We are so blessed and so fortunate to have the technology and freedom to worship Christ whenever we want. The only downfall to that, is we really don't take advantage of it. It is so much easier to do things that are convenient to us rather than something we don't necessarily feel like doing.
This is me, this is you, this is everybody. I am not trying to call anybody out, I am just trying to make you all aware that I believe we lack a willingness to worship. It's way more entertaining to watch some New Girl on Netflix. It's way more fun to go out to the movies with some friends. It sometimes is more fun to pull up Instagram rather than your Bible app.
This is just how things seem to be.
Tonight I want to make you aware of the Magi. Not much is known about them. The Bible doesn't talk about where they came from our how many of them there were. Tradition says that they were men of high position.
Why the Magi? I read Matthew 2 tonight and that chapter talks about how the Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and they were in search for the baby Jesus. The Magi knew that if they were able to follow the star, they were going to find baby Jesus...but how did they know to follow the star?
They could have been Jews who remained in Babylon after the exile and knew the Old Testament predictions of the Messiah's coming. They may have have been astrologers, who studied starts, planets, etc. Or they may have had a special message from God directing them to the Messiah.
When the Magi were in search for Jesus as soon as they found the star, they followed it until they found Jesus. When they saw the start they were overjoyed. Upon coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. They they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The Magi traveled thousands of miles to see the king of the Jews. (baby Jesus) They were so ecstatic when they found him. This is relatable to any long hike that I have done. I haven't ever hiked a thousand miles, but I have done long hikes and when you finally reach your destination, they feelings you get is overwhelming.
These wisemen had faith that if they followed a star they would find baby Jesus. When they found him, they worshipped him and gave him gifts...after coming from thousands of miles. This is so different from the approach that people often take today. We often expect God to come looking for us, to explain himself, to prove himself, prove who he is, and give us gifts. But those who were wise found him and worshipped him when he was just a baby.
Why can't we do that today? Where did our willingness to worship go? When did we decide to make worshipping God a less of a priority because it's not the most convenient? Or not the coolest thing to do in the eyes of people of this world?
I tell you all about this to encourage you, to build you up, to remind you to have a willingness to worship God liked the Magi did. There were probably hundreds of better options than walking thousands of miles to worship Jesus.
The last thing I want to take a look at is the dream they had. In a dream the Magi were warned by God not to go back to Herod, and that they should return to their country by another route.
King Herod was a brutal king. He has people killed all of the time. He thought he was going to get the Magi to tell him where they found baby Jesus so that he could kill him, but the Magi out smarted the evil and vile king.
After finding Jesus and worshipping him, the Magi were warned by God not to return through Jerusalem the way they intended...
Finding Jesus may mean that your life must take a different direction, one that is responsive and obedient to God's Word.
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