An Inspirational Year End Story By Yvonne Jones Lembo
“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 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. “ Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11 (NRSV)
The story of the wise men or Magi is one of my favorite Christmas-Epiphany scripture passages. I imagine how their scholarly research turned into a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to a faraway land in search of the Christ Child. They didn’t set out willy nilly. They prepared extensively. They assembled their gifts. They made a plan. And then they followed their dream to the home of the Holy Family, where they bowed in worship before young Jesus . Even with all their wisdom, how could they have realized the danger Jesus and his family faced? Even with all their planning, how could they have known that their gifts would arrive at just the right time – when Jesus’ family needed them most? In God’s great wisdom, the Wise Men’s generosity would help Jesus and his family escape persecution in their homeland and build a new life as refugees in the land of Egypt.
Modern scholarship informs us that there could have been more than 3 Wise Men. Holy imagination allows us to envision ourselves among them, joining them on their joyful, just-in-time journey of generosity.
During this Christmas holiday and year-end season, we can make generous plans to support our congregations, our Synod and other ELCA ministries that extend a helping hand to those who, like young Jesus and his family, find themselves in a time of great danger, great change and great need. As your Regional Gift Planner, I’m delighted to join you on your generosity journey to help you follow your dreams and create a gift that honors Christ and leaves lasting impact far beyond anything you could imagine! Give me a call or send me an e-mail and let’s get started! It’s not too late to create a gift that will make a difference even before the end of this year and hear my special holiday greeting for 2020:
Contact me: Yvonne Jones Lembo, Regional Gift Planner, ELCA Foundation
215-300-8942 (mobile) or Yvonne.Lembo@elca.org
Serving Delaware, Maryland, Metro DC, The Lutheran Development Alliance and By Appt Region 7
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