The Magi in the Christmas story were an elite religious caste of ancient Persia. They were pagans who did not believe in the God of the Bible. Their name is connected to “magic” and, in a sense, that’s who they were – magicians. They were astrologers who believed that you could discern your destiny by studying the signs of the Zodiac. Horoscopes were their specialty and they were wealthy, respected members of society. The very fact that the Magi made it into the Christmas story is itself an amazing expression of God’s love.

One historic night when some of the Magi were studying the heavens, they saw a star unlike anything they’d ever seen before. A group of them decided to leave their homes, putting everything they had at risk, in order to form a caravan to follow the star. When they started they had no idea they would journey two years and a thousand miles – all the way from Persia to Palestine.

Why would they follow a maverick star? Curiosity? Superstition? Adventure? I think it was more than that. It was almost as if that star had a magnetic pull on their hearts. It was actually the pull of God’s supernatural love bringing them to Jesus.

And it still happens today. The magnetic pull of the love of God can move us from where we are to destinations that we cannot foresee. Sometimes the journey takes years and covers thousands of miles, but eventually it leads us, like the Magi, to the Son of God.