By another road

I have always loved reflecting on Matthew's account of the wise men because it ends with a seemingly innocuous statement:  "Having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road."

I think that statement can have profound spiritual implications for our lives.  What does it mean to go by another road, another way, a different way?  Wise men are open to going by another road.  As our mission group gathered tonight in West Palm Beach, and met to talk about everything to prepare for going to Haiti tomorrow, I thought about how I was celebrating Christmas by another road this year.

Usually, my "12 days of Christmas" are spent really enjoying Christmas after the hectic run-up to Christmas Eve.  I spend the days after Christmas relaxing, spending time with my family, sorting out my kids' clothes between those they have outgrown and those that they still wear.  This Christmas, I, along with all of us on our Mission team are going by another road.  Immediately after Christmas, instead of packing up decorations or old clothes, we packed our bags and are on our way.  But God calls us all to go by another road sometimes.

The wise men encountered the Christ child.  Then, they went another way.  Isn't that what Christ does for us all?  We encounter Christ in many different times and ways, but each time, and each way, we are changed.  In Christ we are a new creation.  Each and every time we meet him, whether we meet him in the hospital, in worship, in the school in the eyes of a child, a hand reached out in support, a hug, or in our brothers and sisters in Haiti, we are inexorably changed, and we go another way.

The other road we are taking is one that leads us through Haiti.  We appreciate your prayers as we set off.