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.

 

 

When we read this story of the mysterious Magi from the East (Babalon), most of us miss the connection.   These Wise Men who sought out the Messiah, the Christ, the King that was foretold, the one who would change the world forever.  We know that Nebuchadnezzar had taken the treasures from the first temple in Jerusalem, frankincense, gold, and myrrh among them.   The connection:  (Dan. 5:11) The men that Daniel was put in charge of were called Magi; Daniel was the chief of the Magi.   We also know that Daniel's visions of the coming Christ would have been told to these men.  These men were no accident; they were converts, they were more than likely descendants of these men that Daniel was made chief over.    So when we read this Christmas story, the coming of these wise men from the east we should not miss that they had brought back to honor God the things that had been taken from the temple.  

 

 

This is a reminder that we should all the days of our lives seek to honor the Lord, to pursue the things of God in Christ Jesus, and bring our sacrifice of praise and honor Him with our lives, serving Him with all that is within us.

 

 

 

I pray that you would be caught up in the ahh that is Christ this Christmas, that you would read the coming of Christ, and that God would reveal the depth of its power, that you hearts would burn within you, that your desire to serve Him in this new year would be greater than ever before.  In Jesus' name, amen! 

 

 

 

9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 

~Luke 2:9-10

 

The greatest birth announcement in the history of man, the Son of the Most High God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Great I Am, it was not before Kings and men of great position, but it was brought to everyday dudes, working me, guys doing the work that most would not do.   If anyone fit John 3:16 "Whosoever", these guys did.   That is the good news, that it is for "Everyone", the least likely, the most unexpected, it is for all who "Receive" it.

 

Something about these shepherds, many were uneducated and unskilled, they were not only considered social outcasts but were also considered spiritually unclean. Shepherds had to constantly care for the sheep and were not able to adhere to all the extra ceremonial laws and cleanliness stipulations that Pharisees were imposing on the people. 

 

But let's not completely overlook that these shepherds were more than likely tending sacrificial lambs for the Jerusalem Temples.  Is that not something to cause pause, cause you to stop for a moment to ponder, those tending sacrificial lambs would meet the lamb of God given for the sins of the world.   Let that sink in!

 

This is a reminder that:

• It is not your position.
• It is not your education.
• It is not based on how good you are.
• It is not based on your past.
• It is not based on your family tree, the stock you come from.

 

You are a "Whosoever!"

 

 

These shepherds would share the good news everywhere they went; they had experienced the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Lamb of God.

 

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,~Luke 1:17

The application here is to share the good news of Christ the Savior, so that everyone you encounter would know the good news.

 

 

I pray that we would be bolder this year, reach more with your good news, that we, like these lowly shepherds, would not keep quiet, that we would shout it from the rooftops, that no one would miss it, because Joy and Peace have come to us, and it is a gift to be shared.