Three Wise Women, Part 3

 Part 3 of Three Wise Women

The journey of the three wise men (and Miranda) continued, across deserts and mountains, through forests of giant cedars and beside muddy rivers. They arrived in Jerusalem, and while the three men met with King Herod, Miranda wandered around the palace, hearing whispers and rumors about Herod. When the three men returned to her, all four were in agreement – they were not going to trust this “king.”

Eventually, they followed the star to Bethlehem, and they found who they had been seeking. Early one morning, they found Mary and Joseph in the home of a distant relative of Joseph’s. Mary was holding the newborn Jesus. He was crying; she was distraught, as new mothers so often are. Miranda, not a rookie at being a mother, having seven grandchildren of her own, carefully took the baby from Mary, and held him, swaying in that way mothers have (or learn), until the child stopped crying.

The three men knelt before the parents and the child, presenting their gifts -- gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh as oil for burial. Joseph accepted their offerings with a look of disbelief on his face, but Mary quietly watched, and Miranda knew she was learning about her son, the new king, through her husband and his friends. Miranda watched wisdom as it was born on this young woman’s face.

Before Miranda handed the baby back to his mother, she gazed at his face, mesmerized by him. He was just a baby – he looked just like any other baby she had seen, but she knew, deep down, that this child was different. This child would change the world. This child was more than a king. She knew that after seeing this child, face to face, she would never be the same. She was changed.

She left with her husband and his friends. They bypassed Jerusalem on their trip home, going a different way. Balthazar told her, “To go back through Jerusalem would be backtracking,” but she had heard him telling her husband about his dream – a dream warning them to avoid Herod at all costs.

Years later, back in their hometown, she would often remember her journey to follow the star. She had been right; her life had been changed. Her status in the community, the amount of gold in her basement – none of it mattered anymore. Taking care of her neighbors had become a priority. Loving her family and friends and sharing what she had with those in need were the ways in which she honored the king she had met.

She heard rumors of the woman they had met in Russia – Babushka. It seems that she did give in to her longing to find the king, but that she had left too late. The star had set, and when she finally arrived in Bethlehem, the child and his family were gone. Devastated, she returned to her home, but during the cold nights of winter, she would leave gifts for the children in her neighborhood, wanting to share the love and kindness she had intended to shower upon the king.

Three women – Miranda, Babushka and Mary – each in her own way changed forever when they met the king, become three wise women, full of wonder and delight.

When you meet Christ, face to face your life will change.

Inspiration for the idea wording of the last line is from Floyd Taylor's devotion, which you can read here (Validation).

Three Wise Women, Part 2

Part 2 of Three Wise Women

The three wise men had planned everything. They had packed all of the food and equipment they would need. They had brought other men to help on the journey, they had spare camels for when the ones carrying the loads got too tired to continue. They had their star charts and their telescopes. The one thing they had not planned on was clouds.

A storm passed through, obliterating their view of the star. Now what?

They traveled on, hoping they were going in the right direction. The caravan eventually ended up in a small Russian village.

When Melchior told Miranda where they were, she said, “What? A Russian village? What are we doing in a Russian village? We need to turn around! We’re obviously lost.”

“No, dear, we can’t go back. Balthazar never likes to back-track. We’ll keep going.”

As he said this, Miranda saw a woman watching the caravan from the window of her home. “Melchior, at least ask her for directions.”

“Directions?! We don’t need directions.” He laughed, and rode off.

Miranda scoffed. Men. She pulled her camel to the side and walked up to the woman’s home. The woman was very welcoming, asking Miranda to come inside. Miranda was very impressed by her house – it was spotless and neat, with not a speck of dust or crumb in site. The two women went to the back of the house, to the equally spotless kitchen and sat down to talk, in the way that women do.

Eventually, Melchior noticed that Miranda wasn’t with the caravan and went back to find her. The Russian woman’s son opened the door and led him back to the kitchen.

