Going Home Another Way
Week 4 – Home Another Way
Three Magi on the Way to Bethlehem, by Hans Thoma
Old Maps
“No, they would not be going back through Jerusalem, they said. All three of them had had a dream that said steer clear of Jerusalem, as if they needed to be told. If anyone in Jerusalem knew anything at all they would be here instead of there. Besides, none of their old maps worked anymore. They would find a new way home.”1
For Reflection
Has your Advent journey made you realize that some of your “old maps” no longer work? These “old maps” could be things you do just because you’ve always done them. They could be ingrained ways of responding to stress or discomfort that you know aren’t healthy or serving you well. Is it time to decide to find a new way? Now could be an excellent time to consider what God may invite you to do in the new year.
Footnotes
- Barbara Brown Taylor, Home by Another Way, 31. ↩︎
Falling Up After 50 
I like that concept of the old maps not working anymore. Can apply to so many different aspects of our lives — coping mechanisms that worked when we were kids but aren’t really necessary anymore. I wonder what made them think their old maps no longer work? I noticed that Barbara Brown Taylor assumed that there were 3 Magi but you have taught us that may not be the case.
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I also really liked the metaphor of old maps no longer working – such a helpful way to think about things that once were useful, but are no longer working for us. It’s easy to understand and relate to – even Google has to keep maps updated or people get lost, delayed on their journey, or end up at the wrong destination. (There are so many good map metaphors for life 🙂 )
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