Thursday Evening at All Hallows (January 8, 2026)
The Feast of the Epiphany is an older feast than Christmas. In the early Church, Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus, the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus, and the wedding at Cana all on the Feast of the Epiphany. At the Council of Tours in the sixth century, Christmas and Epiphany were set as separate feasts, Christmas on December 25 and the Feast of Epiphany on January 6. The council regularized what was already the practice in some dioceses. The council also named the 12 days between the two feasts as Christmastide.
In more recent times the Feast of the Epiphany has become a neglected feast because it often falls on a weekday and weekday services generally have low attendance. Some churches which desire to celebrate the feast will move the feast to a Sunday between January 2 and January 8. Others will move the feast to a day around January 6, depending upon local custom. At All Hallow we are celebrating the feast at this evening’s service on January 8.
In this evening’s message we will be exploring the mystery of the Magi.
GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear Thomas Keesecker’ arrangement of WHAT STAR IS THIS (PUER NOBIS) for solo piano.
Silence
They saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and worshipped him. Matthew 2:11
Open our lips, O Lord;
And we shall declare your praise.
Sing to the Lord a new song
for he has done marvelous things.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Reginald Heber’s “Star in the East” (Brightest and Best).
1 Hail blessed morn, see the great Mediator
Down from the regions of glory descend
Shepherds go worship the babe in a manger
Lo! For his guard the bright angels attend
Brightest and best of the stars of the morning
Dawn on our darkness and lend us Thine aid
Star in the East, the horizon adorning
Guide where our infant Redeemer was laid
Cold on His cradle the dewdrops were shining
Low lies His bed with the beasts of the stall
Angels adore Him, in slumbers reclining
Wise men and shepherds before Him do fall
Brightest and best of the stars of the morning
Dawn on our darkness and lend us Thine aid
Star in the East, the horizon adorning
Guide where our infant Redeemer was laid
[Instrumental interlude]
Say, shall we yield Him, in costly devotion
Fragrance of Edom and off’rings divine?
Gems of the mountain and pearls of the ocean
Myrrh from the forest, or gold from the mine?
Vainly we offer each ample oblation
Vainly with gifts would His favor secure
Richer by far is the heart’s adoration
Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor
Brightest and best of the stars of the morning
Dawn on our darkness and lend us Thine aid
Star in the East, the horizon adorning
Guide where our infant Redeemer was laid
Brightest and best of the stars of the morning
Dawn on our darkness and lend us Thine aid
Star in the East, the horizon adorning
Guide where our infant Redeemer was laid
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God is faithful and
just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8-9
Let us now confess our sins to almighty God.
Silence
God of all mercy,
we humbly admit that we need your help.
We confess that we have wandered from your way.
We have sinned in thought, word and deed
and have failed to do what is right.
You alone can save us.
Have mercy on us,
wipe out our sins and teach us to forgive others.
Bring forth in us the fruit of the Spirit
that we may live the new life to your glory...
This we ask in the name of Jesus our Saviour. Amen.
God desires that none should perish,
but that all should turn to Christ and live.
in response to his call we acknowledge our sins.
God pardons those who humbly repent, and truly believe the gospel.
Let us now confess our sins to almighty God.
Silence
God of all mercy,
we humbly admit that we need your help.
We confess that we have wandered from your way.
We have sinned in thought, word and deed
and have failed to do what is right.
You alone can save us.
Have mercy on us,
wipe out our sins and teach us to forgive others.
Bring forth in us the fruit of the Spirit
that we may live the new life to your glory...
This we ask in the name of Jesus our Saviour. Amen.
God desires that none should perish,
but that all should turn to Christ and live.
in response to his call we acknowledge our sins.
God pardons those who humbly repent, and truly believe the gospel.
Therefore we have peace with God, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His steadfast love endures forever!
[Those present may greet each other.
Grace and peace be with you.
And also with you.]
Open this link in a new tab to hear Philipp Nicolai's “How Lovely Shines the Morning Star.”
1 How lovely shines the Morning Star!
The nations see and hail afar
the light in Judah shining.
O David's son of Jacob's race,
my Bridegroom and my King of grace,
for you my heart is pining.
Lowly, holy,
great and glorious,
O victorious
Prince of graces,
filling all the heav'nly places.
2 O highest joy by mortals won,
true Son of God and Mary's son,
the highborn King of ages!
In your blest body let me be,
e'en as the branch is in the tree,
your life my life supplying.
