January 6 Devotion

Light Leading to Light

Lectionary Readings:
Matthew 2:1-12
Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14
Isaiah 60:1-6

Included texts (Italics and indicated by asterisk)
* Matthew 2:6 (from Micah 5:2)
** Isaiah 60:1-3
***Psalm 72:12-14

Three men,
Wise in years and
Old in wisdom
Stood in front of King Herod.
Their surroundings were opulent,
Rich in the most extravagant of ways.
The tones of the ones in the room were hushed,
And the king was secretive.

“I have been told,” he whispered,
“That in the small town of Bethlehem,
A child has been born.”

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel. ^*

“Tell me, if you know,
Tell me, if you can,
What about this baby?

This wonderful baby who has been born
And will be king of the Jews?
I want to worship him.
I want to pay him proper homage.”

The king’s words were slick,
Almost seductive in their tone.
These men had been following a star.
How can a star be a secret?
Not trusting the king,
And yet not seeing any danger,
They told him of the star they had been following.
This star that had become an obsession,
A quest.
They told him how they were searching for the child,
And how they believed that this star would lead them to him.

The king smiled,
A smile of maliciousness masked in patronizing approval,
Pleased in their cooperation.
He told them to stay on their quest
To let no obstacles deter them.
To find the child.
To send word to him.
“I am as anxious as you are.
I await your news with uncontainable anticipation.”

The men set off,
Not easy in their visit with the king,
But determined to follow the star,
And find the baby.
Once again, the star led the way.
Light pointing the way to light.

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
And the glory of the lord has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
And thick darkness the peoples:
But the Lord will arise upon you,
And his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your dawn.^**

Their guidelight, the star
Stopped in a surprising place
The antithesis of where they had been.
A humble dwelling, bathed by starlight,
Containing the light of the world.

Their search had ended
They had found the baby
Held gently on the lap of his mother.
A king, above all kings.
Son of David.
Son of God.

For he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
and precious is their blood in his sight.^***

Overcome with joy,
Overwhelmed with awe,
They offered him gifts
Fit for the king that he was
Or at least the best that they could bring
Gold, frankincense and myrrh

His mother watched.
Nothing escaped her notice
Not even that one of the gifts
Was for use at a death.
She held the baby closer,
And gave thanks to God for this gift.

Men, wise and perceptive
Listened to their dream
Another gift from God,
And departed,
Traveling a different way
And avoiding the danger of Herod.
A quest completed

A quest for Jesus.
A star followed
A light found.
The men, wise in their years,
Left behind their gifts,
And took with them
A gift beyond price.

Kim Matthews