The second chapter of Matthew's gospel tells us of the journey of the Magi (astronomers, wise men, kings) to see and pay homage to a newborn king, Jesus of Nazareth. They followed a star that led them to the general vicinity of his birthplace. Along the way, they encountered Herod, whose advisors informed him of the prophesied birthplace of the Messiah, Bethlehem. When Herod passed the information on the the Magi they set off to complete their journey. Herod feigned interest in joining with the Magi in worshipping the new king, but really he wanted to kill him! Herod was not a nice man.
The Magi came with gifts for the newborn king: gold, frankincence, and myrrh. These gifts are symbolic of who Jesus is. Gold represents Jesus' royalty - the King of kings. Frankincense represents Jesus' priesthood - the one who offers up the sacrifice to God for the atonement of the people. Myrrh (a burial spice) represents Jesus' ultimate sacrifice - his death on a cross. Jesus not only offers up the sacrifice for atonement, he IS the sacrifice for atonement.
When they finally found Jesus after their very long journey, they gave him one more gift - a gift that we, too, can give him: worship.
The journey of the Magi to Jesus ended in worship of Jesus. Our journey to Jesus will end in worship of Jesus too! When we truly seek him, we will find him. No exceptions! We might encounter evilness along the way, as the Magi encoutered King Herod, but nothing can prevent us from finding Jesus when we truly seek him. When we find him and recognize him for who he really is, we will joyfully give him all we have to give. And then we will worship him. And then he will transform us.
We will not go back to Herod, but seek to avoid the Evil One. We will go back to our everyday life, but we will live it differently, according to God's desires instead of our own. Once we have a true encounter with Jesus Christ, we will realize that this is no mere man; we will realize that we have encountered God! We will worship him and be transformed.
As we begin a new year together, let us be transformed together through our worship of Jesus Christ.
Be blessed,
Pastor Mark
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