Sighing, crying
for the savor
of your favor,
resting never
till I rest in you forever.
3 O mighty Father, in your Son
you loved me ere you had begun
this ancient world's foundation.
Your Son has made a friend of me,
and when in spirit him I see,
I joy in tribulation.
What bliss is this!
He is living,
to me giving
life forever;
nothing me from him can sever.
4 Oh, joy to know that you, my friend,
are Lord, beginning without end,
the first and last, eternal!
And you at length — O glorious grace —
will take me to that holy place
the home of joys supernal.
Amen, amen!
Come and meet me,
quickly greet me!
With deep yearning,
Lord, I look for your returning.
5 Lift up the voice and strike the string,
let all glad sounds of music ring
in God's high praises blended.
Christ will be with me all the way,
today, tomorrow, ev'ry day
till trav'ling days are ended.
Sing out ring out
triumph glorious,
O victorious
chosen nation;
praise the God of your salvation.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
Heavenly Father,
give us faith to receive your word,
understanding to know what it means,
and the will to put it into practice,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Dave Moore and Lauren Moore’s responsorial setting of “Justice Shall Flourish In His Time” (Psalm 72).
Justice shall flourish in his time
and fullness of peace forever
Justice shall flourish in his time
and fullness of peace forever
1 O God, with your judgement endow the king
and with your justice the king's son;
he shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgement
Justice shall flourish in his time
and fullness of peace forever
2 Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace,
till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the river to the ends of the earth
Justice shall flourish in his time
and fullness of peace forever
3 For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
Justice shall flourish in his time
and fullness of peace forever
4 May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness
Justice shall flourish in his time
and fullness of peace forever
Justice shall flourish in his time
and fullness of peace forever
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew.
Matthew 2:1-12
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.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
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.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 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. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
Silence
The Magi are a mystery. We actually know very little about them. A lot of myths have grown up around them. These myths, while they are commonly believed, are purely speculation and conjecture. They are the product of our imaginations and not the result of sound exegesis, an explanation of a text of the Bible after careful study. They are fanciful embellishments to the New Testament narrative.
What then does Matthew tell us about the Magi’s visit to the infant Jesus? What doesn’t he tell us?
What Matthew does tell us is that their arrival in Jerusalem and their inquiries about the whereabouts of the one who had been born king of the Jews caused consternation in the city. Eventually news of their arrival in the city and the inquiries they were making reached Herod’s ears. This is not surprising as Herod kept close tabs on what was happening in Jerusalem through a network of informers and spies employed by his secret police.
Herod who was a client of Rome was very protective of the position of power and authority to which he had risen and would have viewed with trepidation news of the birth of someone who would become the focus of opposition to his rule, particularly someone whom the Jewish population would regard as having a greater claim to rule Judaea than he did. Herod was an Edomite whose people had be converted to Judaism. It is not surprising that he met with the Magi in secret. A public meeting might tip off those who opposed him to his intentions, and they might stop him from doing what he intended to do—remove a potential rival. He might have an uprising on his hands.
Like all despotic rulers and those who aspire to be despots, to gain unlimited power over other people and to use it to their advantage, often both unfairly and cruelly, Herod feared being toppled from power. He sought to ingratiate himself with the Jewish population by rebuilding the Temple at Jerusalem and constructing other public buildings. At the same time imposed a heavy tax burden on the people of Judaea and Jerusalem and alienated the Jewish population in other ways. His actions were very much like those of contemporary dictators and would-be dictators. Herod was not the kind of ruler of whom the Bible speaks well.
Matthew does not tell us the number of Magi. Nor does he tell us who they were. These details are not essential to his narrative. While the Western Church concluded from the number of gifts, they were three in number, the Eastern Church came to a different conclusion. It determined that they were twelve in number. The early Christians concluded that they were kings, based upon prophesies in the Old Testament, in the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Psalms. Matthew, however, does not identify them as kings. He also does not tell us that they fulfilled Old Testament prophesy, something which he does with other events in his narrative, a characteristic of his Gospel.
Kings would not have traveled to the country of another king unless they were vassal of that king and upon hearing news of the birth of the king’s heir visiting his capital with gifts was the customary way of showing loyalty to the king and his heir. A king might send ambassadors with gifts to a neighboring king upon such an occasion in order to maintain good relations with that king. If the king in question was an important ally, he might go in person, depending upon such circumstances as the stability of his kingdom and the risk of foreign invasion or rebellion in his absence.
