2 min 08 sec: app reading time

December 22, 2024

THE WEIRDNESS OF CHRISTMAS AND THE MAGI

Dear Friend:

The running myth is that the Magi (more than three perhaps!) who followed the star were a sort of upper-class, wealthy, star-watching celebrity priesthood most likely based in Persia.

The Magi (driven by astrology and the study of the stars) would have been familiar with the prophecies of a coming God-as-Man savior from the captivity of Israelite slaves several hundred years earlier in Babylon.

So when they saw an unusual star in the west—maybe a supernova, a conjunction of planets, or just a good old-fashioned supernatural manifestation!— they made the long journey to find the king.

Something about this narrative has always caught my attention. 

I was immersed in a Christian culture that wired me to believe only a few "exclusive" chosen would catch a manifestation of God's presence in the world. 

I have always read the myth of the Magi as an "apocalyptic" eye of God, humanity, and the universe, connecting my imagination to the events described in Revelation.

Their identity will most likely always be shrouded in mystery, but at least we get:

(1) A catchy song out of it and,

(2) A fantastic model of what it means to pay attention to God's presence according to your consciousness.

They were paying attention to what was around them—the world, the sky, the stars—the physical world!

But they were also paying attention to how those exterior patterns were pointing to the interior patterns inside their own consciousness!

It may not be necessary to figure out the origins of the Magi because the truth of their journey is what is truly transformational for us - that God places patterns inside us that will be revealed in the patterns of the exterior world.

Was the Magis' desire to go on a road trip? I’m not saying the journey wasn’t enjoyable, but remember, they didn’t have GPS and cruise control, just desert heat and camel humps.

The Magi's deep desire was to connect with the Creator of the world in their own way without really understanding the magnitude of what they were following. They trusted the Creator to reveal the interior journey of their consciousness in the exterior world around them.

They wanted to know God, and they were willing to move from observation to participation in the pursuit of knowing.

No promise traveling hundreds of miles in unknown territory would lead them to this prophesied incarnation, but because of their deep desire to know God, they were willing to trust the signs in the sky and go and see.

Is it too fantastical or weird to think that:

1) The SOURCE OF WHAT YOU EXPERIENCE IN YOUR INNER CONSCIOUSNESS,

2) Who is also the SOURCE OF ETERNAL LIFE, LOVE, and GRACE

and

3) The SOURCE of this material world we experience temporarily now, 

Is a coincidence or a random act of the universe! 

Will you use all of these given realities to lead you to a more profound "knowing" of what truly matters in this life? 

Trust your inner voice this Christmas!

God is pointing you in the right direction beyond religion and the cultural noise we experience. God is the North Star of your life.

With you on your journey!

Pastor Harold