Over the centuries, Christianity has mistakenly 'rearranged' the message of Jesus — selectively including "some individuals" and purposely excluding "many others". Our Christian beliefs, and creeds — once intended to unite people under God — today, often portray a picture of 'restricted acceptance' or 'limited admission' .... implying that God's love is not universal, or not all-encompassing.  And even worse — and all too frequently — other (non-Christian) faith communities are (regrettably!) seen as "uninformed", "misdirected", "unsaved", and "lost".  And so, we have to ask ourself: is our Jesus of today the same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem and who lived, and loved, in ancient Judea and Galilee? Would the Christian community of today accept "the Magi" with the same hospitality, open arms, and non-judgemental compassion as was witnessed 2000 years ago?

Bruce Sanguin (commenting on the Magi story) challenges us with a series of probing questions:

What would ecumenical relations with other faiths look like if they were homage-based?  What would it mean for Christians to make the long journey across strange cultural and religious landscapes bearing only gifts of respect for all that is sacred in other traditions?²

Sanguin, then, offers us a glimpse of the answer .... of where we need to go:

We need to be looking for and following the rising star of respect among different faiths. ....The Magi were steeped deeply enough in their own tradition that they could make a pilgrimage into another culture and religion.  They enjoyed the security of their own faith system sufficiently that they could pay homage to another.  This, too, should be our model.  I believe that the deeper we go into our faith system, the closer we get to God, and the closer we get to God, the more we are informed by values of diversity, inclusivity, and respect for the inherent dignity of other people and faiths.³

The "gift" of the Magi is more than gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  The Magi remind us — enlighten and inform us — that God's Presence can appear in unexpected ways, and in remote distant lands.  In the birth of a child.  In the contact with strangers. In a relationship of caring. In the demonstration of compassion.  In the celebration of life. 

Because of the Magi, the faiths of the world can experience, individually and collectively, the mystery and majesty of 'God-among-us' — encouraging all of us to heal our differences ... and to discover the "divinity within diversity".  Because of the Magi, the faiths of the world can [and must] ... work together to articulate and enact an alternative vision [for a new worldview].⁴

May the wisdom of the Magi always lead us on new journeys of discovery .. and revelation.
May the wisdom of the Magi [always] prevail.⁵

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1. Sanguin, Bruce. "Paying Homage:  Being Christian in a World of Many Faiths"  The Emerging Christian Way.  Canada: CopperHouse, 2006.
2. ibid.
3. ibid.
4. ibid.
5. ibid.