“Melchior! Come and meet Babushka.” Melchior sat at the table with them, and of course, the conversation led back to the star and their journey. Melchior, as always, almost to Miranda’s embarrassment, was just as enthusiastic about their journey as he had been when they started. Amazingly, Babushka was enthralled by Melchior’s words.

“Oh, I would love to meet this king. Even here in my village, we have heard of the Jewish prophecy. How wonderful that you are going to find him!”

“My lady, Babushka, you should come with us! You should meet this king.”

“Come with you? Oh, I can’t come with you. I have too much to do here! I have house work to do, and tomorrow, I have to prepare a community meal. I can’t just leave. I can’t go seek this king!”

As the couple was leaving, to return to the caravan, Babushka told them goodbye, saying, “If I get everything finished, maybe I will follow you, and find the king myself.”

Three Wise Women, Part 1

Throughout this week, I'll be posting a story called Three Wise Women.  Years ago, our church hosted a "Breakfast with the Wise Men" event.  Sometimes I was asked to share a story; this is one of those stories.  Part of it contains the Russian folk tale of Babushka; the rest is from my imagination. 

This is a story about three women who become wise through their experiences – hard-won wisdom. All of us make mistakes in life; it’s the ones who learn and change who are the wisest.

Our story begins in the Far East, in the home of Miranda. For years, Miranda has smiled as her husband, Melchior, has puttered around in their stable with his two friends, Caspar and Balthazar, looking at the stars. Other people were impressed with how serious the three men were in their study of astrology, but Miranda often just shook her head, and thanked her lucky stars that at least the three men weren’t interested in camel racing – expensive, with a serious risk of gambling losses. At least stars didn’t spit and weren’t messy like camels. So, Miranda humored her husband, and went about her business, sure that astrology was a safe hobby that wouldn’t interfere with what was serious in life.

Until the day when Melchior came up to bed after a long evening in the stable with his friends. He woke her up, immediately putting her in a bad mood. “Miranda! We’re done it! We’ve found the star we’ve been looking for!”

“That’s great, Melchior. Tell me about it tomorrow. That star’s not going anywhere.”

“Yes, yes, it is! It’s the one! We leave in a week to follow it to find a newborn king.”

“What? Leave? King? What are you talking about?”

“The King has been born. We’re leaving in a week, Miranda. We’re taking gifts; we’re going to see this king.”

This finally woke Miranda up. Leaving? To follow a star? Was her husband crazy? Had all of that stable dust gone to his head? Where was her wise husband? They argued all night – Miranda talked about his standing in the neighborhood –what would people say when he left to go follow a star? She tried to convince him that the journey would be too expensive, that it would take forever. She used every logical reason she could think of to try to change his mind. Nothing worked.

“OK. Fine,” she said, thinking to try reverse logic, since nothing else had worked. “If you’re going, then I’m going with you.” She was certain this would stop him. No man in his right mind would take his wife across miles of desert to follow a star. Surely this would convince him.

“GREAT!” he said. “You should see this! I never believed you would go, but that’s great. We leave in a week.” And he ran out of the room to begin preparations, leaving his wife sitting on the bed, with her eyes huge, and her mouth hanging open.

The next thing she knew, she was riding a camel in a caravan, following a star.

What About Epiphany?

 During Sunday school the day after epiphany, we spent the lesson talking about the visit of the "wise men" to see Jesus. We dug deep into some of the details of the story - How many men were there? When did they arrive? What about the star? Were they wise men, kings, magi?

And then someone said, "This isn't the important part of the story." And someone else said, "Why does this story even matter?"

Good questions, both of them.

What is important in the story?

• Both the wise men and the shepherds were outsiders. The wise men were not Israelites. They were foreigners. The shepherds weren't foreigners, but were they accepted in society? So much so that we would choose them to be the first witness to the incarnation of God? We should learn that God is for everyone. That Christ came for all of us.
• I thought about that star. There is lots of debate regarding what it was. I don't think it matters. I think what matters is that God will lead us where God wants us to go, if we watch and maybe wait.
• The gifts seem important. Gifts for a king. Gifts that foreshadow Christ's death.
• Think about the wise men and Herod. Part of the wisdom of the wise men was the ability to discern where to place their trust. The didn't place it with Herod, did they? We need to be wise - not only to discern God's will, but to discern who to trust.

