Around Christmas time, a lot is normally said about the 3 wise men. We sing songs about them, tell stories about them and portray them in Nativity scenes and on Christmas cards. Tradition has even given them imaginary names – Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar.
Now, all of this attention is devoted to the 3 wise men, in spite of the fact the Bible says almost nothing about them. They are mentioned only briefly and then only by the author of Matthew’s Gospel. In reality, no names were given to them in Scripture, and frankly, we don’t even know for sure if there were 3 of them - we only guess that because there were 3 gifts.
So we may not know much about the 3 wise men, but we do know for a fact, that according to the Bible, there were 3 wise women!
3 wise women who played pivotal roles in the unfolding of the Christmas story. 3 wise women who have much to teach us because of the remarkable way they responded to the news of Jesus with inspiring faith and courage.
Yet, around Christmas time, they don’t get mentioned half as much as the men!
We shouldn’t be too surprised at this, because unfortunately women often get a short shrift in the church. This is really unfair for many reasons, but especially when you consider that women make up the majority of church membership throughout the world.
Women have sustained the life of the church for centuries upon centuries in quite wonderful ways without ever getting much credit for it. Indeed, as already mentioned, women were quite integral to the unfolding of the Christmas story. As one scholar has pointed out: ‘Women were the last at the cross, and the first at the tomb’.
I am reminded of that American story of a Fortune 500 CEO who pulled into a petrol station in his flashy Ferrari. After filling up, he went inside to pay. When he came out, he noticed his wife in deep conversation with the service station attendant. It turned out that she knew this man well enough to have dated him back in high school.
Well, the CEO got back into his car and drove away in silence. He was feeling pretty good about himself, and when he finally spoke he said: ‘Honey, I bet I know what you’re thinking. I’ll bet you’re thinking how glad you are that you married me, a Fortune 500 CEO, and not him – a petrol station attendant.’
To which she replied: ‘Nope. I was thinking that if I had married him, he’d be a Fortune 500 CEO and you’d be a petrol station attendant!’
The 3 wise women of Christmas are of course Mary, Elizabeth and Anna. We will be learning from their story over the rest of this week as a way of further preparing ourselves for the Christmas event.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Holy and Loving God, we do ask that you would begin to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Help us to turn our hearts away from busyness, stress and also the rampant consumerism so prevalent at this time of the year. May our hearts ‘leap’ within us as we celebrate the good news of Christ’s Incarnation. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Luke 1. 41-42
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!’