Matthew tells us that Magi came from the east, but he does not tell us from where in the east they came. He also does not give us any clues. The exact starting point of their journey to Bethlehem is not essential to the narrative. The lack of extraneous, or non-essential, details is characteristic of oral literature and early forms of written literature. They employ only those details that are necessary to convey the most important pieces of information about somebody or something, and which can be easily memorized and remembered. Matthew wrote for an audience who was largely illiterate—unable to read or write—and to whom his Gospel would be read aloud.
Gold, frankincense and myrrh were not unusual gifts to present to a king in ancient Mid-East. They do not point to the place of origin. Gold was mined in a number of different regions of the ancient Mid-East. Frankincense and myrrh were also harvested in a number of those regions and were widely traded throughout the ancient Mid-East. Frankincense and myrrh were burned as incense and were ingredients in the oil used to anoint kings and priest and to consecrate altars and other furnishings of temples. Liquid myrrh was also used in the manufacture of perfume.
The ancient Mid-East was crisscrossed by trade routes and its trade routes extended to Asia Minor, to the Balkans, to Armenia, Persia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, to Central Asia, and to the Far East, to India and China. The Magi in all likelihood followed one of these trade routes to Jerusalem and may have traveled in the company of a trade caravan, a group of merchants and their beasts of burden.
While the Magi are often depicted as riding on camels, Matthew also does not tell us their mode of transportation. Camels were also typically used as pack animals. If the Magi had indeed been kings, they would have ridden horses. The Ethiopian eunuch, the treasurer of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, whom Philip met on the road to Gaza was riding in a chariot. You can read about their encounter in Luke’s Acts of the Apostles.
What can be deduced from Matthew’s narrative is that the Magi were not Jews. They were Gentiles, non-Jews. They were not familiar with the Old Testament prophesy about where the Messiah would be born. They also consulted the stars as a way of divining future events. Jews were prohibited from practicing any form of divination.
What is particularly worthy of note is their expressed desire to worship the one who had been born king of the Jews and whose star they saw when it rose. They had not just embarked on a journey to pay homage to that person. They had come to worship him. To them he was a very special person. Why they so regarded him, Matthew does not tell us. Like the Magi themselves, it is a mystery.
After their interview with Herod, they were guided by the same star to Bethlehem, to the house where the infant Jesus and his mother lived. They presented their gifts to Jesus and worshipped him. Then warned in a dream of Herod’s intentions, they returned to their own country by a different route.
The star itself has been the object of speculation and the subject of at least one science fiction short story. Among the theories was that it was an unusual conjunction of planets, a supernova, a comet, and even a hovering alien mothership. It is a mystery too, a mystery which we may never solve, and which we may not be meant to solve.
While this explanation of the Magi’s visit throws into question many cherished traditions surrounding their visit, it does not diminish the importance of that visit: the revelation of the infant Jesus to the Gentiles. The child to whom they presented gifts and bowed down and worshiped would by his righteous life and his suffering, death, and resurrection would open the way of salvation to all humankind, not just the descendants of the people of Israel.
The visit that the Magi paid to the infant Jesus has the earmarks of a movement or expression of the grace which John Wesley called “prevenient grace, the grace that goes before, the grace that draws human beings to God. Prevenient grace can work in unexpected ways such as through a bright star in the night sky, as well as through Word and Sacrament. It is the grace that enables us to take our first baby steps on the journey of faith, which enables us like the Magi to seek Jesus and in seeking him, find him.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Christina Rossetti’s “In the Bleak Midwinter.”
1 In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan
Earth stood hard as iron
Water like a stone
Snow had fallen
Snow on snow on snow
In the bleak midwinter
Long, long ago
2 Heaven cannot hold him
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When he comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The son of Gold almighty,
Jesus Christ.
3 Angels and Archangels
May have traveled there
Cherubim and Seraphim
Thronged the air
But only his Mother
In her maiden bliss
Worshiped the beloved
With a kiss
4 What can I give him?
Poor as I am
If I were a shepherd
I would give a lamb
If I were a wise man
I would do my part
But what I can I give him
Give him my heart
[People of God, what do you believe?]
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, die[d, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
[The Lord be with you.
And also with you.]
[Let us join together in the prayer which Jesus gave us.].
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Be exalted, Lord, above the heavens,
let your glory cover the earth.
Keep our nation under your care,
and guide us in justice and truth.
Let your way be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Send out your light and your truth
that we may tell of your saving works.
Have mercy upon the poor and the oppressed.
Hear the cry of those in need.