Last night, at our church council meeting, the devotional was based on the video below. What does the story matter? Because it gives us an opportunity to ponder how the birth of Christ can transform our lives.

Epiphany look back

 Since we are so close to Epiphany (yesterday), I thought I would reshare a story I wrote for our Breakfast with the Wise Men program at church.  It's three posts if you want to read the whole thing; there is a link at the bottom of posts 1 and 2 to go to the next one.

Breakfast with the Wise Men 

Breakfasts with the Wise Men, Part III

Continued from yesterday...

Two days later, very early in the morning, as the sun was just beginning to rise, Abid and the wise men were awakened by a pounding on the door of their rooms.  Abid struggled to his feet and opened the door a crack.  A man, dressed in dark robes, stood there.  “King Herod has sent me to bring the men of the start to the palace.  They must come now!”

So it was that the three wise men (with Abid standing close by) and King Herod shared breakfast.

The normally jovial and talkative men were silent in the presence of the King.  Herod was handsome, well groomed and finely dressed.  Gold and jewels adorned his hands, glinting in the dimness of morning as he dipped bread into the cheese.  There was something about him – something unsettling.  As Abid watched the four men, the word “evil” came into his mind.   Herod smiled at the three wise men, but their hearts beat a fast, hard rhythm in his presence. 

Herod said, “You have come to find the child who is to be born as King of the Jews.”

Melchior answered, “Yes, we have.”

Herod selected a piece of fruit, and sliced it open with his knife.  Red juice squirted from its depths and ran across the linen of the cloth that covered the table.  “Good.  That is excellent.”  He bit into the fruit, obviously enjoying its tartness.  “I have spoken with my own wise men, and they have told me this child is to be found in Bethlehem.   You are to go there.  And once you have found the child, come back to me.”  He reached for another slice of fruit, flicking out a seed with his immaculate nail.  “I wish to know this child, and I will go and worship him as well.”  Once again he smiled.

Very soon after that, the three wise men, along with Abid, found themselves in the courtyard of the house where they had been staying, stunned. 

Clearing his throat, Balthazar said, “I told you he would be born in Bethlehem,” but his words were weak, not full of his usual arrogance.

Caspar said, his voice aching with disbelief, “We told him when the star appeared.  He will know the date of the child’s birth.  What will we do?”

Melchior answered.  “We will go to Bethlehem, and we will find the child.  We will warn his parents.”

"And what will we tell Herod when we come back this way?” asked Caspar.

 "I don’t know, but we’ll think of something.”

 The three men spent several hours together in the courtyard, recalling all that they had read in the prophecies and stories on their scrolls.  They talked about what the man at the Temple had told them and they remembered the desperation of the king to hear about this King of the Jews who had been born. 

Melchior said, “I am not a Jew.  Why is it that I feel as if the birth of this tiny child in the far away country will make a difference in my life?”

Caspar answered, “The man at the temple said that he would bring salvation to everyone – even to the gentiles.  I find that I believe him.”

Balthazar said, “We must go today and find this child.  No delay.  Abid!  Pack our bags!”  All three had failed to notice that Abid was already packing, and that he had brought the camels from their stalls.  Balthazar sighed, “I just wish I had brought a better gift.”

The other two men nodded, remembering with shame their reluctance to bring their best.

Abid stepped forward, carrying the trunk that contained their gifts.  He wordlessly opened it, revealing the three items inside.  The three men stepped forward to look inside.  Caspar reached out and picked up the purple silk bag full of coins.  Opening it, he found a wealth of God.  Melchior recognized the small box of frankincense he had hidden to protect it from thieves.  And Balthazar saw the ornate jar that contained the finest myrrh, set aside for his own burial.  All three of them lifted their eyes and looked at Abid.  “Why did you bring these?”

