Sabbath Day Thoughts — “Follow the Star” Rev. Dr. Joann White
No characters in the birth story of Jesus have drawn more attention and speculation than the Magi. Conditioned by years of Christmas pageants, carol singing, and Hollywood movies, we can tell you stories about the Wise Ones that are more fantasy than fact. Bible scholars say that there are multiple myths about the Magi that preachers really ought to confront.
Myth buster #1: The Magi weren’t kings. We have long labeled the wise ones as “three kings.” When it’s time for the children’s Christmas play, we swathe our kids in plush fabrics, top them with a gold crown, put a fancy box in their hands, and “Voila!” The three kings ride again. But the title Magi means astrologer. Magi is a word we borrow from Persia, where Magi served as scientists or scholars who advised the royal court. The Magi believed that the movements of the heavens anticipated and revealed actions afoot within earthly principalities. When they saw a curious star rising, they hypothesized that a new king was rising among the Hebrew people. They traveled to Israel to test their hypothesis and act as emissaries from a neighboring nation.
Myth buster #2: The Magi didn’t arrive on Christmas Eve. Every nativity set depicts the wise ones, right behind the shepherds, patiently waiting their turn to give their fabulous gifts. But the Magi probably didn’t even see their portentous star until the birth pangs were well underway. They then conferred with the Persian court, drafted a retinue, organized an overland caravan, and traveled about 1,200 miles to Israel, presumably by camel. Scholars say that eighteen to twenty-four months would have elapsed. The shepherds had long since gone back to their flocks. Mary and Joseph weren’t in a stable; they were in a home. And the baby Jesus was walking and running, climbing and playing with other children, feeding himself and stringing together words, like “More milk.”
Myth buster #3: There probably weren’t three Magi. Matthew’s gospel simply tells us that wise ones from the east came in search of the child born king of the Jews. There could have been two Magi—or two dozen. The presumption that they were three comes from the three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The first mention of “three” Magi didn’t appear until the sixth century when a manuscript called the Excerpta Latina Barbari collected popular myths and traditions about the birth of Jesus, even naming the wise ones Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. By the 9th century, those names were widely recognized in Europe and found their way into church traditions. By the 14th century, the Magi had back stories: Melchior was an elderly white man from Europe. He brought the gold. Caspar was a young beardless man from Asia. He brought the frankincense. Balthazar was Black from Africa. He carried the myrrh. If you inspect the Magi in our nativity set at the side entrance, you’ll see that 14th century supposition still shaping our perspective today.
If you are like me, it may feel disappointing to learn that the wonderful details that lend our Christmas story texture and pomp may have questionable basis in what really went down. But when we peel back the myths of tradition and look at the story that Matthew actually tells, we find some deeper spiritual truths that can guide us into the New Year and deepen our relationship with the Lord. I’d like to suggest three truths that we learn from the Magi that can supplant those three myths that I just busted. Are we ready?
Truth #1: Jesus calls us to step out in faith. The Magi could have simply noted that star and reported it as a curiosity in their dealings with the royal court. But when the Magi saw the star, they sensed that it was a must-see phenomenon. They couldn’t stay put. They stepped out in faith, leaving behind what felt familiar and comfortable. They believed that what had been disclosed to them in the heavens would have deep meaning and significance for their lives.
Wise ones still step out in faith. When God calls through a star or a Sunay morning message, a verse of scripture or a mission project, a book study or a holy conversation, we could write it off, but we don’t. We trust that God has a purpose for our lives, even if we aren’t sure where that will take us. We find ourselves trying new things and getting uncomfortable. We draw closer to the Lord and to those who are with us on the journey.
Truth #2: The faith journey takes time, persistence, and intention. I have ridden a camel twice. I can tell you that camels are big, smelly, have a mind of their own, and the ride is not comfortable. I can’t imagine being the Magi, journeying 1,200 miles for months on camelback, stepping out in faith in pursuit of the promise of a star. How fortunate we are that our faith journeys aren’t nearly so rigorous!