Hear our prayers, O Lord,
for we put our trust in you.
O God,
who by the leading of a star
manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
Mercifully grant that we, who know you now by faith,
may at last behold your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Silence may be kept.
Those present may offer their own prayers and thanksgivings for the world, the community, the church, the spread of the gospel, and for the needs of individuals.
Faithful God,
you have promised to hear the prayer
of all who ask in Jesus’ name.
In your mercy, accept our prayer.
Give us what we have asked in faith,
according to your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Open this link in a new tab to hear William Chatterton Dix’s “As with Gladness Men of Old.”
1 As with gladness men of old
did the guiding star behold,
as with joy they hailed its light,
leading onward, beaming bright;
so, most gracious Lord, may we
evermore your followers be.
2 As with joyful steps they sped,
Savior, to your lowly bed,
there to bend the knee before
you whom heaven and earth adore;
so may we with willing feet
ever seek your mercy seat.
3 As they offered gifts most rare
at your cradle rude and bare,
so may we with holy joy,
pure and free from sin’s alloy,
all our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to you, our heavenly King.
4 Holy Jesus, every day
keep us in the narrow way,
and when earthly things are past,
bring our ransomed lives at last
where they need no star to guide,
where no clouds your glory hide.
5 In the heavenly country bright
need they no created light;
you its light, its joy, its crown,
you its sun which goes not down;
there forever may we sing
alleluias to our King!
Eternal God and Father, by whose power we are created and
by whose love we are redeemed: guide and strengthen us by
your Spirit, that we may give ourselves to your service, and
live every day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus
Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear St. Aidan’s Community’s “The Grace (2 Corinthians 13:14).”
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God our Father,
and the fellowship, the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit be with us
for evermore and evermore and evermore. Amen.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God our Father,
and the fellowship, the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit be with us
for evermore and evermore and evermore. Amen.
[Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.]
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His steadfast love endures forever!
[Those present may greet each other.
Grace and peace be with you.
And also with you.]
Open this link in a new tab to hear Philipp Nicolai's “How Lovely Shines the Morning Star.”
1 How lovely shines the Morning Star!
The nations see and hail afar
the light in Judah shining.
O David's son of Jacob's race,
my Bridegroom and my King of grace,
for you my heart is pining.
Lowly, holy,
great and glorious,
O victorious
Prince of graces,
filling all the heav'nly places.
2 O highest joy by mortals won,
true Son of God and Mary's son,
the highborn King of ages!
In your blest body let me be,
e'en as the branch is in the tree,
your life my life supplying.
Sighing, crying
for the savor
of your favor,
resting never
till I rest in you forever.
3 O mighty Father, in your Son
you loved me ere you had begun
this ancient world's foundation.
Your Son has made a friend of me,
and when in spirit him I see,
I joy in tribulation.
What bliss is this!
He is living,
to me giving
life forever;
nothing me from him can sever.
4 Oh, joy to know that you, my friend,
are Lord, beginning without end,
the first and last, eternal!
And you at length — O glorious grace —
will take me to that holy place
the home of joys supernal.
Amen, amen!
Come and meet me,
quickly greet me!
With deep yearning,
Lord, I look for your returning.
5 Lift up the voice and strike the string,
let all glad sounds of music ring
in God's high praises blended.
Christ will be with me all the way,
today, tomorrow, ev'ry day
till trav'ling days are ended.
Sing out ring out
triumph glorious,
O victorious
chosen nation;
praise the God of your salvation.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
Heavenly Father,
give us faith to receive your word,
understanding to know what it means,
and the will to put it into practice,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Dave Moore and Lauren Moore’s responsorial setting of “Justice Shall Flourish In His Time” (Psalm 72).
Justice shall flourish in his time
and fullness of peace forever
Justice shall flourish in his time
and fullness of peace forever
1 O God, with your judgement endow the king
and with your justice the king's son;
he shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgement
Justice shall flourish in his time
and fullness of peace forever
2 Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace,
till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the river to the ends of the earth
Justice shall flourish in his time
and fullness of peace forever
3 For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
Justice shall flourish in his time
and fullness of peace forever
4 May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness
Justice shall flourish in his time
and fullness of peace forever
Justice shall flourish in his time
and fullness of peace forever
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew.
Matthew 2:1-12
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.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
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.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 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. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.
