28th December Chrstmas reflection 11 A wise man says

 

Let me get one thing straight. It doesn't matter how many cushions or padding you put on a camel, after weeks riding through the desert your backside is sore beyond belief. I have chaffed bits of me I didn’t even know existed.

I can’t remember whose idea it was to set out on this journey, I blame the others, but the sight of that new star suddenly appearing in the night sky, well it did seem to fulfil all those ancient prophecies about a new king about to be born. And if that isnt’ reason enough to make a journey like this then I don’t know what is.

So we’d packed, we’d prepared and we’d even picked out a few gifts. Although quite what you get for a new king is anyones guess. It took multiple trips around the local souks, markets and bazaars before we found that we thought might be suitable...gold, frankinscence and myhhr.

Melchior told me the other day that he had heard a prophecy say that someday in the distant future all this shopping would be done with the simple click of a button, with purchases delivered to your home the very next day. But I’ll believe that when i see it.

Speaking of believing...i’m not sure that the current king, that Herod believed us when we said that a new king had been born. Told him that we’d been following a star for weeks if not months. I don’t think he even believed his own priests and astrologers when they consulted their holy books and confirmed what we had said. Or if he did believe then the news didn’t exactly fill him with joy. Nasty side to his character that one and I was glad we left his palace as soon as we could.

We told Herod we would come back, come back after we had found this new king nd tell him where he was, so that he could go and worship him. But as we looked at each other, we all knew that wasn;t his intention and that if things went to plan we would be well on our way back home and the new child and his family safe, long before Herod ever learnt of our departure.

We had expected this new birth to be in a palace, after all surely thats where a king would be born, so imagine our surprise whe the star we had been following illuminated an ordinary everyday house. This couldn’t be right surely. Still we had come this far.

So climbing down from my camel, i straightened my clothes as best as I could and knocked gently on the door. There was no reply. I knocked again. After a few moments I could here movement inside the house and slowly the door opened

 “We are Magi from the east, stargazers if you will, and we have been drawn here from distant lands to seek the new king”. I smiled at man the other side of the door as if that should make everything crystal clear. It obviously didn’t.

 “We have followed a new star in the sky, one that has a special meaning. It has brought us here. To this place. To your house.”

The bewildered look remained on the mans face. Then from inside the house a voice called out, “It’ alright Joseph, let them in, they’ve come to see Jesus.” Almost as if they were used to unusual visitors

Crowding into the small room, we stood in front of the young woman who’s name was Mary, the young child Jesus bouncing up and down on her lap.

Suddenly without warning, like a row of dominoes we fell as one to our knees and bowed low, our heads pressed against the stone floor. Then one by one we placed our gifts before him. “Gifts for a king,” the oldest of our party explained. The young couple just looked at each other....‘a king?’ they mouthed silently.

Exiting the small house leaving Mary, Joseph and a now sleeping Jesus to some much needed peace and quiet, we were supposed to return back to Jerusalem and report the location of the child to Herod. But a dream the previous night had fully revealed his dastardly plan. And with no intention of bringing harm to the boy or his family, we set their faces eastward and disappeared once more riding out into the desert sands.