On January 6, many Christians around the world observe Epiphany. The gospel for this day is the account of the three Magj (wise men) following a star to find the baby Jesus. The Magi first stop in Jerusalem looking for the new born “king of the Jews.” They learn that this king is not to be found in the seat of power in Jerusalem but in the small town of Bethlehem. King Herod is alarmed and makes plans to kill this new king by having the Magi return and tell him where the child is. The Magi are warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, and they choose to go home by another way. King Herod responds by ordering the murder of every baby boy two years or younger in the vicinity of Bethlehem. This murderous rampage is one of the most horrific scenes in the Bible. The baby Jesus is spared when Joseph is warned in a dream and flees to Egypt with Jesus and Mary. Jesus spent part of his life as a refugee.
This Biblical story is about more than baby Jesus. It is a vivid account of two very different ways of being in the world. The way of domination through violence is how rulers and governments try to maintain power and control. This has been on full display in our own nation as we remembered the violent insurrection at the Capitol on January 6 five years ago, and just this week as we witnessed the kidnapping of a foreign leader as well as the killing of a young woman and mother who was a legal observer during ongoing brutal ICE raids in Minneapolis. But there is another way. From his birth, throughout his life, and even in his death, Jesus embodied God’s way of nonviolent self-sacrifical love. Through Jesus’ resurrection, God vindicated this way and empowers us to choose this way today by the power of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Magi responded to the dream sent by God by choosing another way, we are called to choose the way of Jesus even in the face of state sponsored terror and violence. For any of us who call ourselves Christians, it is time to choose another way by resisting injustice and committing ourselves to the nonviolent self-sacrificial, inclusive love of Jesus. The video posted below features the song “Take Us Home By Another Way” by Christopher Grundy. Through the music, lyrics, and imagery, he issues a powerful call to God’s love and justice through the way of Jesus.