Silence
The Mystery of the Magi
The Magi are a mystery. We actually know very little about them. A lot of myths have grown up around them. These myths, while they are commonly believed, are purely speculation and conjecture. They are the product of our imaginations and not the result of sound exegesis, an explanation of a text of the Bible after careful study. They are fanciful embellishments to the New Testament narrative.
What then does Matthew tell us about the Magi’s visit to the infant Jesus? What doesn’t he tell us?
What Matthew does tell us is that their arrival in Jerusalem and their inquiries about the whereabouts of the one who had been born king of the Jews caused consternation in the city. Eventually news of their arrival in the city and the inquiries they were making reached Herod’s ears. This is not surprising as Herod kept close tabs on what was happening in Jerusalem through a network of informers and spies employed by his secret police.
Herod who was a client of Rome was very protective of the position of power and authority to which he had risen and would have viewed with trepidation news of the birth of someone who would become the focus of opposition to his rule, particularly someone whom the Jewish population would regard as having a greater claim to rule Judaea than he did. Herod was an Edomite whose people had be converted to Judaism. It is not surprising that he met with the Magi in secret. A public meeting might tip off those who opposed him to his intentions, and they might stop him from doing what he intended to do—remove a potential rival. He might have an uprising on his hands.
Like all despotic rulers and those who aspire to be despots, to gain unlimited power over other people and to use it to their advantage, often both unfairly and cruelly, Herod feared being toppled from power. He sought to ingratiate himself with the Jewish population by rebuilding the Temple at Jerusalem and constructing other public buildings. At the same time imposed a heavy tax burden on the people of Judaea and Jerusalem and alienated the Jewish population in other ways. His actions were very much like those of contemporary dictators and would-be dictators. Herod was not the kind of ruler of whom the Bible speaks well.
Matthew does not tell us the number of Magi. Nor does he tell us who they were. These details are not essential to his narrative. While the Western Church concluded from the number of gifts, they were three in number, the Eastern Church came to a different conclusion. It determined that they were twelve in number. The early Christians concluded that they were kings, based upon prophesies in the Old Testament, in the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Psalms. Matthew, however, does not identify them as kings. He also does not tell us that they fulfilled Old Testament prophesy, something which he does with other events in his narrative, a characteristic of his Gospel.
Kings would not have traveled to the country of another king unless they were vassal of that king and upon hearing news of the birth of the king’s heir visiting his capital with gifts was the customary way of showing loyalty to the king and his heir. A king might send ambassadors with gifts to a neighboring king upon such an occasion in order to maintain good relations with that king. If the king in question was an important ally, he might go in person, depending upon such circumstances as the stability of his kingdom and the risk of foreign invasion or rebellion in his absence.
Matthew tells us that Magi came from the east, but he does not tell us from where in the east they came. He also does not give us any clues. The exact starting point of their journey to Bethlehem is not essential to the narrative. The lack of extraneous, or non-essential, details is characteristic of oral literature and early forms of written literature. They employ only those details that are necessary to convey the most important pieces of information about somebody or something, and which can be easily memorized and remembered. Matthew wrote for an audience who was largely illiterate—unable to read or write—and to whom his Gospel would be read aloud.
Gold, frankincense and myrrh were not unusual gifts to present to a king in ancient Mid-East. They do not point to the place of origin. Gold was mined in a number of different regions of the ancient Mid-East. Frankincense and myrrh were also harvested in a number of those regions and were widely traded throughout the ancient Mid-East. Frankincense and myrrh were burned as incense and were ingredients in the oil used to anoint kings and priest and to consecrate altars and other furnishings of temples. Liquid myrrh was also used in the manufacture of perfume.
The ancient Mid-East was crisscrossed by trade routes and its trade routes extended to Asia Minor, to the Balkans, to Armenia, Persia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, to Central Asia, and to the Far East, to India and China. The Magi in all likelihood followed one of these trade routes to Jerusalem and may have traveled in the company of a trade caravan, a group of merchants and their beasts of burden.
While the Magi are often depicted as riding on camels, Matthew also does not tell us their mode of transportation. Camels were also typically used as pack animals. If the Magi had indeed been kings, they would have ridden horses. The Ethiopian eunuch, the treasurer of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, whom Philip met on the road to Gaza was riding in a chariot. You can read about their encounter in Luke’s Acts of the Apostles.
What can be deduced from Matthew’s narrative is that the Magi were not Jews. They were Gentiles, non-Jews. They were not familiar with the Old Testament prophesy about where the Messiah would be born. They also consulted the stars as a way of divining future events. Jews were prohibited from practicing any form of divination.
