Came to Meet Us
Distractions abound. I have no time to write this blog. I have no time to focus on the bigger picture. Christmas is just days away and I have so much to do, more money to spend, more groceries to buy, more food to cook, more packages to wrap, more highways to travel, more...more...more. But wait, what happened to "oh, holy night" and "silent night" and "away in a manger"? The beloved songs speak of quiet and peace and of worship. I'm getting ready to sing those songs but those songs don't speak of how I'm living my life right now. Yes, it's Christmas-days-extraordinaire count down. The irony of all this 'doing' is that we're counting down to a very quiet, private moment that God Himself chose to come into this physical world and find me and you. He came just to meet us. He completely went out of His way to come and find us. He took a trip just to live in our world with us. And here I sit, Miss Hustle-Bustle.
I like the way the Wise Men came to meet Jesus. I don't picture much hustle-bustle in their story. I do picture a deliberate, stay the course route, across difficult terrain, and lasting many weeks. Traveling back in that day had to be uncomfortable and so very tiring but yet, they kept coming. Slowly and methodically with one step in front of the last. They were on a mission to find this King. The King and One who would save us all, One that had been promised and foretold and now born. The Wise Men realized they were seeking a spiritual King who had come into the physical world. They decided to make the long journey to see Him, worship Him and gift Him.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him...
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The Wise Men: they saw, they believed, they came and they kept looking and seeing. Until they found the King. First and foremost, they bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts. I want to be a 'wise man' this Christmas. The journey will be difficult as the distractions mount. The hustle-bustle will not stop but I want to see and keep seeing and following until I get to the King. I want my Christmas to be a day, a moment, a sincere bowing down and JOYFUL worship to the King. All the treasures I have are from Him and I so want to offer them back to Him this Christmas. This great, unbelievable gift of God has come to me and you. He left heaven to come meet us, to come hold our hands, heal our wounded hearts and offer us a fulfilled and loving life. It cost Him but He came...He came to be born into our world. Hallelujah! Open my eyes that I may SEE.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Ephesians 1:18-19
