A bit like the magi’s travels, our spiritual journeys are never straightforward. It would be great if we had a spiritual ‘sat-nav’ that allowed us to travel the road of life with little or no difficulty. Unfortunately, while the Lord may lead us, life is full of twists and turns. And rather like the Hebrew people after they left Egypt, we can meander along, making no real progress. Indeed, there are times when most of us ‘get lost’ and struggle to get our lives back on track.

Today’s reading also reveals that while we may have dreams for our lives, dreams that appear to be in keeping with God’s will, we need to be prepared to change those plans when God calls. What happened to the magi can provide helpful guidance for us. They had to change tack after speaking to Herod and his officials, and head instead for Bethlehem. Likewise, rather than return to Herod with news of the ‘King of Jews’, they were guided by a dream to go home another way. (Ironically, it is usually a gospel imperative to tell someone where to find Jesus – unless that person is Herod, of course!) Finally, the magi reveal that our extraordinary Saviour can be found in the ‘ordinary’, rather than the expected, places.