If all it took was a star to compel a person to Bethlehem, the Magi would arrive to see a multitude.
Epiphany | Epiphany of the Lord (Year A Year B Year C)
Isaiah 60:1-6 (Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14); Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12
Jesus Was a Migrant, by Deirdre Cornell, and Border Patrol Nation, by Todd Miller
Two new books on immigration complement each other well. And where Todd Miller’s falls short, Deirdre Cornell’s shines most brightly.
I know of a congregation that, for many years, provided a “living nativity pageant” in its community. The church is in the center of town and has an expansive front lawn. On a certain December Sunday afternoon each year, it would fill that lawn with live sheep and goats and donkeys, costumed shepherds and wise men, a gaggle of angels, an innkeeper, a manger, and, of course, the holy family.
The Magi's alien exoticism is an intrinsic part of Matthew's story.