Embracing The Light From ‘Foreign Places’
Rev. Erik Swanson
January 4, 2026
I was deeply disturbed by the recent news out of Venezuela. I honestly thought we were beyond the idea of regime change and especially beyond invoking something like the Monroe Doctrine, which I believed we had long recognized as harmful and outdated. What unsettled me most was not a defense of Venezuela’s president — I am not suggesting he was good or that the suffering of the people under his leadership doesn’t matter — but rather the way decisions are made and the values used to justify them. How things happen matters. The standards we accept as “appropriate” in how we treat other nations and other people matter deeply.
God’s Call
This question isn’t abstract. We are living it right here in Santa Clara County as we wrestle with immigration, safety, and belonging. We embrace the food, music, and culture of Latinx and Central American communities, yet often reject the people themselves. Stories of immigration enforcement are stirring many of us to action in ways we’ve never experienced before. In this moment, God’s call to welcome the stranger, love our neighbor, and care for the world feels more urgent than ever.
What The Magi Embody
That’s why it feels both ironic and divinely timed that today’s scripture centers on the Magi — foreigners from a strange land, almost certainly people of color — whom we lift up as models of faith and spiritual courage. We hold them close to the heart of the gospel story without much discomfort, even though they embody everything our world is often taught to fear. As we talk about following our star, journeying into the unknown, and returning home by a different path, perhaps we are being invited to listen for God’s wisdom from new sources, even from those we see as strangers.
Light From Unexpected Places
We are often trained to see the world in very narrow ways. If you were taught to only recognize sheep, and goats wandered into the paddock, you might panic — not because they’re dangerous, but because they don’t fit your expectations. Bias works like that. We celebrate Epiphany as a time when divine light shows up in unexpected places, but how open are we really to that disruption? Again and again, my experience tells me that God’s wisdom often comes from places I least expect.
Hearing Other Stories
History is usually told by the winners, but there are other stories — stories of those who were conquered, displaced, or silenced. We hear this tension today in immigration narratives. The official story often sounds very different from what communities themselves describe. Are we willing to listen? Are we open to the Spirit speaking through voices we’ve rarely taken seriously?
Welcoming The Foreigner
The Magi call us to welcome the foreigner as a bearer of gifts, as someone responding faithfully to God’s call. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus themselves were immigrants, fleeing political violence into Egypt — a place long seen as the enemy. If the holy family were fleeing violence today, how would we receive them? Would we see the image of God, or simply another problem to manage?
Demonizing “the other” keeps us small. It limits our growth, our compassion, and our understanding of God. Those who are different from us often have the power to expand our vision and break through our closed thinking. In truth, we are all travelers and sojourners, all in need of welcome along the way.
Seeing And Listening More Deeply
As we begin this new year, I pray that we learn to see through the eyes of immigrants, Magi, and travelers — to listen more deeply, love more boldly, and follow a new star away from fear and separation. May we receive all people as bearers of God’s gifts, and may our lives reflect the God who loves and calls all people. Blessings to us all on this shared journey.