Put the Pieces Together

How old do you think Jesus was when the wise men visited? Do you envision Him being just a few days old? A few weeks? From where have you gotten that image? Has it been influenced by popular culture? Would it impact your faith if your image was incorrect?

The liturgical calendar of the church has us recognizing this Sunday as Epiphany Sunday. Epiphany is celebrated twelve days after Christmas. This year, it is Monday, January 6. Therefore, we celebrate is Sunday. Epiphany is when we recognize the wise men’s visit.

Unfortunately, we may think it was twelve days after Jesus’ birth that the wise men made their visit, which is not necessarily true. We can state it was more than eight days after Jesus was born for Luke 2:21 tells us that Jesus was circumcised according to Jewish custom on the eighth day and named Jesus. The Jews would formally name their male children on the day of their circumcision. This also confirms that Mary and Joseph followed the Jewish law.

Another interesting fact is Matthew states Bethlehem of Judea to indicate the Bethlehem that was just five miles south of Jerusalem rather than the Bethlehem of Zebulun, which was north. Yes, there were two different Bethlehem’s, and it was important to indicate the City of David, which fulfilled prophecy.

It is also very possible these wise men were Jewish. Minimally, they were familiar with the Jewish Scriptures and prophecy. These wise men knew a significant event had occurred. It is possible, and even likely, God guided these wise men to Jerusalem. They King Herod to enquire about the newborn king. We would be wise to enquire about the King of kings as well.

I pray we all seek the truth rather than cultural traditions. I pray we seek to understand Jewish customs. I pray each one of us will seek to know more about Jesus, the King of kings. Seek the truth. Understand Jewish customs. Put the pieces together. Seek to know more about Jesus.

Matthew 2:1-2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”

A New Thing

Are you ready for the calendar to turn over? Are you hoping the new year will be better than the last one? Are you setting goals for yourself in the new year? Have you decided you will change direction in the coming year? What is your motivation for the new year?

When the calendar turns over to a new year, many people have renewed hope and renewed determination. Unfortunately, many of their resolutions fall to the wayside within a few weeks. They have good intentions. They may want to change. Yet, their resolve wains.

A new year may open new possibilities for us. Some will be graduating from high school or college and looking to get into the workforce full time. Their dreams are in front of them. They have high hopes. Their desire to be productive members of society is strong. As parents and grandparents, we wish them well and cheer them on.

Some are starting new jobs and hoping they turn out to be the right job. They have spent months (and maybe years) looking for the right job while working another job to pay the bills. Their hope is high. The new job is exciting. There is a lot to learn. They dive into the new job headfirst, seeking to make a good first impression.

Some are looking for a new relationship. They may have broken off a bad relationship late in the previous year. They are being more selective with who they decide to date. They may be looking for specific qualities for a future mate. They feel some trepidations yet are also filled with hope.

God did a new thing. We just celebrated it last week. He sent his Son to be an infant born of a virgin. His Son would grow into an adult and minister to the people He encountered for a little more than three years. His teachings would amaze the people of the day, and they still amaze us today. His miracles of feeding thousands with very little food, healing the sick, healing the lepers, and raising people from the dead would both amaze people and draw them to Him.

As we seek to start something new in the coming year, perhaps we should start by spending more time focusing on Jesus and all He has done. We should also seek to see Him working in our daily lives. Jesus has promised to never leave us (Matthew 28:20). Might I suggest we remember each and every day that Jesus is with us.

If we want our new year to be better, we must focus more on Jesus and less on this world. That doesn’t mean everything will go as we plan. It does mean that we can count on God to get us through whatever we may face with more peace, comfort, and joy than we would otherwise. Life can be hard. It is made easier by depending on God in all situations.

Isaiah 43:19

I am about to do a new thing; 

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? 

I will make a way in the wilderness 

and rivers in the desert.

Paying Tribute

To whom do you pay tribute? How do you pay tribute? What is the reason beyond you paying tribute? Is your tribute financial? Is it paying respect? Is it honoring someone else? Is it praising someone else? Or are you only focused on your own accomplishments?

