COME TO WORSHIP
December 21, 2018
Prayer: We ask You, Lord, to have Your way in our lives. We know that You change everything when we let You rule. Amen.
Scripture: Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived 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 Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: `AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’ “Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way. Matthew 2:1-12 NASB
As soon as the Magi saw the star, they packed, chose significant gifts, and left to find the King of the Jews. Although they were not family – they were not even Jewish – they were watching and knew from the star that He had arrived. So, they hurried to go see and worship the new King. Many times we will see the three Wise Men, also known as Kings, set in our Manger scenes at Christmas but this is not the correct place for them. We always set ours away from the manger journeying towards it.
We do not know exactly when they reached Christ, although Scripture clearly states that He was in a house at that time. After reading countless pieces of research the average guess is between His second and third month depending on how quickly they left, how far they had to travel to Jerusalem, and how long they were with Herod. They could easily reach Bethlehem (6-9 miles away) in less than a day after leaving Jerusalem.
The summer my first niece was born we traveled to my parent’s house in Florida, thankfully by airplane and not by camel, and then packed with presents, drove to Atlanta to see her.
We were so excited, chatting about who she might look like, what personality she might have, and how she was going to drastically change the lives of my brother and sister-in-law. We discussed how first-time parents do not realize how a child will consume their hearts and yet when the baby comes it is the most awesome feeling and you gladly let them come before anything else.
I wonder what the Magi talked about on their long journey. Did they wonder what this King would look like, what His personality would be and how He would rule the Jews? Did they have any idea how Christ would change our lives and consume us with a love that we had never imagined or known? What do you think they talked about on their way home? We do know that they traveled far seeking to worship the newborn King.
My prayer for you is that you would take time to seek and worship Christ our King.
Copyright Kathy Branzell. Email [email protected]