Abid explained, “For the past many years, you have been talking about a babe to be born, who would be the salvation of the world.  You convinced me it was true!  I knew at some point you would start to believe it, too, and that the truth would change your minds about what gifts to bring.”

Feeling a little ashamed, and a little put out with their servant, but glad of his service, the three men returned the gifts to the trunk and left Jerusalem, to follow a star and worship a king.

Breakfasts with the Wise Men, Part II

Continued from yesterday...

The journey to Jerusalem was long.  It involved many smelly, spitting camels, hot days and cold nights.  No one really talks about it now, but Abid remembers it – every detail of it.  And for years and years, he told his grandchildren about it.  “Did I ever tell you the story…..”  And his grandchildren would roll their eyes and squirm.

When the caravan reached Jerusalem, the wise men were tired, and they had begun to lose their excitement for the search.  Abid found them a place to stay, and settled them in.  He found a place for the camels to sleep, and he unpacked all of the rugs, blankets, food, clothes, books and starcharts that the wise men had insisted on bringing with them.  During his work, he became familiar with town of Jerusalem, so when Balthazar woke up the next morning, and declared, “We must go to the Temple!  There will be people at the Temple who can help us!” Abid knew just where to take them.

As they approached the Temple, the three men stood stunned by its glory.  The platform area upon which it was built was enormous, and the temple itself was covered in gold.  Caspar muttered, “Herod has outdone himself.  Surely Rome will notice this.” 

The crowds were thick, but Melchior noticed a man standing close by.   “Sir, I wonder if you would answer some questions for me.”

The older man, bent with age, but with wisdom in his eyes, said, “What can I help you with?”

“We,” he began, indicating his friends, “have come from Babylon…”  The other two men cleared their throats, “Yes, yes, and Arabia and Persia,’ he added, to please his friends.  “We have studied the stars, and we have read the prophecies.  We come to Jerusalem because we believe that that a child-king is to be born here.  We come to see him.  Do you know anything about this?”

The man nodded his head.  “Yes, my God has spoken to me about this child.  He will be born soon, and he will be the salvation of all people.”

Excited, Balthazar said, “What do you know of him?” 

"This child is from God.  The fate of all of us rest upon him.  He will be light to the Jews and to the Gentiles.  He will be the light of salvation for even you.  When you find him, you should bow down and worship him”

“Yes, yes,” said Caspar inpatiently, “but where can we find him?”

“I, too, am waiting for him.  God has promised that I will see him, but I do not know where to tell you to look.”  Disappointed, the men started to leave, but the man placed his hand on Melchior’s robe.  “Be careful.  Not everyone will welcome this child.”   

The wise men thanked the man and walked away, but Abid stood, stunned by what he had heard.   He quietly said, “Salvation?  Even for me?”

The man, whose name was Simeon, said, “Yes, and even for me.”

To be continued tomorrow...

Breakfasts with the Wise Men, Part I

I have a story to share with you today about three wise men – THE three wise men.  Some of this story is biblical and some of it is not, and some of it is purely from my imagination.  Because it is an important skill to develop – the ability to tell the difference – I’ll leave it to you to determine which is which. 

Our story begins in Persia, with three wise men gathered together for breakfast.  Melchoir had invited Caspar and Balthazar to join him for a wise-men’s retreat – Melchior lived in Babylon, and he had the largest home of the three, so Caspar had come from Persia, and Balthazar from Asia.  It was a time to get together to read and study and to share their many “wise-men” insights.  Can’t you imagine all of the intense discussions, the certainty of “rightness” and the quoting of ancient masters?  As we join in their discussions, all three are sitting together at a large wooden table, drinking the strong coffee that Balthazar had brought with him from home.  Melchior’s trusted servant, Abid, moved around the room, serving plates of fruits and cheese.  The three men, much to Abid’s chagrin, were working their way through several manuscripts, reading, and dropping crumbs on the precious scrolls.  Abid was almost always frowning and scurrying around to clean up their messes.