We don’t often use the word tribute for paying taxes, honoring someone, or praising someone for a significant accomplishment. Yet, that is what we are doing. Paying taxes is a requirement, even if one we wish we did not have to do. Honoring or praising someone else is voluntary.

When the Magi brought gifts to the baby Jesus, they were doing so voluntarily. They had read the prophecies, saw the signs, and were paying tribute to the King of kings. We may think it foolish that they brought such gifts as frankincense, gold, and myrrh to an infant. Yet, this was God’s plan. Each gift was valuable. Mary and Joseph were poor. And God was going to send them to Egypt to stay for a while. The gifts would have paid for their travels.

We, too, can bring gifts to Jesus. We can give financially to the church we belong to. Rather than viewing it as giving to an institution, we should view it as giving it to Jesus. Churches have a group of leaders who determine how those funds are spent. Being part of that leadership, I can truthfully state the leaders pray about how to be good stewards of those funds. They pray for God’s guidance.

We can also pay tribute to Jesus in other ways. We can bring our spiritual gifts and physical talents to the work He has set before the church. We can praise Him every day and especially when we are in corporate worship. We can honor Him through obedience to His commands—namely by loving God and loving our neighbor.

I pray we all decide to pay tribute to Jesus. I pray we give financially to God’s work in this world. I pray each of us will put our spiritual gifts and physical talents to work to execute God’s plan for the local church. Pay tribute to Jesus. Give financially. Give your spiritual gifts. Give your physical talents.

Psalm 72:10

May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles 

render him tribute, 

may the kings of Sheba and Seba 

bring gifts.

Praying for Leaders

What is your opinion of your nation’s leaders? Do you think it matters? Have you become indifferent? Do you pray for them? Don’t you think you should? What would you include in a prayer for them? Would pray they turn to God? Would you pray that God would guide them?

Praying for our leaders may feel odd to us at first. However, if we want to see God working in our nation, we need to pray for our leaders at all levels. We need to pray that God guide them and that they turn to God for guidance. God can and will do amazing things.

In today’s passage, the Psalmist is the king of Israel. Yet, this Psalm is viewed as having a dual intention. Yes, the Psalmist is praying for the king but is also prophesying the coming of the Messiah. It is common for prophesies of the Old Testament prophets to have dual meanings. Often there was a short-term meaning and a long-term meaning.

The seventy-second Psalm is credited to Solomon. He may have been praying for himself in this Psalm or perhaps his son who would take the throne. At the same time, he is prophesying of the coming Messiah. Solomon, regarded as the wisest man to live, had his faults. He needed God to guide him to rule Israel wisely. Still, he made mistakes.

Our leaders are human. They make mistakes. They need God’s guidance to rule justly. They need God’s wisdom to make wise decisions. They need God to be with them every moment of every day. That is where our prayers come in. As we pray for God to open their hearts and minds to him and pray that God be their guide, we will see God working in them.

I pray we all decide to pray for our nation’s leaders. I pray we pray for our leaders at all levels. I pray each one of us will follow the example of Solomon and pray for righteousness and justice. Pray for our nation’s leaders. Pray for all leaders. As God to guide them. Pray they rule with righteousness. Pray they rule justly.

Psalm 72:1-2

Give the king your justice, O God, 

and your righteousness to a king’s son. 

May he judge your people with righteousness, 

and your poor with justice.

Treasured Word(s)

Have you ever been curious about something you heard? Was the curiosity due to what you heard being amazing? Did you decide you had to go see it? Did you think it could not possibly be true? What did you find when you went to where it was?

We may hear of amazing things. If it is within driving distance, we may choose to go see it for ourselves. We may not think it is possible. We will only believe it if we see it. But how do we react when we find that it is true?

The shepherds had an amazing sight with the angels visited them and gave them the message about Jesus. Yet, the shepherds were not done for the evening. They decided they had to go see for themselves. So, they headed out right away to Bethlehem to find the newborn King along with Mary and Joseph.

