Christmas Candlelight Meditation
Notes
Transcript
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
“ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Scripture: Matthew 1:24-2:12
Candlelight Service Meditation
Brothers and sisters in Christ, when I was growing up one of my family’s Christmas decorations, and I’m guessing it’s true many of you have them, too, was a nativity scene in our home. They might have a few variations, but they’re all fairly similar: a wooden stable, maybe with some hay on the floor, figurines of Mary and Joseph, the baby Jesus in a manger, some shepherds, some animals, a star, and perhaps angels. I’m pretty sure my parents’ set also had wise men or the Magi with their gifts.
You’ve probably heard or read about their part in this before. We don’t know exactly where they came from, just “the east.” We don’t know how many there were. Three has been a common understanding, obviously incorporated into the song, “We Three Kings,” because of the three gifts we heard in verse 11. We don’t know that they were royalty, though. They brought valuable gifts, which implies that they were men of means, but they appear to have been some kind of astrologers who used the skies and stars to interpret world events.
However, it’s unlikely that they were at the stable, that they arrived when Jesus was a newborn baby still lying in the manger with his parents unable to find room in more suitable lodging or housing. Why do I say that? Several reasons. If we look at verse 1, notice how it’s, “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem…[these men] arrived in Jerusalem.” Verse 2 also has a past tense phrasing, “…‘Where is he who has been born…” They came looking for someone who they believed to already be alive. Bethlehem isn’t much more than 6 miles away from Jerusalem—it’s not a long distance by any means, so, the phrasing points to after the birth. Another piece—if we look at the Luke 2 account, we find Jesus referred to as a baby—the Greek word is “brephos,” but in Matthew 2 verses 9 and 11, Jesus is referred to as a child—the Greek word is “paidion.” It’s possible this is just how each of these writers write, but it likely shows us a difference time.
A couple other details worth nothing. In Matthew 2 verse 11, they have followed the star to a house—this doesn’t seem to be the meager birthplace. And finally, had we read through to verse 16, Herod ordered a “massacre” of “all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under.” It is possible that Joseph, Mary, and Jesus spent some extra time in Bethlehem before planning their return to Nazareth, that Jesus aged several months, even being over a year old at the point when the Magi came to town.
My goal in telling you all this isn’t just to set you straight about dates or to try and keep wise men out of nativity scenes. I want us to reflect on why this is included in Matthew’s gospel and why this visit happened. According to verse 2, these Magi or wise men were seeking the “king of the Jews.” It makes logical sense that the first place they would come was the ancient capital of Israel—the city of Jerusalem. Yet we’re told it wasn’t historical or political reasons that they came here. No, they came here because they followed a star there, somehow knowing this would lead to a King. While we should probably question their vocation, it wasn’t just coincidence or superstition. God was at work; he had brought them there. He allowed for the news of this royal birth to be publicized in Jerusalem.
Perhaps they came to the big city with the mindset that everyone knew about this child, the infant king. But there was no buzz around town. In fact, they quickly learned that the goal of their trek “disturbed” people. Disturbing can be defined as frightening or causing terror or stirring up. As striking as it may have been for a king to hear of another authority in his region, it also “disturbed” the city and its leaders and all who heard. Who was this new king?
Given the gravity, how could they, the Jews have missed it? How could these Gentiles seem to know more? In a year in which we’ve spent a lot of talking looking at the spread of the gospel to Jews and Gentiles in the book of Acts—that wasn’t something that began only after Jesus ascended. God was already at work when Jesus was a baby. God had brought these men to encounter the infant or toddler King. The Jews had missed their Messiah’s birth. God brought strangers and foreigners to welcome and worship him.
Learning from Scripture that the King should be in Bethlehem, the Magi continued their travels. God put the star in the sky once more to lead them to the place where they could worship. That, we’re told in verse 2 was the whole reason why they came, not only to respectfully meet royalty, but to worship him and offer their gifts. These weren’t any old gifts, they didn’t bring Pampers or bibs or bottles or cute onesies. No, they brought gifts fit for a king: gold, incense, and myrrh. The wise men had no connections to the family, no citizenship in this region. If they believed in the God of Israel, he likely wasn’t the only god that they professed belief in. We don’t even know, though, if they comprehend that this was God in the flesh. Yet what God had inspired, having drawn them all this way, was that they should bring of their best and offer it to this King.
I know I’m probably sounding like a broken record on the theme and action of worship throughout this season, but I’ll say it anyway. If these strangers were willing and called to do this, how much more are we, who unshakably profess faith in one God and our salvation in him—how much more are we called to intentionally worship and offer our best gifts to him? As one Bible dictionary puts it, a gift is “a favor or item bestowed on someone.” We can, and should, talk all day long about Jesus, the Christ, the King of the Jews and the Gentiles, being God’s greatest gift to us. He has given this gift, this favor, knowing that we cannot repay him. Yet what he has given—in Christ and all his benefits—creates an opportunity for us to live in such gratitude by giving ourselves. Whatever we have, be it finances and savings, resources of land or precious commodities, wonderful talents and skills, the ability to serve and to work—all that we have can be given as a token of our appreciation to God in love of him and love of others. Amen.