A disastrous visit

A few days ago was the twelfth day of Christmas (Toby was keeping careful count), otherwise known as the Feast of the Epiphany, when we remember the visit of the wise men to Jesus.

Re-reading the story, I was struck by how disastrous their visit was.

You remember, of course, the nice part. The three (or however many) wise men, following a beautiful big shining star, are getting close to their goal and stop at Herod's palace to ask for directions. "Bethlehem!" say the clever advisors there, so off go the wise men, only to find the star helpfully illuminating the very house they require. Full of joy, they see Jesus and present their priceless gifts.

Pause to appreciate the tableau: these rich and intelligent men bowing in worship to a tiny baby.

Brimming with good feelings, the wise men return home. They have found the special One they sought; done homage; honoured him with meaningful and costly presents; achieved their quest.

But here the story turns darker. As a result of that unscheduled visit to Herod, the very baby they sought to honour is soon fleeing as a refugee to Egypt, while the streets of Bethlehem are filled with the wailing of mothers who have had their sons snatched and killed by Herod's soldiers. Such death and destruction resulting from such good intentions.

The Martyrdom of the Holy Innocents - Gustave Dore

Gustave Dore: The Martyrdom of the Holy Innocents

The wise men did the right thing. They followed the star, the leading of God, the desires of their hearts. Yet still, through their actions, the fear and anger of Herod was enabled to act. And evil followed.

The cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo were also following their star. Perhaps not to the Christ child, but at least in pursuit of freedom of speech, upholding the belief that we see more clearly when we laugh at ourselves. But through their actions, evil found an outlet, and the fear and anger of men brought death. The staff of Charlie Hebdo were no more responsible for the shooters' actions than the wise men were responsible for Herod's; but they were all part of the story.

What lesson we can draw from this, I do not know. For good or for evil, we are all part of the story too. It can be tempting to think that if we just do the right thing, everything will be fine; but unfortunately reality conspires against our pleasant dreams. All we can do is fight against that fear and anger, both within us and without, with the love and trust of Jesus.

And keep following the star.

Comments

National Forest Way: The End!

The National Forest Way finishes at Beacon Hill, Leicestershire, with beautiful wide-ranging views in all directions. I'd been hoping for a sunny day, and this one certainly fit the bill. The frosty earth lay under a glorious canopy of shining blue sky. I parked at Swithland Wood, close to where we finished the previous walk. Finding the waymarker on the first gate was bittersweet - this was the last time I would be following these familiar circles. Swithland Wood had been acquired by the Rotary Club in 1931, and later passed on to Bradgate Park Trust. The lumpy terrain was due to slate quarrying. I skirted a couple of fenced-off pits. As I left the wood, I passed a lake which I assumed was another flooded quarry, but with an odd little tower next to the water. I followed a road up a steady hill towards Woodhouse Eaves. Many of the houses were surrounded by walls of the local slate. Woodhouse Eaves was a prosperous-looking village with some nice old buildings. Crossing the wide ...

Theme: Body

I didn't plan this to be a theme week, but Toby's new refrain has become, "I want to do something else " (how does he know it's the school holidays?) Something else turned into my digging out my body-themed activities and roll of cheap wallpaper. So here we go! First thing to do is draw a body, and fortunately I had a handy template. Lie down, Toby! Just ignore the face. And lack of neck. I know it's not a great likeness, but he really is that tall. How on earth did that happen? He knew pretty much all the body labels already, so I can't really claim it as a learning opportunity. Still, revision is good, right? And everyone enjoys colouring on a huge sheet of paper. Another sheet of wallpaper became a blank canvas for hand and foot painting. Fortunately it's been great weather, as outside is always the best place to do this. Even with a strategically placed tub of water for washing off in. I've gone gree...

Monthly Munch: July

The weather this month has been beautiful, so we've been out enjoying it as much as we can - fruit picking, fete attending, gardening and walking. Preschool is finished for the summer; I've planned weekly themes in an effort to stay sane during the holidays, so expect a few activity posts coming up. Toby He wanted me to make a box into a TV. Here he is eating his lunch in it. - has made friends with the girls next door, and is getting much more confident socially - still insists on always wearing odd socks - has been loving the sandbox our neighbours gave us. Apparently they nicknamed him "The Sandman" at preschool due to his love of digging - pounced on a writing practice book I bought him, and worked his way all the way through to P, doing really well at tracing all the letters. - won the hula hoop race at his first preschool sports day Athlete in action One of his great big Megabloks trucks Drawing a car with about a million wind...

Martha's Marvellous Munchies

Search This Blog