Near the time of Jesus’ birth God had placed a sign in
the sky so that the wise men of the East could find the newborn King of the
Jews. They did not initiate that
search. God did. It was a simple proclamation that His Son was
not only the King of the Jews but would be the King of all the earth. God sent an invitation and the wise men
responded. With the light that God had
given them they sought out the Christ.
It was not to be an easy search. He had been born in a distant land in a time
when travel was difficult. They didn’t care. He had been born a foreign king. They didn’t care. He had been born in a region where the
governing power was at an uneasy peace with all the nations from which the wise
men probably came. They didn’t
care. When they got where they thought
they were going they still weren’t there.
When they got stonewalled by the locals, they didn’t care. Finally an answer was given and they finished
their search. In a house in Bethlehem
they found the infant Jesus, He who had been born King of the Jews.
What did they do when they found Him? The answer to that is the profound truth that
all men everywhere, saved and lost, must both understand and emulate. The wise men worshipped Him. They knelt down at His feet and gave Him due
adoration for who He is. It is hard to
picture them going into that house and raising one hand high and saying, “Yo,
man, what’s up?” Today the Church has
become quite casual about worshipping Him.
It is as if He has lost His luster as the Divine. He became a man, but He was still God and so
they worshipped Him. Paul told us in
Philippians 2 that someday every knee would bow and every tongue confess that
Jesus is Lord. They will all fall at His
feet and worship Him. Whether they are
Christians or Jews or Muslims or Buddhists or Hindus or atheists, they will all
bow at His feet and worship Him and declare that He is the eternal Son of
God.
This Advent season let us make sure that we have on our
“to do list” to worship Him every day.
Let us bring our gifts of praise and thanksgiving and fall down at His
feet and adore the Wonderful counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace whose name is Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living
God. “O Come, Let Us Adore Him.
“O
come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye, to
Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, born the King of angels; O come, let
us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the
Lord.”
Words by John F. Wade
The
Friday Benediction
Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop
you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in
the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be
enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend. Amen
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