At Christmas time we are reminded of What we don't have and also of Who we don't have. Galen and I no longer have our parents, and recently our cat, Fluffy, passed away....and we miss her greatly. She was with us for over 10 plus years. Many of our friends and family have moved away and many close friends have passed away this year and some are ill. It can be a sad time and a challenge to get into the spirit of joy and happiness. Every year we go thru the same routine and the same traditions. We fight the traffic and the long lines at the mall, we get angry because we cannot find parking, people are stressed and on the edge and yet we are supposed to be happy and joyous. We decorate, buy gifts, get together with friends and family and one may ask, why do we do it? Why do we celebrate Christmas? We forget that we celebrate Jesus's birth.
In the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:1-20), we read about the Christmas story. Luke, a gentile, (non-jewish person) thoroughly researched Jesus's birth before writing about it. He was educated and a physician by profession. In the story, he tells us that the first people to hear about Jesus's birth were some shepherds who were attending to their sheep. Shepherds were always ceremonially "unclean" and therefore, NOT highly regarded. Their job was at the bottom of the labor force. They were considered as second class citizens and not trustworthy. They were not welcome in the Jewish Temple. Yet, God sent an Angel to appear to them to announce the Messiah's birth. It is fascinating that God chose some lowely shepherds not a King nor a priest....or other high official. The Angel told them no to be afraid (they were terrified when they saw the angel--and who wouldn't be), he was bringing them good news, that in the town of David, Bethlehem, a Savior had been born. They would find him in a manger, wrapped in cloths. When the Angel left them, they hurried off and went to see for themselves. When they returned, they glorified and praised God for all the things they had heard and seen, and they spread the word. Everyone was amazed !!
There were also three Magis who heard about the birth of Jesus. Who were the Magis? The Magis were men of learning, wise, rich and held in high esteem. They were 'astrologers' who studied the stars. They also interpreted dreams and omens. According to the stars, they knew a King was born to the Jews, and they wanted to go see him and worship him. They first went to Jerusalem and told King Herod. The King asked his chief priest and scribes for more information. They confirmed that according to what the old prophets had written a baby was to be born in Bethlehem., who would be the "King of the Jews". King Herod was alarmed but did not say that, instead he asked the Magis to go see the baby and then come back and let him know where the baby was, so he could go worship him too. The Magis followed a bright star from the East and it stopped over the place where the child was, in a stable. They went inside and they bowed down to worship the child. They gave him gifts fit for a King: gold, frankincense and myrrth.
Then because they were warned in a dream NOT to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. When the King found out about it, he was furious. He ordered his men to go to Bethlehem and kill all the baby boys under the age of 2 years old (Matthew 2:16). He was afraid that this boy, Jesus, King of the Jews, would take over his position and take his power away.
2000 plus years later we still get different reactions about Christmas and Jesus's birth.....Three of them stand out....I am sure there are more.
1) One reaction is Indifference to Christmas. Even when people are filled with the holiday spirit and celebrate Christmas with gifts, dinners and decorations, Jesus doesn't even cross their minds. They have lost the reason for Christmas. If we really examine the story of the Magis search of the "newborn King of the Jews" we see a surprising indifference on the part of the religious leaders. King Herod asked the scribes and chief priest where the Messiah was to be born, BUT nobody bothered to go to Bethlehem to see for themselves. They had no time or interest to disrupt their lives and routines. Sometimes it is easy to let all our activities and personal issues or challenges push out Jesus out of our thoughts. After all the shopping is finished, gifts are wrapped and food is prepared, we may rush off to church for Christmas service.
2) Another reaction is Antagonism and hostility. Why? If we look at Herod the King, we see that he was enraged when the Magis didn't return to tell him the child's whereabouts. He slaughtered all the male children under the age of two. He didn't want another King to dethrone him and take away his power. People today may scorn the celebration of Christ's birth for the same reason; they don't want anyone else ruling their life. They want to be king and in control of their own lives.
3) A third reaction is Worship. The Magis traveled all the way from the East for the purpose of worshiping the infant King of the Jewish people. They knew that a star signaled his birth, and they journeyed hundreds of miles to find him. They believed that God was leading them to the King and when they arrived, they humbled themselves, worshiped Him and presented Him with gifts. What is interesting is that these were wealthy, educated, respected men, yet they considered that little boy to be greater than themselves. He was the focus of their celebration. Just imagine all the inconveniences, setbacks and vulnerability they endured in their pursuit of the infant King. They did not take the airplane to get there, they went thru the desert on camels. So, the question for us is: Is Jesus the focus of OUR celebration? Are we more concerned about gifts for family and friends than about the real reason for Christmas? Are we just going thru the motions because that is what we are expected to do? Or are we so self-absorbed with our own problems that we would rather go into a pity party than be thankful for the love and compassion that Jesus's birth has brought into our troubled world? What if we compared our response to the Savior with the Magis example of worship. How do we rate?
