ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
January 9, 2022
IT IS EPIPHANY SUNDAY!! And of course, that means it is the Camel Parade (assuming it is not raining). By having a camel today, we are assuming (imposing upon) the Magi an animal that may or may not have been present. It is interesting how often images from the life of Jesus bring a camel into the scene. I just looked at some Children’s Sunday School material from the early 90’s, and a number of pictures showed a camel in the background. I don’t know why, but I was surprised to learn that the word camel only appears in the New Testament four times, and in every single case, Jesus was teaching and using the camel to make a point – “…it’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God,” and then later, when he accused some of the religious leaders of being hypocrites, he said: “You blind guides! You filter out an ant but swallow a camel.” At no point in the New Testament is there a casual reference to a camel who happens to be close by. As one who has a pretty good imagination and often likes to put myself in the stories of scripture, I have pictured people riding camels or standing next to one drinking from a stream. Our imagination should always be tempered by what scripture actually says, but throwing in a camel here and a camel there will probably not change the overall meaning of the stories. My Magi have camels, but if some day we learn it was two donkeys, it ain’t going to break my faith. But today, for conversation purposes, we are covering both possibilities as we will have a camel and a donkey.
Allow your Spirit, O God, to guide my imagination as I explore the stories of the faith. I do not seek to be a spectator, but a true participant. It is only as I live the stories that my life will be shaped by the stories. Amen.
