Jan 08 | “Andia and the Wild Star,” (Story sermon, Epiphany tr. January 7th 2018)

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²asking, ‘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.’ ³When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
⁶ “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.” ’

7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸Then 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.’ ⁹When 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. ¹⁰When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹On 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. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Matthew 2:1-12

 

It was still dark when Andia awoke, left her warm bedroll, and walked down the gentle slope to the river with her water jar. In the distance she could see the strange brilliance of what she called the “wild star.”

As she approached the campsite, she saw movement.

The Magi had awakened.

She still couldn’t believe they had brought her on their journey.

“She’s just a little girl! She is not strong or fast or wise!” her father had cried.

“Neither am I!” laughed cheeky Kaspar, and winked at Andia. He was her favourite.

“She has much to learn from us – and we from her,” said thoughtful Melchior.

“What can you learn from a child?” grumbled her father.

Andia loved her three teachers, but she feared he was right.

She did her very best to be helpful. Whenever anyone gave her an order, she ran to do it as fast as she could. She had tripped a lot, but she hadn’t cried once. Not loudly, anyway.

When the Magi were ready to depart, Andia mounted Kaspar’s camel and waved until her parents were tiny dots in the distance.

That was months ago.

Now Andia joined the Magi in their morning Yasna prayers before the sacred flame, then enjoyed a simple breakfast around the cooking fire. Kaspar asked how she slept.

“I had a dream!” she said.

“What was it?” Balthazar asked. He always asked about her dreams.

“I saw the wild star come to rest in a valley,” she said.

“Did you see where the valley was?” asked Melchior.

“No. But it felt safe.”

Melchior said, “Hmmmmm.”

“Andia, do you know what a fravashi is?” asked Balthazar.

“It is a gift from our god, Ahura Mazda. Before we are born it is one with our soul. While we live, it protects us, and when we die, we will be one with it again.”

“Very good,” Balthazar said. “Important people have special fravashi, and they can appear as stars.”

He pointed to where the wild star burned its cold fire. “We think that this is a fravashi.”

Andia was amazed. “It must belong to a very important person.”

 

When the sun began to set that day, Andia saw lights in the distance. “What’s that?”

Balthazar smiled. “That’s Jerusalem. We will meet someone there.”

“Who?”

“King Herod,” said Melchior.

“Is that his palace?” she asked, pointing to a massive building at the top of the hill.

Kaspar laughed. “That is the temple of Adonai, the god of the Jewish people.”

Andia was filled with awe. That god must be a great god indeed.

They entered the city gates. The rabbit warren of cobblestone streets were fragrant with exotic spices, adorned with colourful fabrics, and ringing with voices. But Andia also saw many poor and disabled people begging for food.

Finally, they arrived at Herod’s palace.

They were welcomed with great ceremony. Servants brought food piled high on golden dishes. Beautiful women danced and an orchestra played.

And yet Andia felt uncomfortable. She couldn’t explain it, but a little frost had formed on her heart.

She thought it was Herod himself. It wasn’t just that he was chubby while outside there were so many hungry people, or even that he laughed when Melchior explained Andia was receiving religious education. She couldn’t explain it.

Finally, their bellies full, Balthazar told the king about the star, and that it belonged to the King of the Jews.

Andia frowned. Wasn’t Herod the King of the Jews?

King Herod’s mouth curved in an ugly, mean way that made Andia shiver. He snapped his fingers, and a crowd of old men appeared with scrolls. After a hurried conversation, King Herod turned back to the Magi.

The smile on his face did not meet his eyes.

 

The Magi and Andia left in the morning laden with provisions. Herod urged them to search for this king so that he could also pay homage.

Andia did not trust him. She was relieved to leave the palace.

They left Jerusalem and retreated into the countryside again. One night as the sun set, they crested a hill. Spread out in the little valley below was the small town of Bethlehem.

Balthazar cried, “Look!” and they craned their necks upward.

The wild star had stopped.

They urged their camels on. Shepherd boys gaped at them as they passed. Andia waved.

They passed through the sleeping city. The few people outside stared at their camels and resplendent robes. But the Magi did not stop.

Eventually, they came to a shabbier part of town. A little light burned up ahead, and they found themselves before a run-down hut.

Andia gasped. “This was in my dream!”

“This can’t be right,” said Balthazar. “This is no place for a king.”

Kaspar chuckled. “Andia’s wild star must belong to a wild king.”

The door was a woollen blanket hung on the inner lintel. Melchior reached for it, but Kaspar stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“A wild king will not be impressed by men like us,” he said gently. “Andia should go in first. You were right. I think we’re learning a lot from her.”

They all turned to look at her.

Andia took a deep breath and approached the doorway. She heard a soft voice inside, singing what sounded like a lullabye.

“Hello?” Andia squeaked.

The blanket was pulled aside. A bearded man with kind eyes, dressed in threadbare clothing, stood in the doorway.

“Hello.”

“Hello. Um…my name is Andia, and I am here with my teachers,” Andia replied.

The man’s eyes widened as he saw the Magi.

“We are here to see the King of the Jews,” said Balthazar.

The young man stepped back, leaving space for Andia to come in.

She entered, and the Magi followed.

The house was tiny, with a packed dirt floor. A small fire burned in a pit toward the back wall, and by the fire sat the woman who had spoken. She was young, with a bundle in her arms.

King Herod had made Andia’s heart frosty. This woman made it feel like embers stirred up in the morning for a new fire.

The woman smiled. “Come closer, little girl.”

Andia did, and the woman shifted the bundle in her arms. It was a baby.

The embers of Andia’s heart caught fire.

The woman handed the baby to her. He looked like an ordinary baby, and yet Andia somehow knew that he was not.

Andia turned to the Magi, full of awe. “This is the King of the Jews.”

The Magi stared, then looked at each other, confused.

After a long moment of silence, though, the three fell to their knees.

“We have gifts for the king,” Melchior said with great reverence.

The baby snuffled and wiggled.

The Magi produced their treasure chests. The young woman opened them, and Andia laughed to see the baby’s eyes grow big as the gold flashed, and his little nose wrinkle at the bitter smell of the herbs.

Joseph insisted they spend the night. Andia was glad they still had provisions to share, for the couple did not have much food. Later, they all bedded down in the same room. Andia put her bedroll next to the baby’s, and fell asleep watching him kick his tiny feet.

She woke up a few hours later in a cold sweat. Balthazar was on her other side, and she snuggled against him, afraid.

“What’s wrong, Andia?” he said sleepily.

“We can’t go back to Herod. Something bad will happen.”

“How do you know?” he asked, eyes dark with concern.

“A man told me in my dream. He shone brighter than the sun.”

Balthazar’s eyes widened. “Don’t worry. We won’t go back that way.”

She was afraid to say more, but felt comforted by his trust.

“I saw more things in my dream. A tree on a hill. It blossomed, withered, and blossomed again.”

“What do you think it means?” he asked.

“I don’t know. But it feels…important. Do you know?”

He shook his head and told her to go back to sleep.

She could tell he was hiding his thoughts from her.

 

When the Magi awoke in the morning, Balthazar mentioned Andia’s dream. Melchior looked at her for a long time, then nodded. She was amazed at their trust.

The young woman, Mary, hugged Andia for a long time. The baby grabbed her finger and squealed, which made Andia laugh.

They left not long after, although Andia wanted to stay forever.

The further away they got from the little hut, though, the more the previous night began to feel like another dream.

Andia could not stop thinking about the wild infant king, and her dream of the tree.

Somehow, she knew in her heart of hearts that she would never dream a more important dream.