"Who were these
Magi, these wise ones from the East….these star gazers who left the comfort of
home and hearth for a cold, hard journey, traveling by night through the dark
and unknown to follow the star? They in their wisdom were in touch with
something greater than human wisdom – wisdom beyond common senses. In the
darkest and cloudiest of nights, they kept a sparkle of that divine light in
their eyes."~Alive Now

This Sunday is Epiphany Sunday in the Christian year. It is the day we read the scripture story of the Magi who came to visit the Christ Child bringing expensive gifts, adding a dash of color and glamor to the stable scene. They had traveled a long distance following the light of a star brighter than they had ever seen before. The star led them to this child and all those who had come to witness the miracle of this birth.

It is a magical story and whether we read it as literal or metaphorical is in many ways immaterial. Whether we are wise or from the East, we are all seekers of one kind or another. We have all set out on journeys that were believed by others to be 'beyond common sense.' I would venture to say that all great discoveries had countless skeptics lined up to shout their nay-saying words at those who traveled along the path. And yet if what we are seeking after is important, is to be life-changing, we continue to look for sparks of light that lead us toward our destination.

The story of the Magi is always read at the beginning of what is also the Sunday closest to the New Year. So, as I have been living with this scripture this week, I began to wonder what star we are following as we enter 2009. What star are we following as individuals, as faith-communities, as cities, as nations, as the Earth-community of which we are all a part? What are we allowing to guide us as humans as we walk the fragile path into this new year….and it does seem fragile, doesn't it? And what do we hope to find ? The hope and promise of a new birth? A surprising glimpse of the Holy come into our midst? A Light that will bring us out of darkness?

The season of Epiphany invites us to be open and aware of the in-breaking of God into our world. We follow the Light and it leads us to be transformed in ways we couldn't have imagined. It is not for the faint of heart. And, like the Magi, we may be led to go home by a different way…..with a divine sparkle in our eyes.

We can hope. We can pray.

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