Are You Looking

It’s Christmas. Jesus’ birthday. But what can you possible give to the One whom not only has everything, but who created it all? The wise men probably asked the same question.

As scholars they were probably astute enough to navigate thousands of miles guided by a star. Influential enough to warrant an audience with King Herod & rich enough to undertake such a long journey carrying expensive presents. But in addition to ‘gold… incense and… myrrh,’ they gave Jesus some gifts that are priceless, including:

• Their time. Long before his birth they had invested years researching & preparing for it – not counting the two years it took them to travel to where He was born. Know what? We are as close to God today as we want to be, planned to be & took time to be.
• Their worship. Once they found Him, “They fell down & worshiped Him” (Mt 2:11). Worship changes us profoundly because when we stand in God’s presence with an open heart & let His spirit work in us, “We are…changed to be like Him” (2 Cor 3:18)
• Their hope. While those around saw only darkness, these men recognized, “The light that signs in the darkness” (Jn 1:5). And that has not changed. God’s love still shines brightest in the darkness of our dashed dreams & broken hearts.

So, in the midst of our family celebrations, take time out to be with Jesus. After all, it is His birthday. It is hard really to be in humbler circumstances than those surrounding the birth of Jesus though. Just imagine:

• The stable stinks, the ground is hard, the hay scarce. Cobwebs cling to the ceiling & a mouse scurries across the floor. Mary looks into the face of her Son. At this point the human being who best understands who God is & what He is doing, is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She remembers the angel’s words, “His Kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:33)
• Rags keeping Him warm, in a dirty sheep pen. Angels replaced with shepherds. Meanwhile the city is totally unaware that God has visited their planet. The innkeeper would never believe he had just sent God into the cold. And people would scoff at anyone who told them the messiah lay in the arms of a teenager on the outskirts of their village. They were all too busy to consider the possibility.
• But those who missed His arrival that night, missed it because they were not looking for Him. Little has changed in the last 2,000 years really, has it?
• The Bible says, “To those who look for Him, He will appear a second time to bring to full salvation those who eagerly wait for Him”. (Hebrews 9:28)

This Christmas – Look for Him.