The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for for Tuesday, 03 January 2017 - "True seekers found the true king"

The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for  for Tuesday, 03 January 2017 - "True seekers found the true king"
Daily Scripture
Matthew 2:9 After they had listened to the king, they went away; and the star which they had seen in the east went in front of them until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 Upon entering the house, they saw the child with his mother Miryam; and they prostrated themselves and worshipped him. Then they opened their bags and presented him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 But they had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, so they took another route back to their own country.
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Reflection Questions:
When Herod heard that a “king” was born, he felt fear and fury. But the magi were honest seekers, and when they saw the star that had led them on their journey, they “were filled with joy.” Matthew said the magi “entered the house,” not the stable, another hint from the text that some time had passed since Jesus’ birth in an animal shelter.

• We’re so used to this story we might miss the incongruity. Matthew wrote that the wealthy visitors who’d been mixing with Herod’s court “saw the child with Mary his mother [a young peasant girl]. Falling to their knees, they honored him.” Since Matthew didn’t explain, what do you believe signaled these foreign priests that this was king worthy of their honor? Do external cues or more inward qualities impress you most? What traits of God most create a sense of worshipful joy in you?
• Bethlehem was only five miles south of Jerusalem, and a fearful king like Herod would have kept a close eye on the main travel routes. It probably took real effort and planning for the magi to find a road home that Herod wasn’t watching. When in your life have you needed to switch to a “road less traveled,” facing some kind of hardship in order to be true to your values and God’s direction in your life?

Today’s Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the magi honored you with their gifts, and again when they paid attention to the divine warning in a dream not to play along with Herod. Help me to honor you both by acts of worship and by avoiding foolish choices against which you warn me. Amen.
Our GPS Insights blog shares reflections each day from our pastors, staff and congregants.
Read today's reflection from Brandon Gregory. Brandon is a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection. He helps lead worship at Vibe, West and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.
The birth of Jesus was admittedly a pretty crazy time for Mary and Joseph, but we don’t hear much about Jesus early childhood--presumably because it was most likely pretty normal. Jesus was a fount of wisdom and insight, but before he could put sentences together, that talent didn’t amount to much. After the craziness of the birth calmed down and the couple settled into their normal lives, it was probably easy to forget that this little baby would someday be the savior of the world.
So imagine Mary, home with baby Jesus as her husband works, as she gets a knock on the door one ordinary day. To her surprise, standing before her are some of the most well-dressed and stately-looking men she had ever seen-- and they were excited to see her! They fall to their knees, exclaiming with joy, and then they bring in their treasure chests filled with some of the most costly gifts of their time. In an instant, Mary’s ordinary life was transformed into something extraordinary.
We also know that immediately after this extravagant encounter, Joseph had a dream that prompted him, Mary, and Jesus to flee Israel and seek refuge in Egypt for a long time, possibly years. The normalcy of the life they lived was gone overnight as they were forced into a land with a different language and religion.
Here’s the part we often miss: leaving your country virtually overnight because of a dream is a pretty crazy thing to do, but it’s also a very costly thing to do. Had the dream not come right after they had received great riches, I wonder if they would have been as receptive to it. That dream Joseph had represented a subtle prodding from God to drastically change their lives, but it was the blessing they had just received that afforded them the flexibility to be able to respond to it.
Unexpected blessings come to all of us from time to time. They’re great, and they come for a variety of reasons. In every case, though, unexpected blessings give us some much-needed flexibility to respond to God in ways we may not have been able to before. Maybe that unexpected influx of money will give you the opportunity to show hospitality to someone in need of a blessing. Maybe some unexpected flexibility with your school or work schedule will allow you to actually move somewhere to be a part of what God’s doing somewhere else. Disrupting the normalcy of our lives is, well, disruptive and aggravating--but there are times when it’s also highly beneficial, or even essential. Be on the lookout for unexpected blessings that will afford you the chance to take these risks. It could be that the next part of God’s plan for your life will be financed by your unexpected blessing.

BRANDON GREGORY
Brandon Gregory is a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection. He helps lead worship at Vibe, West and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.--------
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
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