It is very easy to become focused on the traditions of Christmas than the real reason for the season.
Personally, I have been guilty of all three reactions at different times of my life; one at a time or all three together. May we all take a moment this year to reflect of our blessings and step back in time, so that we can be inspired by the worship of the Magis and follow their example.
Wishing you love, peace and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2018.
In the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:1-20), we read about the Christmas story. Luke, a gentile, (non-jewish person) thoroughly researched Jesus's birth before writing about it. He was educated and a physician by profession. In the story, he tells us that the first people to hear about Jesus's birth were some shepherds who were attending to their sheep. Shepherds were always ceremonially "unclean" and therefore, NOT highly regarded. Their job was at the bottom of the labor force. They were considered as second class citizens and not trustworthy. They were not welcome in the Jewish Temple. Yet, God sent an Angel to appear to them to announce the Messiah's birth. It is fascinating that God chose some lowely shepherds not a King nor a priest....or other high official. The Angel told them no to be afraid (they were terrified when they saw the angel--and who wouldn't be), he was bringing them good news, that in the town of David, Bethlehem, a Savior had been born. They would find him in a manger, wrapped in cloths. When the Angel left them, they hurried off and went to see for themselves. When they returned, they glorified and praised God for all the things they had heard and seen, and they spread the word. Everyone was amazed !!
There were also three Magis who heard about the birth of Jesus. Who were the Magis? The Magis were men of learning, wise, rich and held in high esteem. They were 'astrologers' who studied the stars. They also interpreted dreams and omens. According to the stars, they knew a King was born to the Jews, and they wanted to go see him and worship him. They first went to Jerusalem and told King Herod. The King asked his chief priest and scribes for more information. They confirmed that according to what the old prophets had written a baby was to be born in Bethlehem., who would be the "King of the Jews". King Herod was alarmed but did not say that, instead he asked the Magis to go see the baby and then come back and let him know where the baby was, so he could go worship him too. The Magis followed a bright star from the East and it stopped over the place where the child was, in a stable. They went inside and they bowed down to worship the child. They gave him gifts fit for a King: gold, frankincense and myrrth.
Then because they were warned in a dream NOT to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. When the King found out about it, he was furious. He ordered his men to go to Bethlehem and kill all the baby boys under the age of 2 years old (Matthew 2:16). He was afraid that this boy, Jesus, King of the Jews, would take over his position and take his power away.
2000 plus years later we still get different reactions about Christmas and Jesus's birth.....Three of them stand out....I am sure there are more.
1) One reaction is Indifference to Christmas. Even when people are filled with the holiday spirit and celebrate Christmas with gifts, dinners and decorations, Jesus doesn't even cross their minds. They have lost the reason for Christmas. If we really examine the story of the Magis search of the "newborn King of the Jews" we see a surprising indifference on the part of the religious leaders. King Herod asked the scribes and chief priest where the Messiah was to be born, BUT nobody bothered to go to Bethlehem to see for themselves. They had no time or interest to disrupt their lives and routines. Sometimes it is easy to let all our activities and personal issues or challenges push out Jesus out of our thoughts. After all the shopping is finished, gifts are wrapped and food is prepared, we may rush off to church for Christmas service.
2) Another reaction is Antagonism and hostility. Why? If we look at Herod the King, we see that he was enraged when the Magis didn't return to tell him the child's whereabouts. He slaughtered all the male children under the age of two. He didn't want another King to dethrone him and take away his power. People today may scorn the celebration of Christ's birth for the same reason; they don't want anyone else ruling their life. They want to be king and in control of their own lives.
3) A third reaction is Worship. The Magis traveled all the way from the East for the purpose of worshiping the infant King of the Jewish people. They knew that a star signaled his birth, and they journeyed hundreds of miles to find him. They believed that God was leading them to the King and when they arrived, they humbled themselves, worshiped Him and presented Him with gifts. What is interesting is that these were wealthy, educated, respected men, yet they considered that little boy to be greater than themselves. He was the focus of their celebration. Just imagine all the inconveniences, setbacks and vulnerability they endured in their pursuit of the infant King. They did not take the airplane to get there, they went thru the desert on camels. So, the question for us is: Is Jesus the focus of OUR celebration? Are we more concerned about gifts for family and friends than about the real reason for Christmas? Are we just going thru the motions because that is what we are expected to do? Or are we so self-absorbed with our own problems that we would rather go into a pity party than be thankful for the love and compassion that Jesus's birth has brought into our troubled world? What if we compared our response to the Savior with the Magis example of worship. How do we rate?
It is very easy to become focused on the traditions of Christmas than the real reason for the season.
Personally, I have been guilty of all three reactions at different times of my life; one at a time or all three together. May we all take a moment this year to reflect of our blessings and step back in time, so that we can be inspired by the worship of the Magis and follow their example.
Wishing you love, peace and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2018.
