Christmas Eve Service 2024

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What are you willing to give Jesus this Christmas?

Sermon

This advent season, we have been walking through the four themes of advent: hope, peace, joy, and love. One of the major themes we have been looking at is the idea of recapturing these things during Christmas. I don’t know about anyone else, but there are certainly moments when the idea of Christmas and everything that is involved in pulling off a great Christmas does not inspire feelings of hope, peace, joy, and love. For some people, I would dare say that Christmas can inspire just the opposite.

Over the course of the series, we have looked at the story of Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, and how they captured the themes with their individual situations and stories. This past Sunday we were reminded that we are to be people of love because of the immense love that God poured out to us by sending His son Jesus to die for us.

But with all the great stories, where would we be if we didn’t take time to talk about the wise men? These magi, traditionally depicted as three men on camel back, bearing three unique gifts for the Savior of the world. Yet tonight, I think the wise men after one of the greatest reminders as Christmas is just hours away.

So let’s dive into the story

Matthew 2:1–12 NLT

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ” Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

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Let me unpack a few things about this story that is not neatly laid out for us. Though there is very little known about the wise men and where they came from, it is held that these men were probably from Babylon or Persia. They would have had access to Jewish scriptures from the time of Israel’s exile. Which means these men would have traveled approximately 900 miles to be in Jerusalem for this moment. Now 900 miles feels like a long trip by today’s standards, even with the amazing entertainment systems that come with our vehicles. But these men traveled 900 miles on the backs of camels. Given the average speed of a camel, it would have taken these men 36 days if they traveled nonstop. Take into account that there would’ve been a number of stops for rest, food, water, shelter from harsh desert storms. Let’s be generous and say it took them 72 days, or 2.5 months to make the trip. That means they took 5 months out of their lives to pursue this Messiah. Add in the time to prepare for the trip, plus time taken to figure out where exactly this Messiah was supposed to be born. Let’s say 7 months. Imagine putting your life on hold for 7 straight months to pursue a Messiah that was written about in Scriptures that were hundreds of years old. Imagine that conversation with your spouse. “Honey, I’m going to put our lives on hold for 7 months, be gone for 6 of them, to track down this thing I read about in a book that is over 400 years old.” There may be have some objections.

Then they arrive in Jerusalem, and I’m sure they were confused by what they saw. The promised king had been born, yet everyone seemed to be going about their lives as if nothing had happened. When they bring it up to King Herod, he and his staff go on edge. Herod goes on edge because he is a paranoid psychopath, and his staff goes on edge because Herod is paranoid psychopath. These men of the east are excited to meet this promised king, yet the very people the king was coming for seem to be stressed out by this news.

Then the wise men continue on and find Jesus. He isn’t in a castle, he isn’t dressed in royal robes. He is the son of this poor young couple, struggling to make ends meet. But the wise men don’t let appearances fool them. They know they have found the King of Kings. Since it is improper to appear by a king empty handed, they bestow on him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold, and gift fit for a king. Frankincense, a gift fit for a priest. Myrrh, a gift fit for a sacrifice.

My question for you this Christmas is, what are you willing to give Jesus? The wise men didn’t just give material wealth. They gave of their time and energy. In many ways, they risked their lives for this meeting. These men pursued a chance to meet the Son of God, a God that they didn’t even believe in prior to this moment.

What are you willing to give? Maybe it is just taking a moment tomorrow to tell the Christmas story to your kids or grandkids. Maybe it is resisting the urge to sleep in and still getting up to have some time with Jesus before the day gets started. What can you give Jesus this Christmas? Because it would be kind of ironic to celebrate Christmas and forget about Christ in the midst of it, wouldn’t it?

The truth is that, as impressive as the feat of the wise men all those years ago is, it pails in comparison to what God has done for you. The Apostle Paul reminds us with this

Romans 8:32 NLT

Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?

Later on in the chapter, Paul says this:

Romans 8:38–39 NLT

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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In light of the immense love that God displays for each of you, the epitome of which is the reason for the season we are in, the only appropriate response is to give something back.

So I ask you again, what are you willing to give to Jesus tomorrow as part of your Christmas? Maybe it is recommitting to follow Him with your whole life? Maybe it is committing to follow Him for the first time. Maybe it is a small act of kindness for someone in light of Jesus’ love for you. Whatever it may be, know that God loves you, nothing in all of creation can ever change that.

Let’s light some candles.