And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene"

Flight into Egypt - Gentile da Fabriano, 1423

 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."  When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

"A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more."

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead."  Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.  But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.  And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.  And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

- Matthew 2:13-23

 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:  'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.' "  Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."  When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."   My study bible says that Egypt is where Israel once took refuge; as Joseph of the Old Testament once saved God's people by bringing them to Egypt (see Genesis 37, 39-47).  In this story of the infant Christ, his stepfather Joseph finds safety for the Savior in Egypt.  My study adds that it is likely the gifts of the magi (see yesterday's reading, above) paid for their journey.

When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."  Out of Egypt I called my Son is a reference first to Israel being brought out of captivity (Hosea 11:1).  My study bible adds that in the Old Testament, "son" can refer to the entire nation of Israel.  In this case, Jesus fulfills this calling as the true Son of God by coming out of Egypt.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.  My study bible tells us that the cruelty of Herod was prefigured by Pharoah.  Pharoah, as does Herod, attempted to destroy the power of Israel by commanding the death of all the newborn Jewish boys (Exodus 1:16, 22).

Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:  "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."  The quotation is from Jeremiah, who recorded the people of Jerusalem being led away to exile (Jeremiah 31:15).  On their way into captivity, they passed Ramah near Bethlehem, where Jacob's wife Rachel was buried.  In his prophecy, my study bible says, Jeremiah saw Rachel, even from the grave, moved with compassion for the fate that had befallen her descendants.  Here Rachel is once again weeping for her children, which shows that the saints in heaven have both awareness and compassion for those still in the world.  It is also noted that these slaughtered children are regarded as saints and martyrs in the Church, and they are known as the Holy Innocents.  As Rachel was told that her children would return from exile in Babylon (Jeremiah 38:16-17), so also Jesus will return from His exile in Egypt.

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead."  Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.  Historical records indicate that Herod the Great died in 4 BC.  The date of Christ's birth, upon which the current  AD (Anno Domini, Latin for "year of the Lord") calendar is based is off by four years.

 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.  And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.   My study bible notes that Augustus Casar banished Archelaus for his cruelty in AD 6.  Joseph was warned in a dream of this cruelty, and thus the family detoured to Nazareth (see the following verse).  Nazareth was in Galilee, a region to the north of Judea, across Samaria, and was governed by another son of Herod the Great, named Herod Antipas, who will yet reign during Jesus' adulthood and the time of His ministry (Luke 3:1). 

And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."   My study bible says that this prophecy cannot be exactly identified.  It has variously been taken as a reference to the rod (Hebrew neser) in Isaiah 11:1, and to the Nazarite (Hebrew Nazir) of Judges 13:5.  My study bible adds that Matthew may have been alluding to passages in which the Messiah was despised, since Nazareth did not have a good reputation (John 1:46).

Joseph brings Jesus and Mary to Nazareth, thus having avoided the dangers that await this Child.  As my study bible says, Nazareth did not have a "good reputation," citing Nathanael's question in John's Gospel, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Galilee itself was not considered of great importance to the Jewish tradition, being a place of mixed Jewish and Gentile population, and to the north of Samaria, away from Judea.  Even the Pharisees mistakenly assert that "no prophet has arisen out of Galilee" (see John 7:45-52), when in fact Jonah the prophet was from Gath-Hepher, which was a small distance from Nazareth.  But Nazareth itself was perhaps even less "stellar" than Galilee as a whole.   Any way we look at it, this childhood home of Jesus is a humble and out-of-the-way place.  When Jesus will encounter criticisms of His ministry, much of it will center upon the fact that He is from Nazareth, as it is unknown to the leadership that He was born in Bethlehem, the city of David.  But this humble beginning teaches us something very important and relevant to our faith.  St. Paul will write in 2 Corinthians, chapter 12 of the experience of visions and revelations.  He remarks that he knows a man in Christ who was "caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words," most likely referring to himself.  But then he adds that "yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities."  All of this is prelude to write, "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure."  This thorn in the flesh, about what exactly it was we can only speculate, he prayed to have taken away from him.  But he was told by God, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  (See 2 Corinthians 12:1-10).  All of this is to emphasize by St. Paul the great importance of humility in our relationship with God.  Christ's upbringing in Nazareth is wise in this respect.  Joseph himself is a man to whom great things have been revealed repeatedly in dreams (see the several instances in today's reading), as was the case of the earlier Joseph of the Old Testament.  By making their home in Nazareth, the Christ child is freed from the unwanted attention of the authorities in the "greater" cities and central capitols of Israel.  And Jesus' humble upbringing itself is also a key to our faith, as in Christianity tradition holds that humility is the greatest of virtues.  This humble place of Nazareth allows Jesus to flourish and grow, to become the Man He will be when He begins His ministry.  Thus we should all take it to heart that humility is first of all a foundational ground in which virtue may grow, and through which -- as in the case of St. Paul -- God's grace can take root and work through us.  John's Gospel speaks of those members of the ruling council who had faith in Jesus, but for whom the praise of men was more important than the praise of God (John 12:42-43).  In Mark's Gospel, when Jesus is questioned in the temple about paying taxes to the Romans, He is approached with the words, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth" (see this reading).  Nazareth, the humble town, was a place in which Christ could grow to be such a Man, who would accept the humble circumstances through which He would conduct His ministry, and the suffering and humiliation He would endure as Savior.  Nazareth, the humble and out-of-the-way town also stands in for the times in which we may need to withdraw from the attentions of the world at times, for our own spiritual, mental, and physical health.  To take a break from the competitions of the world allows us to nurture something good that may grow within us, to care for our souls, and to pay attention to God.  There are times, as with Jesus' life, in which we need withdrawal to protect what is being nurtured away from the dangers of the power of the world and its ruthless competition.  This is the great paradox of our faith:  the very fact that God condescended to become fully man -- even this Man of Nazareth -- is the teaching that is perhaps the greatest key to our faith.  That it is through our own humility, our acceptance and understanding of what it means to have the capacity to "bear a little shame" in life (in the oft-repeated phrase of the blogger Fr. Stephen Freeman), which enables us to live a life of grace and communion with God, a truly prayerful life.  Let us consider Nazareth, when we are confused by the judgment of the world and its conflict with the judgments of God -- and how God's love can be at work in us and through us.  The spirit of the humble, even of seeming failure, may be just that opportunity for what is truly valuable beyond all else. 

