Isaiah 60:1-6 / Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 / Matthew 2:1-12
Today we hear of the wise men, or the Magis, and with that the Christmas story comes to a completion.
We not only hear about them, we also see them at the Crib as they make their grand appearance.
Among the figures at the Crib, or the Nativity set, the wise men (aka the 3 wise men) are the most impressively and glamorously dressed.
They wear crowns and royal robes; they bring along exotic gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh; they came from the East and they carry with them a sense of mystery.
They looked like rich and smart guys and they are often portrayed as riding on camels and looking quite elegant.
But from the gospel, we will know that they went to the wrong place (Jerusalem instead of Bethlehem), at the wrong time (when Herod was king) and they asked the wrong question (Where is the infant king of the Jews?)
So much for being wise men. If it had been 3 wise women, the story might have been different.
Different in the sense that the 3 wise women would have asked for directions; they would have arrived on time and helped deliver the baby; they would also have cleaned up the stable; they would have brought practical gifts like milk powder and diapers and chocolates; they would also cook a meal and even bake a cake and there will be peace on earth.
That would be a nice ending to the Christmas story. After all we like stories with a happy ending that would leave us smiling.
Abut if we were to read on from where the gospel ended off, then we would know that when the wise men didn’t go back to king Herod, he was furious and then he ordered the slaughter of the infants at Bethlehem.
So from the start, the Christmas story was a bumpy kind of story.
Things didn’t happen as expected.
And that is one thing that we can learn from the Christmas story – things don’t happen as expected.
Not even for the wise men in spite of their wisdom. They expected the infant king of the Jews to be born in the big city of Jerusalem, but it turned out to be in the little town of Bethlehem.
They thought that Herod was helping them but it turned out that he was using them.
The feast of the Epiphany is about Christ being revealed to the world.
And in a way, the revelation of Christ is also a revelation of what life is all about, and that things don’t happen as expected.
There is this story of three trees on a hill in the forest. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."
Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.”
Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."
After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter," and he began cutting it down.
The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest. At the second tree the woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship. When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, so I'll take this one", and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.
The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.
The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said "Be still" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it.
When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill.
When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going our way, let us know that God has a plan for us. If we place our trust in Him, He will give us great gifts.
Each of the trees got what they wanted, but just not in the way they had imagined.
We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.
May the star that led the wise men to the infant Jesus also shine upon us and may God grant us the wisdom to know that when things don’t turn out as expected, then God is leading us along His ways.
And like the wise men, may we be at peace in knowing that God will always be leading us in His ways.