1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.“
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 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 and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.—The words of the Apostle Matthew from Matthew 2:1-12
Epiphany, celebrated in many Christian churches yesterday, marks the arrival of the Magi, as recorded in the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post. The appearance of these wise men from the East always poses certain questions.
How did they know where to travel? They had long looked for a certain star to appear. When it appeared they knew it was His star. So, they followed it to Bethlehem.
Why did they bring gifts? They knew they would find the King of Kings at the end of their journey. They brought gifts fit to show proper respect and reverance for this King.
What does this event mean for us? Well, I can’t speak for you, but it occurs to me that I must ask myself the question, “What gifts will I give Him?”
The obvious answer is that I will give Him all that I am. After all, if I am to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength—that is my emotional being, my spiritual being, my intellectual being, and my physical being—then can I give Him any less than the totality of my being?
This magnificent video of the English carol, “The Friendly Beasts,” from the “Spirit of Christmas” presentation by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, features award-winning Broadway vocalist, Brian Stokes Mitchell. Please click here to listen to this carol speaks to the gifts given to the Christ child by the animals that witnessed His birth.
Will you please pray with me?
Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.
Precious Father, as we think of all that You have given to us—including eternal salvation through Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—we have little reasonable choice but to bow in humble fealty to our Great King Jesus. Please receive the gift of our lives. We give ourselves to You. We hold nothing back. All that we have and all that we are belongs to You.
O God, may You continue to lead us and guide us by the indwelling power of Your Holy Spirit. We thank you for the steadfastness of Your mercy, grace, and love. And, we thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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