Home by Another Road
‘Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.” Matthew 2:12
The Epiphany readings from January 6th still ring in my ears. The wise men are told to return home by another road or way. In this new year what is the other road we may be asked to take? I keep hearing Scott Peck whispering that it is The Road Less Traveled. Barbara Brown Taylor also must have been intrigued by this message. She named one of her books of sermons, Home By Another Way. My spiritual director, Bridget, tells me the road for the wise men was away from Herod, away from power. Even more specifically it was away from corrupt, sinful power.
The wise men were going back home to the east. Facing the east is the rising sun. When I have not been able to sleep, I have often sat outside and watched the sun rise. Whatever has been troubling me frequently seems manageable. As I see the sun rise, light comes out of darkness, and I know it is a new day and I am enveloped with forgiveness and love for myself and for others. We do not need to stay in the darkness that has consumed us, but we learn a great deal about ourselves in darkness. We have been promised a new day where things will become brighter, clearer, where we are given another chance by a God who never ever gives up on us. We are called out of the darkness that has been festering inside of us into the light outside of ourselves. This light then illuminates the light inside of us, the light of Christ within us.
I am spending each day this year in prayer about what and where is the new path home I am being offered and asked to journey on.
My spiritual director suggests it may be more fruitful to start by considering what the road is moving away from.
This is beginning to sound more like a good Lenten discipline.
Joanna. Joannaseibert.com