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy

Adoration of the Magi, 1260, T'oros Roslin, MS 251 of Hromkla; Jerusalem, Armenian Patriarchate

 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.' "

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."  When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

- Matthew 2:1-12

Yesterday we read that, after Christ's crucifixion, when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him.  But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."  So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.  Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.  She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.  After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.  And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.  Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will follow those who believe:  In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."  So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.  Amen.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? . . . "  Herod is Herod the Great, also known as Herod the Builder, among whose projects was the refurbished and expanded Second Temple, so splendid it was known as one of the wonders of the world.  Herod was also known as a particularly ruthless ruler even in a time when all rulers were known for their violence, even murdering some of his own children in his pursuit of power.  He is the father of Herod Antipas, who will rule Galilee at the time of Jesus' ministry.  The wise men, also known as magi, come from the East (most likely Persia, my study bible says).  They were the scholars of their time.  My study bible notes that in the Old Testament, Balaam (Numbers 23, 24) was one of their predecessors.  He was a Gentile who anticipated the Messiah.  These foreigners, it notes, are prefiguring the Church, in which membership is constructed upon faith, and not ethnic lineage.  Note their respect for the leadership of the foreign country to which they go; they go to Jerusalem where they address Herod the king.

"For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."   My study bible says that the star proclaims the extraordinary birth of Christ.  For the ancient pagans, a star signified a god, a deified king (Numbers 24:17).  That Christ is born under this star is a fulfillment of the prophecy in Psalm 109:3 Septuagint/DRA (110:3).  It shows all of creation participating in the Incarnation.  See also Psalms 19:1, 148:3.

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:  'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.' "  My study bible points out that Herod had to summon the Jewish leaders because he knew so little about the Jewish Messiah, and he is afraid to lose his throne to this newborn King.  The chief priests, we understand, were the political and religious leaders of the Jews.  The scribes were high cabinet officers.  Their expertise in Scripture means that they knew well where the Messiah was to be born, but, as my study bible says, in spite of all the signs being in place, they had no idea that He had come (see 16:3).  The text quotation is from Micah 5:2.

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."  When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.  The text tells us that the magi went into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother.   My study bible explains that Luke tells us the Jewish shepherds worshiped the Savior in the cave (or manger) on the day that He was born (Luke 2:8-20).   But the Gentile magi came to worship Him some time later.  By this time, Joseph and Mary have found a house in which to live.  This indicates that Christ first came to the Jews, and then afterward was worshiped by the Gentiles.  The Magi's gifts have a significance revealed in an Orthodox hymn sung at Compline of the Nativity:  "Gold is for the King of ages.  Frankincense is for the God of all.  Myrrh is offered to the Immortal One, who shall be three days dead."   We note also the divine warning in a dream.  In the stories that surround Christ in Matthew's Gospel, particularly of His infancy and childhood, dreams figure repeatedly in which divine messages are given (see 1:20, 2:13, 19, 22; see also 27:19).