All of a sudden, Caspar jumped up, his plate flew to the floor, and Abid grabbed for the hot coffee.  Ignoring all of that, Caspar said, “Listen to this, it is from an oracle by the name of Balaam – “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near – a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.”

Balthazar countered, “Very interesting.  Listen to this one – from Micah – But you, O Bethlehem, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel.”

Not to be outdone, Melchior said, “The prophet Isaiah says this -- For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.”

The three men reviewed their calculations and compared their star charts.  Caspar said, “Now is the time.  We must go and see this child-king.” 

Another one said, “No, not now – maybe next year – look at this calculation”  He waved a parchment around, barely missing Abid’s head. 

Caspar banged his hand on the table, rattling the cups of coffee, and frustrating the attentive Abid.  “Buck up, friends!  We must follow that star!”   Abid, righting the coffee cups, filed the word ‘Starbucks’ away for future reference.

“Listen to this,” said Balthazar, ‘They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.’  We should bring gifts!  Who will bring the gold?  Who will bring the frankincense?  I think I have some extra myrrh stored away.”  The three men shuffled their papers and stared at their feet.

“Abid,” said Caspar, “I don’t think I really need to take gold.  What would a child do with gold?  But in my room is a bag of copper coins.  When you pack for me, add that to the camel’s bag.”

“And, Abid,” said Melchior, “I might have some frankincense in my room, but let’s leave that for another giving opportunity.  Pack that perfume we picked up at WalziarMart.  That will do.”

“Oh, yes, Abid,” added Balthazar, “It must be myrrh for my gift, but bring the myrrh my mother-in-law gave me last year, not the jar I’ve been saving back for my own funeral.  That child won’t know the difference, I’m sure.  It’s the thought that counts, right?”

So Abid rolled his eyes, and started packing. 

To be continued tomorrow...

King Wesceslas

Peter and the King, the story I've been posting for the last three days, is based on the carol Good King Wesceslas.   King Wesceslas was a real person named Saint Wesceslas I, Duke of Bohemia. He was canonized by the Catholic Church and is the Czech patron saint.

So what is the moral of the story? Follow in your king’s footsteps, even if you don’t quite understand where you are going or what he is leading you to do. When you do, you will be equipped and strengthened for the journey. It isn’t always easy, but when you do it, you will be blessed by grace.

Within a few decades of Wenceslas's death four biographies of him were in circulation. These … had a powerful influence on the High Middle Ages conceptualization of the rex justus, or "righteous king"—that is, a monarch whose power stems mainly from his great piety…

Referring approvingly to these hagiographies, the chronicler Cosmas of Prague, writing in about the year 1119, states:

But his deeds I think you know better than I could tell you; for, as is read in his Passion, no one doubts that, rising every night from his noble bed, with bare feet and only one chamberlain, he went around to God’s churches and gave alms generously to widows, orphans, those in prison and afflicted by every difficulty, so much so that he was considered, not a prince, but the father of all the wretched.  (Quote from Wikipedia)

I don’t know about serving in bare feet, but the quote reminds me of this passage from James:

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (James 1:27)

Peter and the King, III

Continued from yesterday...

The king led the way through the trees, and Peter followed. As they walked, the sun sank further behind the mountain, leaving the forest darker with each step. The king’s lantern swayed, eerily lighting the trees and the snow. Shadows and light fought in the woods.

On they trudged, as the wind picked up, and cold snuck into the boy’s coat and the under the king’s hat. Intent on following the path in the semi-darkness, the king didn’t notice that Peter wasn’t right behind him at first. Hearing silence instead of footsteps in the crunchy snow, he turned around to find the path empty.

“Peter! Where are you?”

“Here, sir. I’m coming.”

The king walked back to find Peter in the path far behind him, struggling against the cold. “I’m sorry, sir, but it’s so cold. I’m not sure how much farther I can go.” His teeth chattered, and he bent his head down into the wind. The king pulled Peter’s scarf up tighter around his ears, and said, “This is what I want you to do, son. Step where I step on the path. Stay close behind me, and step where I step. The warmth of my footprints will help you fight off the cold.”

