After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, Magi (wise men) from the east came to Jerusalem to find the “King of the Jews.” Having seen his star when it rose, they journeyed to come and worship him. After learning from Herod and the chief priests and scribes that Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, they journeyed there, and having seen the star that rose before them, they followed on until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When the Magi saw the child Jesus and his mother Mary, they fell down and worshiped him. They opened their treasures, offered him the gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh, and returned home, skirting Herod’s path, having been warned in a dream to avoid him. Through God’s own special revelation, the Magi sought to find and worship Israel’s messiah-king. Like them, let us seek and adore the Child, of the ancestry of David, who is destined to reign as King and Lord of the eternal Kingdom of God.

In ancient times, God provided the Magi of our modern-day Middle East with the strength and courage to seek and find the newly born Messiah, who will reign as Lord over his Kingdom. Through the Gospel today, God continues to send the light of the Gospel to the nations, that they may find and worship Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Open the eyes of the nations to see who your Son truly is: Jesus of Nazareth, our Savior and the soon-to-reign Messiah, our Lord and King.

“The worship of God’s people in the Bible is distinctive in that it is regularly presented as the worship offered by those who have been redeemed. Acceptable worship does not start with human intuition or inventiveness, but with the action of God. The earliest books of the Bible emphasize God’s initiative in revealing his character and will to his people, rescuing them from other lords in order to serve him exclusively, and establishing the pattern of response by which their relationship with him could be maintained.”

~ David G. Peterson, Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992. p. 26.

Let God Arise! Seasonal Focus
Christ the Savior Is Born, Luke 2.8-20

Book Reading
Peterson, Engaging with God