What is particularly worthy of note is their expressed desire to worship the one who had been born king of the Jews and whose star they saw when it rose. They had not just embarked on a journey to pay homage to that person. They had come to worship him. To them he was a very special person. Why they so regarded him, Matthew does not tell us. Like the Magi themselves, it is a mystery.
After their interview with Herod, they were guided by the same star to Bethlehem, to the house where the infant Jesus and his mother lived. They presented their gifts to Jesus and worshipped him. Then warned in a dream of Herod’s intentions, they returned to their own country by a different route.
The star itself has been the object of speculation and the subject of at least one science fiction short story. Among the theories was that it was an unusual conjunction of planets, a supernova, a comet, and even a hovering alien mothership. It is a mystery too, a mystery which we may never solve, and which we may not be meant to solve.
While this explanation of the Magi’s visit throws into question many cherished traditions surrounding their visit, it does not diminish the importance of that visit: the revelation of the infant Jesus to the Gentiles. The child to whom they presented gifts and bowed down and worshiped would by his righteous life and his suffering, death, and resurrection would open the way of salvation to all humankind, not just the descendants of the people of Israel.
The visit that the Magi paid to the infant Jesus has the earmarks of a movement or expression of the grace which John Wesley called “prevenient grace, the grace that goes before, the grace that draws human beings to God. Prevenient grace can work in unexpected ways such as through a bright star in the night sky, as well as through Word and Sacrament. It is the grace that enables us to take our first baby steps on the journey of faith, which enables us like the Magi to seek Jesus and in seeking him, find him.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Christina Rossetti’s “In the Bleak Midwinter.”
1 In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan
Earth stood hard as iron
Water like a stone
Snow had fallen
Snow on snow on snow
In the bleak midwinter
Long, long ago
2 Heaven cannot hold him
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When he comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The son of Gold almighty,
Jesus Christ.
3 Angels and Archangels
May have traveled there
Cherubim and Seraphim
Thronged the air
But only his Mother
In her maiden bliss
Worshiped the beloved
With a kiss
4 What can I give him?
Poor as I am
If I were a shepherd
I would give a lamb
If I were a wise man
I would do my part
But what I can I give him
Give him my heart
[People of God, what do you believe?]
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, die[d, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
[The Lord be with you.
And also with you.]
[Let us join together in the prayer which Jesus gave us.].
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Be exalted, Lord, above the heavens,
let your glory cover the earth.
Keep our nation under your care,
and guide us in justice and truth.
Let your way be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Send out your light and your truth
that we may tell of your saving works.
Have mercy upon the poor and the oppressed.
Hear the cry of those in need.
Hear our prayers, O Lord,
for we put our trust in you.
O God,
who by the leading of a star
manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
Mercifully grant that we, who know you now by faith,
may at last behold your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Silence may be kept.
Those present may offer their own prayers and thanksgivings for the world, the community, the church, the spread of the gospel, and for the needs of individuals.
Faithful God,
you have promised to hear the prayer
of all who ask in Jesus’ name.
In your mercy, accept our prayer.
Give us what we have asked in faith,
according to your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Open this link in a new tab to hear William Chatterton Dix’s “As with Gladness Men of Old.”
1 As with gladness men of old
did the guiding star behold,
as with joy they hailed its light,
leading onward, beaming bright;
so, most gracious Lord, may we
evermore your followers be.
2 As with joyful steps they sped,
Savior, to your lowly bed,
there to bend the knee before
you whom heaven and earth adore;
so may we with willing feet
ever seek your mercy seat.
3 As they offered gifts most rare
at your cradle rude and bare,
so may we with holy joy,
pure and free from sin’s alloy,
all our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to you, our heavenly King.
4 Holy Jesus, every day
keep us in the narrow way,
and when earthly things are past,
bring our ransomed lives at last
where they need no star to guide,
where no clouds your glory hide.
5 In the heavenly country bright
need they no created light;
you its light, its joy, its crown,
you its sun which goes not down;
there forever may we sing
alleluias to our King!
Eternal God and Father, by whose power we are created and
by whose love we are redeemed: guide and strengthen us by
your Spirit, that we may give ourselves to your service, and
live every day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus
Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear St. Aidan’s Community’s “The Grace (2 Corinthians 13:14).”
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God our Father,
and the fellowship, the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit be with us
for evermore and evermore and evermore. Amen.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God our Father,
and the fellowship, the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit be with us
for evermore and evermore and evermore. Amen.
[Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.]
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