Christmastide - Monday, January 2, 2023

God And Other Religions

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-2 & 7-11 (NIV Extract) – “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” “Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.’…. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.” (Please read the entire text in your Bible.)

Message: From the information we get from the Bible and historical texts some scholars have suggested that these wise men were Zoroastrian priests of the Persian Empire (modern-day Iran). The Magi looked for signs of God in the heavens and this led some scholars to believe that the Magi were astrologers.

They traveled to Bethlehem because God spoke to them through a star. Nowhere in Judaism are stars used to call people to God, but God used these priests' own religious traditions to reveal the birth of His Son in the way they were accustomed to seeing and worshipping God. The Magi sought God’s sign, listened to God’s call, believed and obeyed.

This story is a great example showing how God doesn’t just reach out to Christians or Jews. God honored the faithfulness of the Magi and knew they would respond to His invitation. Similarly we need to be prepared to meet people where they are, whoever they are, and speak to them in their language and understanding instead of our own.

Prayer: God open our hearts to be filled with You and Your love. Help us to be open to those who experience and love You in different ways. You speak to us all in our languages and our traditions and we are not meant to understand it all. Like the Magi who You brought to Jesus through a star; You speak to us in different ways to bring us to You. You love us all and we in turn are called to love each other. Amen.

Hannah King

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