Peter just looked up at him. “What? Your footprints will keep me warm?”

“I know, it sounds impossible, but just do what I say.”

“Yes, sir.”

So the king walked through the forest, leading the way, with Peter obediently stepping in his footprints. Peter hadn’t really believed the king very much – OK, he hadn’t believed him at all, but he did what he had been told to do. And he was warm. He stayed close behind the king, following his light and stepping carefully in his footprints, and, amazingly, he was warm. Wait until he told the cook and the housekeeper and the butler. Wait until he told his mother!

Finally, they made it to the house at the foot of the mountain and shared the food, wine and blankets with the family they found there. The warmth of bringing the unexpected gifts to the man and his family kept both the king and Peter warm all the way home.

Peter and the King, II

Continued from yesterday....

The king thought back to yesterday, to the great celebration his family had had, with more food than they could eat, and more gifts than they could open. Below him in the square was a man who probably had nothing, and was looking for a job, or for some food for his family. As I mentioned before, there is more than one kind of epiphany.
The king spun around, and yelled, “Peter!” He immediately regretted it, because the boy jumped, scattering his work. “Yes, sire?”

“Sorry. No, Peter, just leave them there. I want you to go gather some wine and some food, and a couple of blankets for me.”

“Oh, yes sir.” Peter shot toward the doorway. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hungry and cold? I’ll be right back.”

The king had to speak quickly to be heard before Peter made it out of the room. “No, son, not for me. It is for the man in the square. Have the cook pack it up for you, and bring it to me in the dooryard. I’m going to take it to the man we saw from the window.”

“What? Oh, no sir. You can’t do that. I’ll get some….”

"No, Peter, I’m going to do it. Hurry, now, and get everything together for me.”

“Yes, sire.” Peter walked away, obviously unhappy that the king was heading out in the cold weather.

Finally, after having convinced the cook and the housekeeper that he was following the king’s orders, Peter made it to the door of the castle, to find the king. The king was dressed to leave, and seemed impatient to be on his way.

“Thank you, Peter. I’ll take that.” The king reached for the pack the boy was carrying.

“Oh, no sire. If you are going, then so am I.”

“That’s not necessary, son. You stay here where it is warm, and I’ll be back in no time.”

“No, no, sir. The cook, and the housekeeper and the butler, and even my mother, sir, all made me promise that you would not go by yourself. Please, sir, don’t get me in trouble with my mother!”

The king sighed, reached up to a hook on the wall, and pulled an extra neck scarf down. He wrapped it around Peter, tucking it into his coat, and then picked up the pack. “Ok, then, here we go.”

The king opened the door, and led the way into the square, followed by the young boy. They made their way out of the village, and into the forest.
 
To be continued tomorrow.

Peter and the King, I

This morning at church was our annual Breakfast with the Wise Men."  As was asked to tell a story.  Over the next few days, I'll tell it to you, with apologizes to those who heard it in person.

We come to this Epiphany breakfast every year, expecting a story about the three wise men who traveled from the East, following the star, leaving gifts for Jesus, but there other kinds of epiphanies, and there are other wise men, and we are called to give of ourselves every day, not just at Christmas.


So, today, I bring you a story about a different wise man. You may have heard of him, but you’ve never seen him in a nativity scene. You’ve probably sung about him, but the words of “We Three Kings” don’t mention him.

Many, many years ago, on a day like one we had last week, a king stood at his window, looking out. The day before had been Christmas Day, and while his family had celebrated the birth of the Christ child, a snow storm had raged outside. Snow had poured from the sky in big, fat flakes, covering everything. This was not what our meteorologists today would call a freezing drizzle – this had been a whopper of a snow fall.

Today was the day after Christmas, a day the people in his town called St. Stephen’s day. The King stood at his window, looking at the town below, as people hustled back and forth, digging out their doorways and clearing the paths between the buildings. In the room behind him, a young boy worked, clearing the king’s papers from his desk, straightening his work. His name was Peter, and as far as the king could tell, Peter was always at work.

"So, Peter, how was your Christmas?”

