In the gospel reading last Sunday, we saw the old man in the temple in
Jerusalem, Simeon, rejoicing at the coming of Jesus. He spoke about God's
salvation being revealed and talked of a light being shone for the
Gentiles. You may know that there is an annual festival in the church's
calendar (Epiphany) which celebrates the revelation of God to the Gentiles.
Epiphany is celebrated on 6 January each year (or on the closest Sunday)
and the gospel reading associated with this day is the story of the coming
of the Magi in Matthew 2.

The inclusion of these Eastern outsiders (the Magi were not Jewish and
their religion was probably Zoroastrianism - certainly they did not worship
the God of Israel) is good news for us because we too were outsiders who
have been welcomed into the people of God. Their inclusion is equally a
challenge to us when we seek to define ourselves as insiders, because the
God we worship is always inviting everyone to come closer. If God ensured
that these outsiders were present at the birth of Jesus, who should we be
inviting into our community and into our families? Who will God lead to our
doors in 2024, and how will we receive them?