Matthew 2:9-10
When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.
And still they travel, wearied by the journey
with hope outweighing their wisdom
Searching for a sign
Of joy
Of welcome
Of homecoming
And still they are greeted
with suspicion and fear
and passed from one region to another
While politicians scrabble to find ways
to deter their arriving
absolving themselves of any burden of care
While Jesus, who knows what it is
to be unwanted
seen as a threat to good order
by church and by state
then - and now -
aligns himself with the travellers
bedding down with the rejected and the forgotten
longing for epiphany to break through
and for love to shine on all who seek refuge today.
(Liz Crumlish Epiphany 2024)
