Matthew 2:1-2, 8a-11 (KJV) Now when Jesus was
born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came
wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we
have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said,
Go and search diligently for the young child; 9 When
they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in
the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child
was. 10 When they saw the
star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And
when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his
mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their
treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
Luke 1:41-42, 45 (NIV) 41 When
Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was
filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed:
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 45 Blessed
is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
The
Wise Men shared a common hope among the people of their time that a king would
come and bring a time of unparalleled peace and prosperity to the world. The
hope for such a king is still very much with us, except that the king we hope
for is not a political ruler, but a king called happiness. When we try to be
king over our own happiness and fail it breeds frustration, anger, and a
growing resentment. When we try to be king over our own happiness and succeed
the results are not much more satisfying. Being king over our own happiness is
a rather thankless job, but is one we often pursue with persistence. The search
goes on all the time, but we feel the need and the desire with a special
intensity at this time of the year as we plan and hope for the perfect
Christmas.
Christmas
is also about another search. It is about God’s search for a wayward and wandering
people. It is about God’s work to set up a kingdom where He is the ruler. For
centuries God had worked through people like Abraham, Moses, David, and the
prophets, but, at Christmas, God came personally in His Son to set up His
Kingdom in us and among us. And those who submit to His rule discover a gift
called Blessedness. We seek happiness.
We are given Blessedness, a deeply held confidence that we are of value to God and
that our lives are significant
Christmas is about a God who is in search of you
and me to give us the gift of Blessedness. That gift is received by acceptance,
and that is the difficult part for many of us. Trying is what we are used to
doing and well trained at doing. Cultivating a mind and heart that knows how to
accept is a far more challenging step for many of us. We might take our cue
from the Wise Men who saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped
him.
From a sermon preached by
Henry Dobbs Pope
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell
Broyles
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