Yet, our journeys still demand our time, persistence, and intention. Our lives begin to move to the rhythm of our faith. There is the commitment of weekly worship, daily prayer, and spiritual reading as we deepen our relationship with God. We find ourselves practicing with the choir, feasting on the Word in weekly Bible Study, rolling up our sleeves at Beacon House, or volunteering at the Food Pantry. At some point, our lives become the faith journey, a journey of love for God and one another.
Truth #3: The faith journey will take us to unexpected places and change how we see the world. The Magi didn’t find what they expected. At Herod’s palace in Jerusalem, there was no royal child swathed in silks and surrounded by luxury. It took the guidance of scripture to direct them onward to Bethlehem. There, they found the holy in the ordinary, a peasant child suffused with the presence of God. Matthew tells us that the court astrologers fell to their knees in humility to worship. They left Bethlehem as changed people, seeking another way home.
Our faith will prompt us to do things and go places that we never imagined. It will shift our perspective along the way. Just ask our confirmation kids. They found themselves feeding hungry people, advocating for LGBTQ neighbors, and seeking to boost literacy for children in Malawi. Just ask Jan and Ted, who retired early and began a multi-year effort to care for refugees with Jubilee Partners. Our faith journeys take us to hospital rooms to accompany folks in health crisis and to nursing homes to share the good news of Christmas carols. Our faith takes us to the community garden to grow healthy produce for the food pantry or to a monthly knitting circle where we knit and purl God’s love into prayer shawls and baby blankets. Along the way, we are changed. Like the wise ones, we learn that the welcome of Christ and the love of God are for all people, even Persian astrologers, even us.
The Magi followed a star on their journey. Today we have each been given a star word, which can serve as a guide for the coming year. Our words are meant to lead, inspire, and challenge us. Keep your word someplace special and visible, so that it can be seen throughout the year: on the dining table, the dashboard of your car, your office bulletin board, your bathroom mirror, peaking out of your wallet. Throughout the year, consider how the word is at work in your life—it just might bring you comfort, discomfort, a new spiritual discipline, or a surprising insight.
You can start by asking questions about your star word. How do I feel about my word? How does this word connect to my life? What is one way I can live into my word in the coming week? What scripture, quote, or song might help me focus on my word? How might this word equip me to know Jesus better and grow closer to God? You may not like your word at first. My word for 2026 is obedience. Thanks a lot, Holy Spirit! But I am already finding insight and understanding that has brought that word to relevance and life. Keep me posted on how your word speaks to you.
I’d like to close with a blessing as we remember the Magi and receive our star words. Let us pray. “As stars have guided wise ones for centuries, may our words guide us in the year ahead. By the radiance of our stars and the power of the Holy Spirit, may we live with deeper intention and greater attention. May we find the holy in delightfully unexpected places. May we worship with joy, give with gratitude, and follow the new way home that God will provide” (Iona Dickinson).
Resources
–. “The Names of the Magi: Origin and History” in European Catholics (in English), Jan. 6, 2025. Accessed online at https://catholicus.eu/en/the-names-of-the-magi-origin-and-history/
Iona Dickinson. “Epiphany Preaching: Star Words” in “Worship,” Dec. 4, 2023. Accessed online at https://www.workingpreacher.org/worship/star-words.
Warren Carter. “Commentary on Matthew 2:1-12” in Preaching This Week, Jan. 6, 2026. Accessed online at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/epiphany-of-our-lord/commentary-on-matthew-21-12-15
Diane Chen. “Commentary on Matthew 2:1-12” in Preaching This Week, Jan. 6, 2023. Accessed online at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/epiphany-of-our-lord/commentary-on-matthew-21-12-12
Audrey West. “Commentary on Matthew 2:1-12” in Preaching This Week, Jan. 6, 2024. Accessed online at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/epiphany-of-our-lord/commentary-on-matthew-21-12-13
Matthew 2:1-12
2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east[b] and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah[c] was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd[d] my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi[e] and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east,[f] until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped,[g] they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Footnotes
2.1 Or astrologers
2.2 Or at its rising
2.4 Or the Christ
2.6 Or rule
2.7 Or astrologers
2.9 Or at its rising
2.10 Gk — saw the star
Joann White 