As we reach the twelfth day of Christmas, it is with a little sadness.  Traditionally, it marks the time to turn off holiday lights and pack away decorations giving way to a new year and a return to ordinary life.  The Bible’s final Christmas story is of the Magi, the three wise men who come from afar to pay tribute to the Christ-child.

There is debate over whether the story conveys accurate history (though everything in the Bible is true, not all of it is accurate) or if the account was added to the Gospel with literary figures to fulfill a messianic prophesy.  Either way, it is part of our belief system and the last installment of the Infancy Narratives.  Perhaps it is given to us for reasons that might help us transition from year’s end holy days back to routine activities of life.  If so, there are things that we can take to heart as we begin the new year.

The first lesson that the Magi offer is that, though darkness accompanies our earthly journey, there is a heavenly light that will guide us, if we allow it.  Our job is to trust the light; Christians know it to be the light of Christ that dispels the darkness of our world.  The Wise Ones did not search for the Infant-Lord in temples or monasteries among ecclesiastics or in universities among intellects or in palaces among royalty but rather among common folks.  It has been said that the wisest ones among us today still search for Christ in our world and look for Him in daily life rather than in or through special places or events or people.  We will encounter Christ in ordinary circumstances and relationships. 

The Magi did not “go it” alone but they made the journey with one another.  It is good for us to also travel through life with others.  Even in our New Year’s resolutions, it can be helpful for us to map out a path with friends, hold each other accountable for what we resolve to do or be, encourage one another onward, and reach our destination together.

They were warned in dreams not to trust King Herod, the power-hungry, murderous autocrat who ruled Judea in their time.  Every age, it seems, has megalomaniac rulers in positions of power somewhere in the world—often in many places.  Scripture warns us to be cautious and leery of those who operate like Herod.  The infancy chronicles also encourage us to trust dreams because God or His angels sometimes communicate with us during those unawakened, though conscious, moments during sleep.  Dreams are an important part of the nativity story and spiritualists say that they hold the keys to eternity.  Trust them.

And central to the story are gifts that the Magi present to Christ.  We have each been entrusted with gifts, talents, and virtues that we can bring to and share with the world.  When we make resolutions for a “new year-new you,” the church wants us to present ourselves to others and recognize Christ in those to whom we reach out.  Advent is our annual journey to Bethlehem to discover the Lord; and Christmas (“mas” means to go into the world) is our continuous journey to take Christ’s message to ordinary encounters and daily experiences.

As we pack up the holiday season and store the memories of it somewhere in the recesses of our hearts, let’s also hold on to a piece of it (especially the peace of it) that invites us to engage in the annual worldwide conspiracy of generosity and love.  Let us look to the light, trust in the dream, and share the gift.  Let us go forth with traveling companions as we plod onward through life and remember that wise ones still search to recognize Christ in the common people and ordinary activities of living.