation is to stay with the familiar and the comfortable, to crawl back into bed and pull up the covers where it’s warm, safe, and secure. The temptation is to stay where we are – in the dark crevices of depression or defeat, in the deep, lethargic ruts of sameness.
But the bible has a message for us. In the midst of darkness, the Magi chose to follow the light. Isaiah tells the people of Israel to “Arise, shine; for your light has come…” They no longer have to live in darkness and nor do we. We are called out of our darkness into the light. May we find the light of the world born in Bethlehem and be transformed from darkness into light. We have to believe, we have to have hope, that things can be different, that we can make a change. We don’t have to be held back by the past. It is 2022, not 2020, too! We can always start over, resurrection is always possible. May we know this truth, may we internalize this message. Light shines in the darkness. The night is always followed by the dawn. It’s like the lyrics from a song called “Endless Night” from the Lion King Broadway Musical:
And that the sun will rise
I know that the clouds must clear
And that the sun will shine”
As you can probably guess, music is an important part of my spirituality, so I want to end by sharing with you the lyrics of another song called “Make a Change” by a band called Nahko and Medicine For The People.
I need a change, it’s evident
A transformation imminent
A chance for my soul’s intelligence
to redefine lines of indifference
It comes at a cost, well that’s obvious
My list of distractions is infinite
I know that all of us are born with different gifts, so
Lift yourself from darkness, take a couple steps back
I got work to do, let me get back at it
I’m only human, bound to make some mistakes
I wanna walk in righteousness
But I keep tripping over ditches of my selfishness
I know this too shall pass, so I put it in the past
The beginning is near
I want the change, I will make a change
In this new year, God is calling out to each of us, whoever we are, whatever our circumstance, wherever we are on our journeys, to rise and shine, to make a change, to live in the light, and to share the light with the world. If you stumble on the way, and fall back into darkness, know that you can get back up and try again. And again and again and again. Amen.
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