Deacon Tom Lindell

Matthew 2:1-12

My brothers and sisters,

Having participated in the children’s Christmas pageant on Christmas Eve, I marveled at the reenactment of the birth of Jesus by so many of our children and their devotion to their respective parts. I appreciate how we worship by telling stories and having a meal (Eucharist).

Today’s Eucharistic lectionary tells the story of the three kings following the star to Jerusalem to pay homage to the child who had been born “king of the Jews.”

When king Herod heard this, he felt threatened and called together the chief priests and scribes who informed him that the Messiah was born in Bethlehem of Judea, as predicted by the prophet. Herod called the wise men together and sent them to Bethlehem asking them to search diligently for the child and, when found, inform him so he could go to also pay him homage.

They found the child with his mother Mary where the star had stopped. They offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. When they departed, they left by another route, not informing king Herod of their discovery.

What a lovely story! But, of course, it is not literally true. Does that imply that it has no significant meaning? No, because there certainly was a humble birth of a very special child, whether it occurred in Bethlehem or Nazareth.

I ask myself, who was there to record the story? Matthew (and Luke) chose to write birth narratives to weave Jesus into Isaiah’s prophetic foretelling. Does this mean I have no connection to the stories as told? Not at all! I still read and listen to them with a childlike imagination as if hearing them for the first time. Such is the magic of myth.

I have also discovered some levity regarding the story as told:

THE SNAIL CHRISTMAS POEM (Author unknown)

Of Orient there were three snails
Who followed ancient Bedouin trails
To see the birth at Bethlehem.
Their names were Nathan, Gar and Shem.
They crept behind the shining star,
The going slow, the distance far
And came just thirteen years too late
(the Gospels don’t record their fate),
But lucky Nathan, Shem and Gar
Were present for the Bar Mitzvah.

With blessings for the New Year!

—Deacon Tom