As Jesus came out of the water...a voice from Heaven said, "You are my beloved Son, you bring me great joy." (Mark 1:10-11)
You are also beloved.
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"The Advent: Day 18"
Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:1-2 NIV)
On the Christmas cards it's all picture-perfect. With a star illuminating the manger three wise men bow down before the baby Jesus with their camels parked outside; and, of course, at the bottom of the card are the Hallmark words: Wise men still seek him today. However, let's see what Scripture says about these visitors.
What or who is a Magi? These men were magicians or astrologers known for their wisdom. They may have been from Persia. If that is the case, they had knowledge of Scripture that could be traced back to the time of Daniel (see Daniel 5:11).
How many Magi traveled to see Jesus? We don't know for sure. Based on the number of gifts that were presented to Jesus many conclude that there were three. Some traditions even have names for these men, but neither their names nor their number are given in Scripture.
What star did they see? The star that guided them could have been a supernova or a conjunction of planets. One writer says that it was a supernatural reality similar to the Shekinah that led the Israelites in the days of Moses. All we know for sure is that the star was a true miracle of God.
While there are things we don't know about the wise men, here are the things we know for certain. These men made a great sacrifice to see Jesus. They traveled a great distance. They brought their best to him. They sought Jesus and didn't stop until they found him. They worshipped him. That's the heart of the Magi story, and that should be the heart of our Christmas story as well.
Father, your Word says that if we seek you we will find you if we seek you with all our hearts. May we, like the Magi, truly seek after you. May we truly worship Jesus, our Savior and Lord. In his name we pray. Amen.
The Holy Holidays - goTandem"God’s Love"
Read
"See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are! But the people who belong to this world don't know God, so they don't understand that we are his children. Yes, dear friends, we are already God's children, and we can't even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who believe this will keep themselves pure, just as Christ is pure" (1 John 3:1-3).
Reflect
God calls me his kid. That’s pretty impressive. I’m not sure how to react to that. I mean, obviously, that’s great news, but the choice to adopt someone like me? God chose me, even though he knew how messed up I was. And what’s more he chose to love me, regardless. There are days that I don't know exactly what to do with that. And yet so often instead of accepting his love, I reject it because I can't believe it. I come up with excuses of why God could never love me. And that's not ok. It's time to accept the fact that God loves me, and start living like I love him back.
Respond
How do you respond to being called one of God’s children? Take this week to figure out what responsibility that gives to you.
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"God's Great Mercy"
It is by [God's] great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)
How does this affect your life?
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