Have you noticed in the Christmas readings – the Infancy Narratives – that there are lots of stories of journeys.
There is the story of Mary visiting Elizabeth, when Mary travels to the hill country of Judea to visit her cousin Elizabeth – two pregnant women, sharing their hopes and dreams, celebrating the promise of New Life, helping each other through friendship and support, celebrating together the blessing of God – the Great things God has done for them in their lowliness – old and young – yet united in experience, hope, faith, trust, excitement, awe, wonderment at the power of God.
There is the journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem for the Census called by the Emperor. A journey of inconvenience, fulfilling the commitment of the law, and yet journeying through difficult terrain with no transport except maybe a cranky old donkey, travelling late in pregnancy, travelling with the danger of robbers, arriving with no room at the Inn, giving birth in less than ideal surroundings – amongst animals and wrapping the baby in swaddling clothes and laying him in the feed box for a bed. Murphy’s law in the extreme.
There is the story of the shepherds journeying to see the newborn child. Told of the birth of the Saviour by the angels singing and celebrating while the shepherds watched their sheep. Deciding to travel to Bethlehem to behold this newborn child who has been heralded by angelic hosts. What an unexpected group of people to be told of the birth of the Saviour – not politicians, priests, kings, governors, rich people, famous people, influential people – just lowly shepherds who decided they would travel to behold this special child. What a surprise for Joseph and Mary when these shepherds appeared from nowhere and told them all they had heard from the angels. Completely unexpected and yet welcomed with great delight and fulfillment I am sure.
There is the journey recorded in today’s gospel. The Magi, the Wise Men coming from the East, bringing special gifts, gifts beyond the imagination for ordinary peasant folk – gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold for the newborn king, frankincense for the priestly role, myrrh for the sacrificial offering to God. The gifts themselves foretell the story of Jesus’ ministry, his calling, his life and death, all encapsulated in these precious gifts.
But what about the Magi themselves. They started their pilgrimage because they had a dream, a star to follow, a belief that something special had happened, a willingness to follow that star, that belief, no matter where it took them. And then they had the humility to believe that a peasant child born in a stable, lying in a manger – a feed box – was actually the fulfillment of their dream, was the purpose for their journey, was the one of whom the stars and prophesies had foretold, was their destination, was the place to leave their gifts and return to whence they had come. Maybe they were confused and bemused at where the star had stopped, had shone its light, had taken them on their special pilgrimage, but their quest was filled and they returned home ( neglecting to tell Herod of their discovery).

And then of course there is the story of the escape by the Holy Family to Egypt, to flee from the murderers of the children, to escape the slaughter of the innocents. There they are, a new family, a new child, at home and Joseph has a dream, he wakes Mary and says we have to escape quickly – she obediently, unquestioningly, grabs some belongings and they set off in the middle of the night. Life was certainly not boring for this young family. And Joseph was spoken to by the angel in his dreams. I wonder if Mary sometimes hoped that Joseph wouldn’t go to sleep – so many things came from his dreams. The angel no longer appeared to Mary – now God spoke to Joseph through the angel through his dreams. Another dream would bring them back from Egypt and they would make home in Nazareth. Another Journey would be to the temple where they would lose young Jesus for three days when they returned home without him. When Jesus answered that he must be about his Father’s business. Yes our Christmas readings are full of stories about journeys.
Christmas time today is a time of journeys for many people. It is a time when many people travel to catch up with family and friends. They get in cars, or trains, or planes, or buses to visit with those who are special and important to them. To renew and strengthen family ties, to celebrate friendships, to be with those who are most important to them at this special time of reunion and celebration. It is a time when many people travel for holidays – to seaside centres, holiday destinations in country or overseas, to get away from what their life has been for the last eleven months and to rest and relax and recreate over the Christmas time, to recharge their batteries, to rebuild themselves for another year of the demands of busy lives.
As you know I am an army chaplain, and every year at this time about a third of all the army families uproot themselves from their homes of the last two or three years, leave behind their newly made friends and support systems, and pack up the family in the car and trailer and journey to their new posting destination. All the packing, farewelling, travelling, unpacking, finding room for furniture and people, schools with different curricula and rules new jobs, new people, new support systems, new challenges – it is certainly a difficult time of life. Some families are enervated by the new possibilities, new friends, new places to discover and explore – but other families are crushed by the changes and the losses and find it hard to survive.
And we are all on a journey – our own personal journey through life. We have helps along the journey like New Years Resolutions where we might consider how our lives are going and what resolutions we need to make to create a better year of 2010. Perhaps it is a new diet, less sugar in tea and coffee, perhaps a resolution to exercise more, keep in contact more often with loved ones, be a volunteer, visit a lonely neighbor or family member, take part in a family group, or millions of other possibilities – New Years resolutions do give people the chance to think about their lives and perhaps make some changes.