Once they had seen the babe, they left rejoicing. Do we rejoice? Imagine how our lives would change if we rejoiced regularly. Imagine how big an impact we could make on those around us and in our world by rejoicing and celebrating Jesus all year long.

Though Mary did not go trotting down the street with the shepherds rejoicing, she treasured their words and pondered them. Imagine how our lives would be changed if we treasured God’s Word. Imagine how our thinking would change if we pondered them. Our entire life would be turned upside down, just as Jesus intended.

I pray we all celebrate Jesus and rejoice at His coming. I pray we treasure God’s Word and spend time reading it. I pray each one of us will ponder God’s Word and renew our minds in doing so. Celebrate Jesus. Rejoice at Jesus’ coming. Treasure God’s Word. Ponder God’s Word. Renew your minds.

Luke 2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”

In Jesus’ Name

How do you approach the things you need to do? What is your attitude at work? Who is your inspiration for all you do? What is your motivation to accomplish your tasks? Are you striving for high achievements? Do you wish you had a great inspiration for those daily tasks?

Our attitude toward daily life, its daily tasks, and the mundane determines not only how we approach them but how well we will do them. Think not? We don’t typically like cleaning. We do enough to make things look decent but not always a deep cleaning.

Yet, if we approach every task as though it was for God, we might take them a little more seriously. If we cleaned our house as if cleaning it for Jesus, we might spend a little more time on those corners and the baseboards. But rather than cleaning because we want to impress, we should clean with the joy of the Lord. By the way, substitute any other task for cleaning.

Notice in today’s passage that we are to thank God while we are completing those daily tasks. Why? God has blessed so that we can complete them. We like to say there is always someone worse off than us. We should thank God we are as able to walk, see, speak, and listen. So, thank God while working on those daily tasks.

Having a positive attitude, an attitude of Christ, can make all the difference in how we go about our daily tasks. Giving thanks to God is a good way to change our attitude. Therefore, as we give thanks, our attitude gets better and as our attitude gets better, we perform better and as we perform better, we give thanks more.

I pray we all choose to give thanks to God. I pray we choose to have the attitude of Jesus. I pray each one of us do everything we do and say everything we say in the name of Jesus. Give thanks to God. Have the attitude of Jesus. Do everything in Jesus’ name.

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Perfect Harmony

What does harmony mean to you? Do you instantly think of the Eagles, a group who is the master of up to seven-part harmony? Do you think of the harmony of a great sports team where teammates play well together? What about your relationships with others?

Harmony is spoken of in many contexts. Personally, I love to hear the harmony of the Eagles. Seven Bridges Road is an absolutely beautiful song. Great sports teams also have great harmony. In today’s NFL, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are often talked about in this way.

When it comes to relationship, we need harmony as well. It doesn’t matter if we are speaking about our work relationships, family relationships, or church relationships. All of them need good harmony for things to go well. When the harmony is disrupted, frustration and anger set in. It becomes difficult to get the harmony back. There are too many ‘me first’ attitudes in the way. And we must remember, it takes at least two people to harmonize.

The Apostle Paul tells the church in Colossae to clothe themselves with love. We, too, must clothe ourselves with love. That love must put others ahead of ourselves. We must be willing to serve others with love. That is the only way we can become more like Jesus. If we merely say we love others and continue to do things out of selfish ambition, we lie to ourselves.

Loving others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ, will bind us together in perfect harmony. It is not just good harmony or even great harmony. It is perfect harmony. It is the harmony that can only come from God and by loving one another in the same way Jesus loves us. That kind of harmony can change the world.

I pray we all enjoy harmony. I pray we choose to love one another as Jesus loves us. I pray each one of us will serve one another with love and work toward creating perfect harmony. Enjoy harmony. Love one another. Love as Jesus loves. Be bound together. Seek perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

The Day After

How was your Christmas day? Was it a busy day spent with family? Did you go from one place to another? Were you the host of several family members? Did you spend the day alone? Were there family traditions upheld? Are you ready for some rest? How will you move forward?

Christmas day is different for many people. Some are bouncing around from one house to another. Some are the host for family gatherings. There are family traditions to carry on. But some spend the day alone. There will even be some who must deal with grief and sorrow.

