"They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Because they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route."
~Matthew 2:11-12 (CEB)
The quest of the magi had finally brought them to the place where the newborn king lay with his mother Mary. They had come all this way and talked with handfuls of people to find him so they might honor him with gifts fit for a king. These men were different from the Jews in the area; they were Gentiles who possessed a completely different heritage and worldview…and yet, when they saw Jesus, they fell to their knees in worship.
|| Could it be that the birth of Christ might be a way to break through the barriers of class, race and religion and bring the outsider in? ||
Having seen the light from the star the magi had no choice but to respond to the divine initiative. Compelled to act, they gathered supplies for a potentially lengthy journey bringing with them gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Their response was one of generosity, humility and honor.
|| Does the birth of Christ compel you to respond? How? ||
|| What might become of Advent if we were to give ourselves as gifts of worship to the newborn king? ||
*I am humbled to have been asked to write this post as part of the 2010 Advent Blog Tour featuring the Common English Bible (read here to win a free copy). 25 bloggers over 25 days highlighting 25 passages from the CEB. This post is day 22.
1 comments:
Perhaps that's God's message here: The poor, dirty shepherds came and worshipped, then the wealthy, opulent Magi came and worshipped. There are no distinctions with God. In the end "every knee will bow."
Thanks for a very insightful Advent reflection!
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