The church gives us other helps like Advent which we have just celebrated to remember that Jesus is coming – at a time that we know not when, but we need to be ready and we need to have eyes that will recognize him in the unexpected ways in which he comes to us. In friends and enemies, in wins and losses, in joys and sorrows, in successes and failures, in hopes and dreams and shattered dreams. Like the faithful who say to the Lord – when did we see you hungry and give you food, or thirsty and give you drink, cold and clothe you, sick or in prison and visit you, we are reminded by the powerful words of Jesus – inasmuch as you did this to one of the least of my brothers and sisters – you did it to me. Advent reminded us that the kingdom of heaven is all around us – we just have to open our eyes and be still enough to see.
There is also the time of Lent which helps us to reflect on our lives and the good we might do – or the bad we might do, and give us a chance to take a new direction in life. To repent of unholy ways of life and live better lives with the resurrection power of the Lords Spirit of strength and recreation. To celebrate our belief that our life’s journeys do not end with death but are taken through death with the friendship of the Spirit to the loving embrace of the Father and eternal life united with loved ones who have also thrown themselves on the Lords mercy and accepted his gift of salvation.
So my question today for all of us – you and me – is how are we going on our own personal journey through life. Where is our journey taking us. Are we in control of where we are going – or are we being carried along by the strong currents of everyday life and not really having a chance to determine that we are going in the right direction and achieving what we want to achieve in life.
Is our journey like Mary visiting Elizabeth – filled with the joy of life, excited by its possibilities, sharing joys and burdens, helping each other, going out of ourselves to bring light and life into the life of other people.
Is our journey like Joseph and Mary, trudging to Bethlehem, finding life difficult but determined to fulfill the requirements that life has brought upon us, even when other demands are all around us.
Is our journey like the Wise Men, on a quest, on a pilgrimage, following our star, our dream, not certain where it will take us but willing to follow and be surprised by life’s surprises.
Is our Journey like that of the shepherds who have been told great news and are willing to follow this news to see for ourselves and celebrate and share the wonderment and the story.
Perhaps our journey is like the family leaving home in the middle of the night, fleeing for their lives, fleeing for safety. Are we fleeing, from fears, from decisions, from relationships, from our pasts, from past mistakes, from uncertainty, perhaps some too are fleeing for safety, for a new home, to make new beginnings.

Wherever we are on our journey, whatever journey we may be on, it is important to reflect on where we are, where we want to be, and how we get from where we are to where we want to be. It is important to be people who are in charge of the direction of their life, holding the steering wheel, the rudder, pointing our lives in the direction we want to, need to be going. We do not want to be blown around by the four winds, we do not want to be floating aimlessly on the river of life. We want to be sure our lives are counting for something, we want to give God the gift of what we make of our lives. We want to live our life well. It is the only life we get, we are not cats with nine lives, we do not believe in reincarnation, this is the only life we have and it up to us to live it well.
So how is our journey going? Have we made our bucket list – those things we really want to do or achieve before we kick the bucket. Are we making a difference to the lives of others? There are many ways we can give of ourselves as volunteers, as carers, as friends, as mentors, as pray-ers, as people who reflect upon life and share their reflections with others, as people who care for the environment, as people who add to the pool of thanksgiving by living gratefully the gifts God has lavished upon us.
The wise men followed the star – it must have been their life’s work – knowing the stars and the prophesies so well that they recognized the signs and followed their star till they found the precious child. It was their dream – they followed their dream. Remember the old song that Walt Disney would sing.

When you wish upon a star,
makes no difference who you are,
anything your heart desires
will come to you.

If your heart is in your dream,
no request is too extreme,
when you wish upon a star
as dreamers do.

Fate is kind,
she brings to those who love
the sweet fulfilment of
their secret longings.

Like a bolt out of the blue,
Fate steps in and sees you through,
when you wish upon a star
your dreams come true.

So when your heart is in your dream, then that is a good sign that this deepest dream of your heart is also God’s will for you. Following your dream is fulfilling God’s hopes for you and for your life – it is not a selfish endeavour, it is making of your life the best possible gift that it can be to God and to others.
So my prayer for all of you today is that you be like the Wise Men, the Magi of today’s gospel reading, that you firstly discover your dream, what it is that you desire most deeply which is also what God wishes for you, and then like the Magi you too follow your dream, make of your life a wonderful gift to God and to loved ones. Plan your journey, take all the necessary directions, take lots of rests to reflect on where you are and where you need to be, make the bucket list and tick them off one by one – if you run out you can always make a new list. A New Year is a reminder that God is continually gifting us with newness, with new possibilities, with new invitations. We are on our Journey – lets make it a good one – lets make our journey the best possible journey possible – and as we follow our dream perhaps we will meet our Lord in a stable, or in someone hungry or thirsty or sick or in prison – or even inside ourselves. Let us bring our gift – not Gold, Frankincense or Myrrh – but ourselves – our own lives – the best possible gift we can give back to God.