"a melodic or harmonic configuration that creates a sense of repose or resolutionA sense of repose or resolution.
[finality or pause]."
We've talked about Mary, and the shepherds. This final post, which has been deliberately delayed...is about the magi, or 'wise men.' Mary's rhythm was her heartbeat. The shepherds was the sound of all their feet rushing to see Jesus. The magi, their rhythm is a little thing called: the long haul.
Now, we don't know exactly when they arrived to see Mary and the child. According to Luke, they were in a house. So, that doesn't mesh up with the traditional scene of the family with the shepherds in a cave as the wise men approach.
Probably cause they didn't arrive that first night.
From some of the other parts of the story, when Herod wants every male child under two, and when the magi tell him when the star appeared, we can make some assumptions, but that is all they are. Jesus could have been anywhere up to about 2 years old.
These guys didn't have the little run that the shepherds had. They had to plan a journey. That means time, money, food, support staff to set up camp cook the food and all that stuff. It wasn't just a whim weekend road trip.
Neither is it for us today. The journey for us to meet Jesus, and the one that continues on after. It's a long road, full of rough and bumpy spots, beautiful places, and lots of other people.
This is a road, a path, a journey that does not end while we are alive. Nor after for that matter. I don't believe we ever get to that point in life where we can firmly say we have "arrived" at the best place with Jesus. There is always something more to learn. A new sight to see, a new portion of that road to discover.
The magi saw something that caught their attention. The planned, studied, and then set out. We don't know how far the traveled. I think they came from a part of the Babylonian empire that the Jews would have lived during the exile, so that they would have had access to knowledge of the prophecies.
But where someone starts out from on their journey is not the important thing. What matters is what someone does after they set out on the journey. The cadence is each foot fall. Each wheel, hoof, sneaker, boot, spring, leap, stumble, sprint, tear, laugh, and breath of every single person on the journey together. We might be in different places, but we are all going the same direction.
Toward Jesus.
When you're done reading this, take a moment and close your eyes. Picture a road. Maybe it's green and lush and alive. Maybe it's dusty and worn. Perhaps rocky and cold. Think of all the beauty and perils that each road will provide. The temperatures. The insects or animals. Sounds. The sun or wind on your face. Weather. Imagine where that road will go. What is a head.
Then, think about this. That you might be walking alone. Or feel like you are. But you are not. And you are not the first person to tread that path. Someone has gone before you. And Jesus is right there with you as you go.
I'll leave you with this poem from J.R.R. Tolkien:
“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.”
grace, peace + hope
-Jesse
No comments:
Post a Comment