In the story of the Ascension (see yesterday's reading, above) we're given to understand that Christ's human nature ascends into heaven.  That is, even His body and blood are glorified with Him in His ascent, where in His fullness He will be worshiped by the angels.  It is significant for our own participation in the communion of Christ, as it teaches us all about the Incarnation, that it is meant to save us -- and that means God's grace works fully within us and among us.  At Jesus' Ascension, He tells the disciples His final command, called the Great Commission.  In the Greek of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus literally says, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15).  In fact, the word for "world" is cosmos/κόσμος, indicating all of created universe.   There is no place, and no thing, no creature left out.  What this, in fact, tells us is the very purpose of the Incarnation, that it is for the salvation and life of "the world" (John 6:33, 51).    In today's reading, the wise men from the East follow a star to find Jesus.  As my study bible says, the star does indeed indicate to us that all of creation participates in this central point in the history of the cosmos.  The Creator is born as creature, so that we all -- and indeed, all of creation -- may become more like Him, restored to the proper order of things in communion with Creator.  As we read, the grace of God is already working through all things:  even through the wisdom and "old testament" so to speak, of the pagan world of the East, in the dreams of these Gentiles forewarned of the danger from the murderous Herod.  And, as we can also see, this Child's life which He brings for the whole of the world is immediately in danger from the worldly power, as will be His story in its fullness.  Let us ponder how God may work through all things, through us, through all aspects of our lives and being, through all of creation -- as our Creator is born as human being in order to heal all the cosmos.

Behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him"

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.'"

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."  When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

- Matt. 2:1-12

Yesterday we read that when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Christ for burial.  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.    But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him.  But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."  So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.  Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.  She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.  After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.  And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.  Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will follow those who believe:  In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."  So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.  Amen.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."  Today we leave Mark's Gospel and begin readings in Matthew.  This Herod the king is Herod the Great, the father of Herod Antipas, who will be the eventual ruler of Galilee during Christ's ministry.  Herod the king was also known as Herod the Great, and Herod the Builder.  He ruled Judea from 37-4 BC.  Among other achievements, he rebuilt the temple into one of the wonders of the world.  He was also known for his cruelty, even in a time of cruel and ruthless rulers.  The wise men from the East are the scholars of their time.  Also called magi, they are most likely from Persia.  In the Old Testament, my study bible tells us, Balaam (Numbers 23; 24) was one of their predecessors, a Gentile who anticipated the Messiah.  These foreigners prefigure the Church, in which membership is determined by faith and not by ethnic lineage.  The star proclaims the birth of Christ as extraordinary.  For the ancient pagans, a star would signify a god, a deified king (Numbers 24:17).  This star signifying Christ's birth fulfills prophecy in Psalm 110:3; both the Latin Vulgate and the Septuagint versions (109:3) speak of His creation in the womb before the morning star.  It shows all of creation participating in the Incarnation (see also Psalms 19:1, 148:3).

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:  'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'"    My study bible says that he had to summon the Jewish leaders because he knew little about the Jewish Messiah and he feared losing his throne to this newborn King.  Throughout the several centuries prior to Herod's rule, Israel was a battleground of kingdom against kingdom, constantly under strife as conquerors battled against new challengers.  The chief priests were the political and religious leaders of the Jews, and the scribes were high cabinet officers.  They were the experts in Scripture, knowing where the Messiah was to be born.  But in spite of all the signs being in place, they had no idea that He had come (see 16:3).  They quote to Herod from the prophecy of Micah (Micah 5:2). 

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."  When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.  My study bible points out that whereas the Jewish shepherds worshiped the Savior in the cave on the day He was born (Luke 2:8-20), the Gentile magi came to worship Him some time later.  By then, Joseph and Mary had found a house in which they dwelt.  It's an illustration that Christ first came to the Jews and afterward was worshiped by the Gentiles.  An Eastern hymn sung at Compline of the Nativity tells us "Gold is for the King of ages.  Frankincense is for the God of all.  Myrrh is offered to the Immortal One, who shall be three days dead."

It's quite remarkable how consistent the Gospels are.  That is, what we find going from one reading to another.  Yesterday we read the ending of the Gospel of Mark (see above), in which Jesus gave the Great Commission to go to all of creation preaching the gospel.  We know that at His Ascension He has assumed lordship over all of creation.  In today's reading, through prophesy, we are given to understand that all of creation participates in the Incarnation, in this birth of the divine-human baby Christ.  It is fitting that it should be so.  It is fitting that Gentiles come from another far off place to welcome Him and to worship Him, bearing gifts for a King.  It will be Christ who prays to the Father to give us the Holy Spirit, who is "everywhere present and filling all things," and these Gentile scholars from another tradition entirely surely have the Holy Spirit working with them in their own way.  We are even told that they were divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, and so they departed for their own country another way.  It is fitting that surrounding His birth, the whole world in some sense participates, while the powerful and the authoritative, the "wise and prudent" do not know what is happening.  The Gospels reach out to give us a true sense of the mystical, that which works under our own even best-honed radar to make something visible, to reveal, but without our "hands on" understanding of how it came to be so.  It is always a lesson in the work of God to read these narratives of Jesus' birth, and to understand the signs that appear, the knowledge that is present, and particularly how all this happens.  Visions and wisdom are given in dreams, there are those for whom prophesy is revealed, and others to whom that prophesy is well-known but are blind to its perception as it manifests.  This is the way God is at work in the world, somehow not quite within our hard-working "radar" range, but always manifesting and creating.  It is the participation of all of creation in this birth that is truly fascinating, all of the elements in creation, and also the Gentiles who come from afar, and the shepherds who come from the hills near Bethlehem.  Let us be truly thankful, and marvel at what is truly marvelous, and remains so.