December 8 - The Three Courageous Agents
Matthew 2:1-12 | Drew Theological School
Matthew 2: 1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Daily Reflection & A Prayer for Courage
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Today, in "the Little Town of Betlhem" violence has broken out over the question of who belongs, and who should have power in the land.
When Jesus' mother, Mary, was pretty far along in her pregnancy (the point when doctors today might tell her not to travel), the question of who belonged and who had power was also being rased. A census was ordered to determine who was in the land. King Herod, upon hearing that there was a baby who might threaten his line of succession and access to power, called in Wise Men to determine his location and report it back to him. As it turned out, the three Wise Spies were not loyal agents. They turned on Herod, and turned away from Herod and worshiped the baby instead. Their act - the decision to turn away from the leader of their time and do what might secure peace and life instead - was an act the required courage. Today, we, too, ask for courage as we face challenges that are easier to ignore. |
God,
You ask for our courage to protect the powerless but we prefer to remain safe, preserving ourselves for future challenges. You ask us to speak out for justice but we whisper, in case we are heard. You ask us to stand up for what is right, but we would rather blend in to the crowd You ask us to have faith, when doubting seems so much easier. Lord forgive our calculated efforts to follow you, only when it is convenient to do so, only in those places where it is safe to do so, only with those who make it easy to do so. Together we pray God forgive us and renew us; Inspire us and challenges us So that we might risk the journey, to your kingdom with you. *Prayer from United Network for Justice & Peace in Palestine & Israel |
Seminary Spotlight: Drew Theological School
Drew offers students opportunities to get involved & serve the world while getting their theological education.
Opportunities for Students to Get Engaged:
There is no majority group among the Drew students or faculty. Diversity is not a slogan. Students, faculty, and staff pray, eat, learn, sing, and travel together. They disagree, misunderstand, and struggle together. What binds them in shared purpose is the commitment to making the love and justice of God known in ways that empower individuals and communities.
Learning and engagement go beyond the classroom in many ways.
Craig Chapel is the spiritual center of the Theo community (http://www.drew.edu/theological/extraordinary-community/).
The Theological School community garden (located on-campus) gets students outside in a space dedicated to gardening and developing a connection to the earth. From the farm-to-table process, to eco-theology, to environmental justice movements, students deepen the theory by living the practice. Harvests are delivered to a local interfaith food pantry as well as cooked up in Food and Religion class.
Students and professors travel every semester to Northern State Correctional Facility in Newark or Edna Mahan Women’s Correctional Facility in Clinton to hold class as part of the Partnership for Religion and Education in Prison program (PREP). Theo students and incarcerated men and women study theology, biblical studies, ethics, creative writing, psychology, and history together as co-learners.
Student caucuses rooted in particular identities or movements for justice provide community leadership and focused programming for the whole community:
At Drew, students can contribute to making the institution a better place. Both the Community Garden and the PREP program were started by Drew students during and just after their programs.
Brian Tipton (T’@@, @@), who first put a shovel into a corner of the campus, still works with the garden and is now a PhD student at Drew studying ecological approaches to biblical interpretation.
As prison courses continue to be touted as among the most transformative learning at Drew, Margaret Quern Atkins (T’07) has gone on to establish NJ-Step, a statewide effort to provide college-level courses to incarcerated people in New Jersey.
Learning and engagement go beyond the classroom in many ways.
Craig Chapel is the spiritual center of the Theo community (http://www.drew.edu/theological/extraordinary-community/).
The Theological School community garden (located on-campus) gets students outside in a space dedicated to gardening and developing a connection to the earth. From the farm-to-table process, to eco-theology, to environmental justice movements, students deepen the theory by living the practice. Harvests are delivered to a local interfaith food pantry as well as cooked up in Food and Religion class.
Students and professors travel every semester to Northern State Correctional Facility in Newark or Edna Mahan Women’s Correctional Facility in Clinton to hold class as part of the Partnership for Religion and Education in Prison program (PREP). Theo students and incarcerated men and women study theology, biblical studies, ethics, creative writing, psychology, and history together as co-learners.
Student caucuses rooted in particular identities or movements for justice provide community leadership and focused programming for the whole community:
- Black Ministerial Caucus
- TERRA--Transforming Environmental and Religious Resources in Action
- Spectrum--the LGBTQAI graduate and undergraduate student organization)
- Korean Caucus
- Somos--the Hispanic and Latino/a Caucus
At Drew, students can contribute to making the institution a better place. Both the Community Garden and the PREP program were started by Drew students during and just after their programs.
Brian Tipton (T’@@, @@), who first put a shovel into a corner of the campus, still works with the garden and is now a PhD student at Drew studying ecological approaches to biblical interpretation.
As prison courses continue to be touted as among the most transformative learning at Drew, Margaret Quern Atkins (T’07) has gone on to establish NJ-Step, a statewide effort to provide college-level courses to incarcerated people in New Jersey.