Going Home Another Way
Week 3 – The Destination
Three Magi on the Way to Bethlehem, by Hans Thoma
When the Magi left Herod, they followed the star, not knowing where or for how long they would continue traveling. Not surprisingly, when the star finally led them to the end of their journey, they were overjoyed. When we reach the end of our journey, it’s important to acknowledge the destination. Especially if it’s not what or where we thought it would be! Often, we just pick the next goal/milestone or start our return preparations. The Magi remind us to mindfully acknowledge the destination before moving on to the next thing.
Matthew 2:10-11 (New American Bible)
They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The Magi traveled to find a king. What they found was a helpless newborn infant in less-than-royal surroundings. This wasn’t at all what they expected to find when they began their journey, but they had the wisdom to realize what they had found and the wonder and joy to acknowledge it.
We’re so accustomed to the Christmas story that our minds often glide right over the awe and wonder. We know the end of the story. But in that moment, in the child that the Magi were drawn to bear witness to, the world was made new again. Everything was possible. Because God came to our world – born in an ordinary way, in an ordinary place. He was seen and touched. And he was revealed to everyone, from simple shepherds tending their flocks to exotic Magi from far away. All earthly life recognizes divinity – the simple shepherds, the animals, the Magi.
We seem to need the reminder that God shows up in unexpected places, sometimes where we least expect to find Him. God isn’t found only in churches or the extraordinary moments of our lives. God is in the ordinary – when there’s no room at the inn, when we’re waiting in line at the grocery store, as we’re cooking dinner or walking the dog, in unexpected kindness from a stranger, or when we’re having a sleepless night consumed with worry.
When the Magi arrived at their destination, they offered gifts: gold to symbolize royalty; frankincense representing divinity (this expensive incense was burnt on altars as an offering to God); and myrrh, foreshadowing Jesus’ suffering and death (myrrh was used medicinally to alleviate pain and as an ointment used at burials).
Each of us has gifts that only we can bring. God gave us the gift of His son, born into our world, and we’re called to reciprocate by offering our unique gifts. It doesn’t have to be something extraordinary, expensive, or “holy.”
It could be showing up to listen to friends when they need you, attending the funeral even when it’s inconvenient, sacrificing your free time to do caregiving tasks for someone who needs assistance, making and delivering food when someone is ill, or adopting and loving the shelter cats that no one else will adopt. God doesn’t ask us to be the best version of someone else – only to be the best version of who He made us to be.
Falling Up After 50 
Absolutely beautiful, especially the way you summarize in the last two paragraphs (and, yes, I got the funeral reference!). I remind myself (often too late and have already reacted in a way that I don’t like about myself) that God can be found in “holy” interruptions and distractions if we can just look past the interruption to see the holiness.
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Yes, those last paragraphs were inspired by real life examples from my friends and family. I love the concept of thinking about interruptions as “holy,” offering opportunities that we’re likely to miss seeing in our rush to get on with what we had planned.
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