January 4, 2020
Dear ABCMNY Friends,
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
The last stanza of the first verse of “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, which we serenely sang not too long ago, places a lot on the tiny shoulders of baby Jesus.
The tradition and our understanding of the sequence of events around Jesus’ birth places the coming of the Wise Ones quite some time later than the shepherds visitation despite what our nativity sets suggest. The angels are no longer visible, and the shepherds had long taken their wards, the sheep and the goats, back to the fields and were abiding them in regular pastures.
Sages, leave your contemplations, brighter visions beam afar.
Seek the great Desire of nations, ye have seen His natal star.
Mary, Joseph, and the infant were probably staying elsewhere, away from the “stable” in which they were allowed to stay the night Jesus was born. It is to that different place, after the heightened mystery of Jesus’ birth had begun to wane, where the Magi came to see for themselves the mystery that the universe signaled, and to pay homage to the One who was sent to us “out of the blue.”
Wisdom literature like Proverbs 1:5 urges wisdom when it says:
Let the wise hear and increase in learning and the one who understands obtain guidance.
And so, the Magi were guided to increase their wisdom, and to better understand mysteries and gain higher learning to which they had dedicated their whole lives.
When we think of wise persons, we often think of intellectuals who are often driven by sound reasoning or logic; they are confident in their abilities to hypothesize and come to sound judgements. For them to leave their contemplations to venture out of their libraries, laboratories and thrones, and see what the universe was revealing became a compulsory examination of life. We are wise when we do the same.
I am sure Jesus was adorable as a baby. (And who doesn’t love a baby? I know I do . . . until I feel helpless watching the very cute baby suddenly twist its mouth and wail.) But Jesus grew up and grew less dependent on parental control. Freed from the vulnerability of infancy, He gained agency, authority, and became who He was born to be.
The signs and wonders of our current times takes a different form from the natal star the Magi followed. Now, signs are often seen on the ground, or are as close as our nearest breath. Other signs point us to worlds unknown . . . but may be as close as a neighboring borough, township, or county road. As the tinsel from our Christmas trees is tarnishing, and its needles fallen to the ground, let us sweep away the fantasy of our faith that preserves Jesus as a baby, and cling instead to the mystery of old that reveals itself in its maturity in our everyday living.
The wonder of the babe we adored in the manger will grow into its fullness within us if we let it. Epiphany is here! Epiphany leads us to gratitude and grace. Lent will soon arrive again giving us the opportunity to experience strength and truth in our living that takes us from season to season. We have work to do. Hate is loudly clearing its voice and flailing its arms in violent acts among us. Politics seems to have become the prevailing and most passionate religion. There are wars and rumors of wars. However, God’s people are living and working in the world. Let us keep the faith, and may God bless and keep us through it!
By Grace,
Rev. Dr. Cheryl F. Dudley
Regional Executive Minister
American Baptist Churches of Metropolitan New York