Welcome back to my blog series, journeying through the 25 days of Advent. I'm so glad you're here!
Our Bible reading passage today is Matthew 2: 1 - 8 ...
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.
“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel.”
Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him.”
What we see in the magi is that their studying and searching and researching had cultivated a desire for Christ’s presence in them. Knowing about this newly born King wasn't enough for these men - their desire was to know Him, to such an extent that they were stirred to hunt across hundreds of miles for the prophesied Messiah.
It can be easy in the rush and activity of the Christmas holidays to lose our focus on Jesus. We can be tempted to sleep in, rather than waking up early to read the Word. We can be tempted to spend a little more money than we should on trifles and trinkets, rather than stewarding our finances well. We can be tempted to forgo church services in favour of family gatherings or fun outings.
In these season that should be all about the Messiah, it can be tempting to ignore Him, and miss meeting Him altogether!
The story of the wise men reminds us to pursue Jesus wholeheartedly, in the very midst of a distracting time of the year.
This December - and all year-round - let’s be like the magi ... Let's dive deep into the Scriptures, dedicate quality time to prayer, and take every opportunity we find to worship the Lord!!
And if we do, I'll guarantee that, like the wise men, we'll see Christ’s glory and find Him time and time again!