Index - Posting 10 January 2007 Vol. 3:2
...we see through a glass, darkly…
I Cor. 13:12 ( KJV)
Last Sunday was the first one after Epiphany, so stories of Christ’s infancy were retold in Church. In particular they were the narratives surrounding his birth and the visitors drawn to his birthplace by the star in the East. Shepherds - either the younger sons of peasant farmers, hired labourers, slaves or the itinerant poor, were sleeping out in the country side with their sheep and arrived on foot with no recorded gifts. Then the Kings, gifted and rich, arrived on camels, probably with a retinue of staff and maybe slaves. I have always been intrigued by the Magi, commonly referred to as the three Kings or Wise Men from the East. I often see them in biblical pictures or represented by figurines in many models of the nativity scenes. I gather eastern traditions put the figure of visitors at twelve and not three. However here in the West the gifts of gold, incense and myrrh are equated with Balthazar, Melchior and Caspar who visited some time after the birth, probably when Jesus and his family had returned home.
It seems accepted by biblical scholars that the Magi were not wise men or astrologers but priests of Zarathustra from Persia, modern day Iran. It seems equally accepted that their faith tradition, Zoroastrianism affected early Christianity and Judaism by contributing to beliefs in spirits (angels and demons) heaven and hell, resurrection and the after life. It appears their contact with the infant Christ was not a one off or a one way event, frozen in time. For whilst they were overjoyed at finding the infant and approached with humility and with respect, their interaction and offerings did not stop there. Elements of their faith tradition have since been incorporated into the narratives of Christianity and their legacy has included the gifts of spiritual insight and a greater understanding of the areas of common ground between people of faith. I have always found it remarkable that priests from a completely different faith tradition were invited to celebrate the birth of Jesus. And perhaps even more remarkable, is that these holy men were open to welcoming the founder of a religion that brought God into a personal closeness with everyone, that overturned the exclusiveness of a separate priestly elite. It demonstrates a model of understanding, of respect and of coexistence among faiths that still has meaning and relevance for us today.
I am an avid fan of science fiction and before I die I would love to journey into outer space. I find it fascinating that astronomers have been able to map the universe. Not the visible light, but the invisible dark matter that comprises eighty percent of the mass of the universe. There is so much beauty in the visible twenty percent – galaxies, planets, milky ways, nebulas, stars, comets – it’s mind blowing to imagine what the remainder may look like and to be able to comprehend the real nature of the heavens that we cannot see. I also find it comforting because I can imagine the Spirit of God, dwelling in the darkness of the universe, hovering over the waters as described in Genesis, creating light and separating the day from the night. We do not have to be afraid of the darkness, of things we cannot see and understand, because God is also there. As the Psalmist sang, darkness is the covering or canopy of God and with faith, we can be secure in the cloud of our unknowing.
For our knowledge is fragmentary, incomplete and imperfect, and our prophecy, our teaching, is fragmentary incomplete and imperfect. But when the complete and perfect – total - comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away, become antiquated, void, and superseded…For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim, blurred reflection of reality as in a riddle or enigma, but then, when perfection comes, we shall see in reality and face to face. Now I know in part, imperfectly, but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood by God. I Cor. 13:9-10, 12 (Amplified - Edited)
May the Holy Spirit of God continue to feather your cloud.
Rev Caroline Redfearn ©blackpeoplesministries.com 2007