Going Home Another Way
Week 4 – Home Another Way
Three Magi on the Way to Bethlehem, by Hans Thoma
After reaching their destination, finding Jesus, and presenting their gifts to honor him, the Magi went home another way. The Magi, wise men, paid attention to what came to them in a dream. They continued to trust the signs that had guided them and followed their dream warning just like they had followed the star.
Matthew 2:12 (New American Bible)
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
It seems that God often issues us invitations – a suggestion to go home another way, an unexpected opportunity that will push us out of our comfort zone, or a surprising insight into a way to solve an issue that has vexed us for a long time. These invitations may come when we are least expecting them. And it’s up to us to decide how to respond.
Barbara Brown Taylor puts it this way, “In this divine dance we are all dancing, God may lead but it is entirely up to us whether we will follow…God acts. Then it is our turn. God responds to us. Then it is our turn again.”1
Our journey changes us if we listen close enough to hear the invitation and are brave enough to act. Although we return home, it’s by a different “way”, a different way of being, because we are different. Any encounter with God changes us. Like the Magi, it can put us on a different path.
Although the Magi were led to Bethlehem by the star, they didn’t have a star to guide them on their way home by another road. They had to find their own way. But perhaps the graces they received from their encounter with the divine gave them the resources and insights they needed to find their way from then on. I can’t help but wonder what happened to the Magi after they returned home. Were their lives different in some significant way? How were they changed? What else did God invite them to do?
Our story might be similar. We may not feel we’re being led step by step, but we can trust God to provide the resources we need to respond to the call to go another way. And trust that we might not be able to see all the changes in ourselves until we can look back with hindsight much later on.
I’ve always considered a journey over once I’m ready to leave my destination. Actually, I tend to begin this transition as soon as I start thinking about returning home (getting started on packing, checking travel logistics, etc.). I can easily get focused on what comes next. The next things on my schedule, the next things I need to get done, the next set of goals.
Transitions are often difficult for me, especially the transition of getting home after being away or returning to my regular routine after the holidays. I think that’s why I rush to start whatever is coming next.
But the story of the Magi makes me realize that returning home is also part of the journey. By rushing ahead instead of being mindful of where I am in the moment, I can miss some important insights from the journey (and even miss the last precious moments and days at my destination!).
Perhaps I should consider, like the Magi, whether I should go home by another way. In these cases, “another way” means a different approach rather than a physically different route.
Going home another way means being mindful about my return home (or returning to my normal rhythms and patterns if my “away” hasn’t been a physical journey). Rather than considering my journey over when I depart my destination, I can determine what experiences, lessons, insights, graces, or challenges from the journey I should consciously bring home. Every encounter with God changes us, but that may not be apparent if we don’t contemplate the experience and determine what (if anything) we should put into action. It might not be evident that there was an encounter with God until we reflect on the experience.
Our Advent journey ends tomorrow at Christmas, but rather than rushing right into the celebration, consider what you’ve learned from the last three weeks. I’ll provide posts for the remainder of this week to help guide you in this reflection.
Footnotes
- Barbara Brown Taylor, Singing Ahead of Time, in Home by Another Way, 18. ↩︎
Falling Up After 50 
Transitions are challenging for me especially when traveling. I need to be conscious of being present otherwise I lose precious time in the here and now while making the When Home To Do List. I’m also very good at thinking about changes to be made when I get home — the trip allows me to clear my mind and look at Home in a different light and perspective. Implementing those changes, however, isn’t always the priority when I get home (esp the ones that involve eating better and weight management). I do wonder how the Magi changed and what they experienced when they got to their Home.
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It’s cool that you are able to recognize positive changes to make in your life when you’re away and have a different (more clear?) perspective. Maybe you could consider making just a tiny change to move you in the direction of what you want to change when you get home, rather than expecting yourself to make a big change all at once? I’ve become a huge fan of tiny (practically painless) changes to get me moving in the right direction and gain some momentum. And tiny changes compound over time…
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