Journeys can be wonderful adventures. Sometimes you have a very clear understanding of where you are going and how to get there and other times things seem to get in the way. This might include traffic, car problems, loss of direction or many other things. Over this Christmas period you may have made many journeys, whether they be to see family or friends, for celebration or just to find time to go out and be together.
At times journeys can seem a bit of a pain. This may be true when traveling with children who constantly cry, ‘Are we nearly there yet?’ or ‘How much further?’ The journey may seem to take forever with all sorts of hazards getting in our way. But sometimes the journey itself can be the most fascinating part of the experience. The conversations we have along the way, the scenery that we can take in and admire. The things that we learn or perhaps even the anticipation that builds throughout the trip.
I’m always fascinated by the journey that the Magi took. Here is a group of stargazers, who set off on a journey. A journey that lasted several years and a journey that ultimately changed their lives. We read in Matthew’s Gospel that the Magi, saw the star and came to worship him (Matthew 2:2). We know the end of this story, their Epiphany moment but what led up to this was equally important. I wonder what they talked about on the way. Did they speculate about what they would see, and was the final encounter better then they imagined? Did they run into difficulties which they persevered through? Did they get caught in traffic? And after years of traveling, did they ever feel like giving up?
At the end of their journey they met Jesus and they worshipped him. An amazing experience for each of them. But this end is just the beginning of a new journey, a journey of discovery – a journey to explore more. The things we learn on the journey are just as important if not more important than the destination itself. It is within the journey that we grow and change, culminating in reaching the goal at the other side. The journey helps us to develop so that we might enjoy the destination when we arrive.
As we venture, perhaps with trepidation, into 2024, maybe now is a good time to take note of where we are in the journey. To look around, take stock, enjoy the scenery. To appreciate how far we have come and although we may have a long way to go, to realize we are not in the same place that we once were. It is in the journey that God moves us to the places where he needs and wants us. And it is in the journey that we are changed to be the people who God created us to be, being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory (2 Cor 3:18). My prayer is that we will fully experience the journey in the hope that what we find at the destination will be truly wonderful and life changing.
Revd.Duncan Hutchison, Associate Priest