*Based on homily delivered at St. Oscar Romero Old Catholic Church in Little Rock, Arkansas
January 5, 2025
The Epiphany of the Lord
Matthew 2:1-12
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
Everybody was… Greatly troubled. Stunned. Flipping their shit. The reactions of Herod and the people of Jerusalem say a great deal about where they were before the wise men arrived. I can only imagine how shocking it was when these wise men arrived in all of their glory. Everybody wanted to know what was up…especially Herod. They had a great deal at stake. So often we cling to what we have that we miss the magic. Something magical was afoot and all Herod and the people of Jerusalem could think about is how they could protect what they had and protect themselves from what was to come.
The message of the Christ is not about collecting and protecting. Too often we function like these folks. We’re worried that somebody is going to show up and take our stuff. We are called to give away everything that we have. These folks in Jerusalem weren’t prepared to give anything up, especially Herod. It seems to me that there would have been at least a few people who would have wanted to travel with the wise men to meet the Christ. Unfortunately, everybody (including Herod) were too worried about their shit…so worried about their shit that they lost their shit and missed the Christ.
The wise men feel a little dumb for not realizing that they were getting played by Herod. It shouldn’t have taken a dream to realize that power will do anything to protect power. The evil that was rampant in Jerusalem was the evil of a selfishness that would do anything to not have to give anything up.
The wise men kept following the star. Have you ever believed so much in something that you would be willing to follow the sign to the ends of the earth? These folks believed in the Christ even though they’d never seen or met the Christ. Maybe that is what we are called to…believing without having seen or met. Faith is a difficult thing for all of us. I know there are times that I believe more strongly than others. I want proof. I guess we all do. This passage teaches us that faith is sometimes a star. We don’t always know what we will find…but we do know how to pick out the star.
There is great beauty found when the wise men meet the Christ. Falling all over themselves and the like. But it seems to me that the magic of this story is that the wise men left home in the first place.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In