THE MESSIAH IS COMING:
GO AND SEEK HIM

Matthew 2: 1-12 ESV

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea
in the days of Herod the king,
behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?
For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

GOD SPOKE TO THE MAGI:
FOLLOW THIS STAR
AND FIND
THE NEW BORN KING

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling
all the chief priests and scribes of the people,
he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for so it is written by the prophet:
“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

HEROD KNEW NOTHING
ABOUT THIS NEW BORN KING
THE WIISE MEN WERE SEEKIING

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly
and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying,
“Go and search diligently for the child,
and when you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may come and worship him.”
After listening to the king, they went on their way.
And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose
went before them until it came to rest
over the place where the child was.

THE MIRACULOUS STAR
LED THE WISE MEN
TO JESUS THE KING

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother,
and they fell down and worshiped him.
Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts,
gold and frankincense and myrrh.
And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed to their own country by another way.

HOW THOSE WISE MEN
REJOICED TO SEE JESUS
AS THE NEW BORN KING
THEY HAD BEEN SEEKING,
GUIDED BY HIS STAR

THERE, WE SEE HIS STAR

There, we see His Star,
and according to our
great Father, Daniel,
now is His time!

No matter how far
we must ride these
camels, we will
follow His Star.

We have known stars
proclaiming the birth
of other kings—but
this one is so large.

Its brightness and its
fire blazes so bright,
all the heavens
dim as it shines.

We Magi are so blessed
by the Almighty
One who opens
our eyes to this Star.

Others seem confused
when we shield our
eyes because they blink
but still can’t see.

Even as His star
guides our way
to so seek Him, we
will surely obey.

Though Herod seems
confused we do not
trust His dark heart—
no star shines there.

Ah! The star again
arises, leads us
brightly shining
over Bethlehem.

Now we see the King
born the Messiah
born to save the
world, here we bow.

God, for the King, fragrant,
frankincense, priceless,
myrrh for burial—
at Jesus’ feet we lay.

Praise God for the Star!
But even more praise
God for His Son  who
lights up our whole world!

As we all anticipate Christmas, many with joy, a few with sorrow of one kind or the other, and far too many with outright rejection of the Good News declared by the STAR to the Wise Men and by the angels to the Shepherds. Forever God had been arranging events, moving all of human history toward this pivotal event, as the Son came down from Heaven incarnate (in the flesh) to redeem for God’s Glory those who would hear His Call and follow Him. It is fitting that His Star appeared in Heaven to be seen by those who were seeking, as were these Magi, perhaps descendants in their obedient and faithful spirits so similar to Daniel, who had foreseen such a birth, along with  other Old Testaments prophets, so many of them fascinated with the One who would come to serve as the Savior of the World. God had said in Genesis He would crush Satan’s head, which He did. The Psalmist recognized how this Promised One, this Messiah, would suffer for His people, even to the point of death itself. Isaiah recognized He would be born of a virgin, and Micah understood He would be born in Bethlehem. So many powerful prophecies were written down, and in Jesus, Praise be to God, all of them were fulfilled.

Graffiti in Niger
expresses Christians
desire to share
their faith.

Christmas in all of its beauty, mystery and excitement—all of the music, all of the decorations, all of the goodies, all of the friends and family, all of the meaning, all of the hope, all of the joy, all of the peace—Christmas has always been a favorite time of year for me. As God has revealed Himself to me through Jesus and His redemption, through the Holy Spirit and His presence, I have discovered more and more the depths of the absolute miracle of miracles Christmas expresses: God came down from Heaven a baby who became a man to get to know us in person, to teach us, to show us, to prove to us how much He loves us. In Jesus we do see the face of God, and in that face, in those eyes,  even in tears running down from those eyes, in His smile we see how good He is. There can never be enough written about Christmas. How powerfully the Old Testament points to the coming of Jesus, our Savior, into this world. In the journey of the Wise Men following His Star, God paints a powerful picture of His desire for each of us—He will guide us as we seek Him, and we will find Him if we follow, and in finding Him, He will redeem and claim us for His own dear children. So the most important preparation in keeping Christmas comes as we seek Him.

Children at Goudel Church
Gathered For Sunday School

Over my lifetime I have enjoyed so many different styles of preparing and keeping Christmas in our hearts together. As a child and as a youth, there was often a nativity play with music. In my college church I learned the beauty of lighting the Advent candles as we read Scripture together. In Nigeria, I admired the beautiful Christmas clothes families would wear on Christmas Day to proclaim their faith and their joy in the coming of Jesus to be their Savior. However, it was in Niger that my heart was most deeply moved at our Zerma/French speaking Goudel Baptist Church.

In Niger feeding your
family means hard work.

As Becky and I got a bit better in our French, we were able to understand the announcement made at the beginning of November each year. One of the young men would joyfully announce, “Christmas is coming!” (“Noel approche!” In French). Everyone would applaud, while many responded, “Amen!” Then he would go on to explain the amount each family would need to donate so that the church could buy the chickens, the rice, the onions, the tomatoes and the pepper, and the soft drinks they would need to prepare Christmas dinner to share together after their Christmas service. All over the congregation we would notice men and women nodding, smiling in anticipation. Now, this was not some token amount for these hard working families. This was for each family a sacrifice which would demand careful adjustments to their normal spending. Still, they took it as a joyful opportunity to provide not only for themselves, but also for all of their guests on Christmas Day. This was the beginning of their own preparation for the miracle and mystery of Christmas. And each year, they were united in their commitment to fully do their own part. 

Camels have to work
hard also.

And, indeed, they did. And, indeed, every Christmas Day began with joyful worship and concluded with a wonderful time of fellowship and feasting together to celebrate together as a faith family in a city and a country where believers are a tiny minority. Their joyful testimony to Jesus coming to be their Savior sometimes cost them dearly throughout the year, but for each family and each individual, Christmas has become  a time to celebrate  with the angels, the shepherds, and the Wise Men. Their family contribution to this Christmas Dinner, I believe, became as beautiful as the the gold, frankincense and myrrh the Wise Men presented to the Christ-child, the new-born King.

Firewood comes at a premium
in Niger—another
requirement for their
Blessed Christmas feast.

Of course, Christmas is ALL ABOUT JESUS! Whether we live in a land of plenty or not, God’s blessings in Christ are always plentiful for those of us, who like the Wise Men, follow His Star, seek and find the Savior. Our challenge is to fully, wholly, joyfully prepare our hearts for Christmas this year. After all, it’s not about us; it is about the Good News of Jesus. May we each find the joy of taking every opportunity to share Him who means everything to us. Amen!

The Love Of Jesus
Makes Every Woman
Beautiful.
Now, that’s a
Christmas smile!