Thursday, December 27, 2012

The Third Day of Christmas

Three french hens? There is a rather unfortunate tendency in the U.K. to be just a little bit racist when it comes to mentioning France. The UKIP is now trouncing the Liberal Democrats in the polls and seems to suggest that associating with Europe is not a terribly good idea. The history between France and England is peppered with wars, skirmishes and unpleasantness. It's the casual racism, the unconscious stereotype, often done in a spirit of playful teasing that can escalate and make foreign travellers to the U.K. rather uncomfortable.

Spare a thought, then, for the magi as they make their long long way to find the Christ Child. The traditional misreading of the gospels has it that there were three wise men, or three kings, allowing the counting of the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to enumerate the number of bearers. Nonetheless, these men came with ideas foreign to Jewish law from Persian lands which have been traditional enemies of Israel, with the sole purpose of seeking the Truth which they find in Bethlehem.

Christ accepts them because they seek Him honestly. It is Christ's ministry that tells us to love the foreigner and not to treat them as outsiders, but rather to seek that which is common to us all. After all, none is stranger than God who is Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity.

If we cannot comprehend the being of Almighty God, who nonetheless makes Himself known to us, and seek to worship and love Him, is it not easier to seek and love those foreign in culture but common in origin in God?

This Great Trinity has deigned to give Himself to us in a spirit of Love and we can find His love expressed to us in the Two-fold covenants that He has made with us which are united in the one body of our Lord Jesus Christ and ratified in His blood on the tree.

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