1Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; Genesis 1: 14-15
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a]from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]”7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Matthew 2: 1-12
“So, the Magi people, or “wise men”, refers to the priestly caste of Zoroastrianism. As part of their religion, these priests paid particular attention to the stars and gained an international reputation for astrology, which was at that time highly regarded as a science. Their religious practices and use of astrology caused derivatives of the term Magi to be applied to the occult in general and led to the English term magic, although Zoroastrianism was in fact strongly opposed to sorcery. “
At Mountain View Church on Sunday, considering the season of Christmas, Pastor Todd has been teaching on the values from Jesus’ birth. It’s so fascinating to me, the Bible, and how often I have heard scriptures or read them but some how some way I always learn something new even if it’s the same story from before. It’s almost as if I have become a different person every time I read scripture giving me new meaning to my new understandings. Anyway, he read this chapter out loud with all of us and I was obsessed with the star!
All I could think about was how the Lord is the King Of The Universe and how often so many of my friends put so much emphasis and value on “The Universe” but come short of the true Glory Of God. The Lord uses the stars, the earth, and all life as tools to communicate his love and design for us. His birth brought forth a star above the barn that led these wise men to him and so many more! They weren’t even Israelites/Jewish as you would think he would do as his chosen people! No! The first people who gave Jesus gifts were men who spent their days looking up at the possibilities of life, studied God’s creation, followed it’s lead, did not believe in sorcery, and with the revelation in their hearts knew that our King was born. No, his earthly parents, in common understanding, did not drive a Benz, stay at a hotel filled with Gold, or have the finest doctors. Jesus was born simply, intimately, and lovingly. His birth created a star and his spirit was so magnetic it drew people in from all over.
The scripture also mentioned that they worshipped Jesus and so many people unknown of that word consider themselves non worshippers but we all worship. Pastor Todd explained it as, “Worshiping is revealing someones worth.” By giving gifts to someone you’re essentially worshiping them. By displaying acts of love and joy to someone you are worshipping them and presenting them their worth.
For me, I love to worship the Lord by choosing love and kindness in the most difficult and emotional places. Giving my love to God is like giving my niece her favorite present. She lights up with Joy! Joy is a reflection of being pleased! I love to follow Jesus’ advice because his Word and Commandments are Valuable to me. Even if in the temptation I want to lash out, give up, or pretend I remember that for my heart, for the people’s hearts around me, and for God’s heart I’m going to try and choose what Jesus says to do throughout the process. His advice isn’t temporary but for the long run. At the same time, when I follow his gentle whisper it helps my life blossom in unwavering truth and it brings me joy in my life to do as he says! And it brings him joy to see me happy! He rose to life again after he conquered death so that he can access all of our hearts and whisper truths to all of us. He’s so amazing and I love it.. alla it!
Jesus is the King of the Universe and ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!
PRAY. SEEK. RECEIVE. ENJOY. GIVE. SHARE. ENCOURAGE. UPLIFT.
DEN OF THE LIONESS 