“Just fine, Sire.”

The king shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the window. He never had much luck getting Peter to talk to him.

Outside the window, in the street, the king saw a man, very poorly dressed, walking through the village. The man wasn’t wearing a coat, and he hunched his back against the cold wind that was blowing. “Peter, do you know who this man is? I don’t recognize him.”

Peter carefully placed a stack of papers on the desk and came to stand by the window. “Oh, yes, sir. I don’t know his name, but I know he lives several miles from here, in the forest, near the foot of the mountains.”

Peter went back to work, and the king stood at the window, watching the man stop at the pub in the square under the window. He couldn’t hear what the man was saying to the pub owner’s wife, but she shook her head and pointed away from the doorway, but to the forest, and turned to go back inside. The man hung his head and walked away from the light.

To be continued tomorrow.

Three Wise Women, Part 3

Section 3 of Three Wise Women, as read yesterday morning for our church's Breakfast with the Wise Men:

The journey of the three wise men (and Miranda) continued, across deserts and mountains, through forests of giant cedars and beside muddy rivers. They arrived in Jerusalem, and while the three men met with King Herod, Miranda wandered around the palace, hearing whispers and rumors about Herod. When the three men returned to her, all four were in agreement – they were not going to trust this “king.”

Eventually, they followed the star to Bethlehem, and they found who they had been seeking. Early one morning, they found Mary and Joseph in the home of a distant relative of Joseph’s. Mary was holding the newborn Jesus. He was crying; she was distraught, as new mothers so often are. Miranda, not a rookie at being a mother, having seven grandchildren of her own, carefully took the baby from Mary, and held him, swaying in that way mothers have (or learn), until the child stopped crying.

The three men knelt before the parents and the child, presenting their gifts -- gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh as oil for burial. Joseph accepted their offerings with a look of disbelief on his face, but Mary quietly watched, and Miranda knew she was learning about her son, the new king, through her husband and his friends. Miranda watched wisdom as it was born on this young woman’s face.

Before Miranda handed the baby back to his mother, she gazed at his face, mesmerized by him. He was just a baby – he looked just like any other baby she had seen, but she knew, deep down, that this child was different. This child would change the world. This child was more than a king. She knew that after seeing this child, face to face, she would never be the same. She was changed.

She left with her husband and his friends. They bypassed Jerusalem on their trip home, going a different way. Balthazar told her, “To go back through Jerusalem would be backtracking,” but she had heard him telling her husband about his dream – a dream warning them to avoid Herod at all costs.

Years later, back in their hometown, she would often remember her journey to follow the star. She had been right; her life had been changed. Her status in the community, the amount of gold in her basement – none of it mattered anymore. Taking care of her neighbors had become a priority. Loving her family and friends and sharing what she had with those in need were the ways in which she honored the king she had met.

She heard rumors of the woman they had met in Russia – Babushka. It seems that she did give in to her longing to find the king, but that she had left too late. The star had set, and when she finally arrived in Bethlehem, the child and his family were gone. Devastated, she returned to her home, but during the cold nights of winter, she would leave gifts for the children in her neighborhood, wanting to share the love and kindness she had intended to shower upon the king.

Three women – Miranda, Babushka and Mary – each in her own way changed forever when they met the king, become three wise women, full of wonder and delight.

When you meet Christ, face to face your life will change.

Inspiration for the idea wording of the last line is from Floyd Taylor's devotion, which you can read here (Validation).

Three Wise Women, Part 2

Section 2 of Three Wise Women, as read this morning for our church's Breakfast with the Wise Men:

The three wise men had planned everything. They had packed all of the food and equipment they would need. They had brought other men to help on the journey, they had spare camels for when the ones carrying the loads got too tired to continue. They had their star charts and their telescopes. They one thing they had not planned on was clouds.

A storm passed through, obliterating their view of the star. Now what?

They traveled on, hoping they were going in the right direction. The caravan eventually ended up in a small Russian village.

When Melchior told Miranda where they were, she said, “What? A Russian village? What are we doing in a Russian village? We need to turn around! We’re obviously lost.”

