They always show up at Christmas… in manger scenes and Christmas pageants, in Christmas cards and carols. There they are with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus, yes, and with one or two shepherds, a few sheep, maybe an ox, as well as an angel.  The three magi, wise men, kings, by whatever name they are called, they are there with their three fabulous gifts and their three camels. But why camels? Camels are not mentioned in Matthew’s story.  And also, why three wise men? They are neither named nor numbered in Matthew.  Their names – Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar – were added later by pious legend as well as the belief the three came from the three different parts of the then known world – Europe, Asia, and Africa – symbolizing that the whole world would pay homage to the newborn king.    And the gifts we just sang about in the carol “We Three Kings” also came later to have symbolic meaning.

Still my question is not answered:  why three kings? The simplest answer is that since there were three presents, there must have been three gift-givers. But what if a group of magi had come to the manger and pooled their resources to buy three really nice presents?!

Ironically, I have never heard anyone question the gender of the magi (the Greek word in Matthew). Never, that is, until this bit of Christmas whimsy came across my desk. Do you know what would have happened if there had been three wise women instead of three wise men?

• They would have asked for directions to Bethlehem sooner.
• They would have arrived on time instead of a year or two later as Matthew’s Gospel implies.
• They would have helped deliver the baby.
• They would have cleaned up the stable and made a casserole.
• They would have brought practical gifts for the baby instead of these three gifts that Mary and Joseph would have had to hock at the first century equivalent of Rick Davis.

Now don’t get me wrong. Not all these wise women images are unique only to women. A lot of men arrive on time including me. I follow that Midwestern rule: “If you’re not early, you’re late.” And lots of men buy practical gifts. As for making casseroles, that skill is not limited to sopranos and altos. “Asking directions” raises another issue. I do, but reluctantly, while Barbara does automatically. I suppose we are typical of most men and women. But, what the heck. We always get there sooner or later.

But let’s leave this light-hearted banter and ponder the deeper significance of the wise men. I believe we love the story of these Christmas visitors because they, like us need to cover a great deal of ground to find the Babe in the Manger. In other words, they knew that any faith worthy of the name is a journey, a long demanding journey.

          A journey implies movement, change, growth, don’t you see? When we sing “O come let us adore him,” it is a clear implication that we must get up from where we are… sleep number beds, lazy boy recliners, cushioned pews, whatever and, yes, also get up and leave behind us the naïve and foolish religion we cling to for stability in an uncertain world. That’s rather like clinging to a life raft floating down the Niagara River toward Niagara Falls. Such a foolish, unlearned, unquestioning faith will put us in great danger as we try to ride out the rapids of life in the modern world.

          We Americans have a profound duality in our national character. There has always been an impulse toward progress and modernity, on the one hand, and on the other a yearning for primitivism, the idea of a restoration of an earlier, purer, supposedly ideal time. We swing between an anti-intellectual foolish conservatism and a learned thoughtful liberalism. This Church, Pilgrim Church, unashamedly Liberal, sits on an island with a few, a very few, like-minded churches, surrounded by a sea of stupidity. Will that sea finally engulf and destroy Pilgrim and other Liberal Churches? I hope not and I believe that will not happen if we maintain a deep commitment to the words of our mission… “to provide the Chattanooga community with a liberal Christian tradition by maintaining a caring, inclusive and open-minded church where individuals may search for a vision of God and relate the Christian faith to the modern world.” Is it too much to say that something like that impulse is what drove those ancient wise men – the scholars and scientists of their day – to leave behind what was imperfectly known and make their Pilgrim journey to the new truth at Bethlehem?

          So let me encourage you to make the same trip this year. Come and behold. Come and adore. Come to the stable. Come to the sanctuary. Come to the singing. Come to your senses. Come with both the prompting of your mind and the stirring of your heart. Come with or without convictions. Come with or without camels. Come with or without casseroles. Come as a wise man or a wise woman. Come without knowing all the answers of faith but deeply committed to discovering truth lying in a manger. Come, for God’s sake and your own sake, come and worship the mystery of love revealed in human life. Amen.