Those of us who enjoyed a boisterous and happy day, when it is all over, we need a breather. We need to take time to rest a bit. It is simply a very busy season in our current world. Yet, there is also another important decision to make amidst the potential emotional letdown—we need to decide how to move forward.

It is more important for us to follow the Apostle Paul’s guidance to the church in Colossae than ever. For it is in a time of depression, coming down from an emotional high, that we can also turn away from being like Christ. We just remembered and celebrated His wonderful birth. We celebrated the freedom we have because He came to save us. Yet, we can quickly become ugly in attitude and actions.

Recommitting ourselves to compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience will keep us from crashing after the emotional high. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the gifts God has given us. We just should not forget that we are his ambassadors here on earth. Each day requires us to make a decision to be a good ambassador or revert to a heathen attitude.

I pray we all enjoyed Christmas celebrations. I pray we remember we are God’s ambassadors. I pray each one of us clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. You are God’s ambassador. Be compassionate. Be kind. Be humble. Be meek. Be patient.

Colossians 3:12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

Light of the World

When the time is right, things happen. When it is time for a baby to be delivered, it doesn’t matter where you are, the baby is coming. The same is true of God’s timing. When the appointed time arrives, God will do what he has promised to do.

Isaiah had prophesied a Son would be given, that He would have all authority, and He would be the Savior of the world. He had also prophesied the Son would be born of a virgin. It all happened as Isaiah prophesied. The Light, Jesus, came into this dark world.

Think about the ways God worked through people who had no idea who he is to make the prophecies come true. He worked through Caesar, causing him to call for a census. He worked throughout the lineage of David. He set up his plan hundreds of years in advance and positioned people along the way.

God sent the angel Gabriel to let Zechariah know he and Elizabeth would have a son. He sent Gabriel to tell Mary she would have a Son. God brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. He even ensured it would be crowded so there was no guest room available to them so that his Son would lie in a manger.

There is a song titled In A Manger by Paul Good. One idea presented in it is the Bread of Life came to lie in a manger. Think about that for just a moment. The hay the animals would normally eat was the cushion for our livelihood. The imagery that appears random on the surface becomes a purposeful message to us.

I pray we all know the Light came into a dark world. I pray we know God is working through us. I pray each one of us understand that Jesus’ coming into the world as a babe in a manger was on purpose. See the Light. See God working. Know Jesus came for you. Know the purpose for Jesus.

Luke 2:6-7 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

The Nuances

Many will attend a Christmas Eve service this evening. But how many pay close attention to the Scriptures that are read? How many will make note and read them again? How many will catch the nuances of those passages? How many will ask questions to better understand?

There are many things in the Scriptures, little nuances, cultural references that we miss when we read or hear the Christmas story. One of the favorites that will be read today is Isaiah 9:6. It is one that is often posted on social media to point out God’s plan for Jesus come into the world.

Isaiah prophesied more than seven-hundred years before Jesus was born. The first thing this tells us is God had planned to come into this world long before Jesus came. God knew there was no other way to reconcile the human race with him. The Father had to send the Son. The Son knew He had to come.

Perhaps one of the most important nuances we miss in today’s passage is Isaiah’s reference to God as one and referencing all three personhoods. He references God as one when he says he will be called Mighty God. We sometimes say Almighty God, which is means the same. But notice how he goes on to reference all three personhoods:

The Father = Everlasting Father

The Son = Prince of Peace

Holy Spirit = Wonderful Counselor.

Isaiah states authority rests upon his shoulders. Jesus displayed His authority while carrying out His teachings and performing miracles. He also spoke of His authority when He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). He said this as He was sending His disciples out with what we call the great commission.

I pray we all pay close attention as Scripture is read. I pray we take time to read them again. I pray each one of us will seek to catch the nuances in Scripture and better understand God’s plan. Pay close attention. See the nuances. Seek to better understand. Know God has a plan.

Isaiah 9:6

For a child has been born for us, 

a son given to us; 

authority rests upon his shoulders; 

and he is named 

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.