“No, dear, we can’t go back. Balthazar never likes to back-track. We’ll keep going.”

As he said this, Miranda saw a woman watching the caravan from the window of her home. “Melchior, at least ask her for directions.”

“Directions?! We don’t need directions.” He laughed, and rode off.

Miranda scoffed. Men. She pulled her camel to the side and walked up to the woman’s home. The woman was very welcoming, asking Miranda to come inside. Miranda was very impressed by her house – it was spotless and neat, with not a speck of dust or crumb in site. The two women went to the back of the house, to the equally spotless kitchen and sat down to talk, in the way that women do.

Eventually, Melchior noticed that Miranda wasn’t with the caravan and went back to find her. The Russian woman’s son opened the door and led him back to the kitchen.

“Melchior! Come and meet Babushka.” Melchior sat at the table with them, and of course, the conversation led back to the star and their journey. Melchior, as always, almost to Miranda’s embarrassment, was just as enthusiastic about their journey as he had been when they started. Amazingly, Babushka was enthralled by Melchior’s words.

“Oh, I would love to meet this king. Even here in my village, we have heard of the Jewish prophecy. How wonderful that you are going to find him!”

“My lady, Babushka, you should come with us! You should meet this king.”

“Come with you? Oh, I can’t come with you. I have too much to do here! I have house work to do, and tomorrow, I have to prepare a community meal. I can’t just leave. I can’t go seek this king!”

As the couple was leaving, to return to the caravan, Babushka told them goodbye, saying, “If I get everything finished, maybe I will follow you, and find the king myself.”

Three Wise Women, Part 1

Our church has a "Breakfast with the Wise Men" tomorrow. As part of that event, I'm telling an epiphany story. Part of the story contains the Russian folk tale of Babushka; the rest is from my imagination. It's too long for a blog post, so I'll post it over the next few days.

This is a story about three women who become wise through their experiences – hard-won wisdom. All of us make mistakes in life; it’s the ones who learn and change who are the wisest.

Our story begins in the Far East, in the home of Miranda. For years, Miranda has smiled as her husband, Melchior, has puttered around in their stable with his two friends, Caspar and Balthazar, looking at the stars. Other people were impressed with how serious the three men were in their study of astrology, but Miranda often just shook her head, and thanked her lucky stars that at least the three men weren’t interested in camel racing – expensive, with a serious risk of gambling losses. At least stars didn’t spit and weren’t messy like camels. So, Miranda humored her husband, and went about her business, sure that astrology was a safe hobby that wouldn’t interfere with what was serious in life.

Until the day when Melchior came up to bed after a long evening in the stable with his friends. He woke her up, immediately putting her in a bad mood. “Miranda! We’re done it! We’ve found the star we’ve been looking for!”

“That’s great, Melchior. Tell me about it tomorrow. That star’s not going anywhere.”

“Yes, yes, it is! It’s the one! We leave in a week to follow it to find a newborn king.”

“What? Leave? King? What are you talking about?”

“The King has been born. We’re leaving in a week, Miranda. We’re taking gifts; we’re going to see this king.”

This finally woke Miranda up. Leaving? To follow a star? Was her husband crazy? Had all of that stable dust gone to his head? Where was her wise husband? They argued all night – Miranda talked about his standing in the neighborhood –what would people say when he left to go follow a star? She tried to convince him that the journey would be too expensive, that it would take forever. She used every logical reason she could think of to try to change his mind. Nothing worked.

“OK. Fine,” she said, thinking to try reverse logic, since nothing else had worked. “If you’re going, then I’m going with you.” She was certain this would stop him. No man in his right mind would take his wife across miles of desert to follow a star. Surely this would convince him.

“GREAT!” he said. “You should see this! I never believed you would go, but that’s great. We leave in a week.” And he ran out of the room to begin preparations, leaving his wife sitting on the bed, with her eyes huge, and her mouth hanging open.

The next thing she knew, she was riding a camel in a caravan, following a star.