December 9, 2007
Rev. Terry D. Campbell

Prepared for Christmas: 2. Resources
Matthew 2:1-11

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ²and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’

³When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ 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 be the shepherd of my people Israel.” ‘

⁷Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.’

⁹After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹On 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 and of incense and of myrrh.”

Today’s traditional American Christmas begins with focusing on the malls and stores of America. Perhaps this looks familiar. (Video of mall shopping filled with intense, tired people.) We learned to give Christmas gifts from the magi who came to find Jesus. Since He is not physically here, we give expressions of love to one another. Unfortunately, in many cases this has evolved into our bowing so much at the altar of the Mall that we fail to remember the message of the manger of the Christ Child—God at work in our world.

How shall we prepare our resources of money, of attention and personal presence for observing Christmas? Will it be the same old same old this year? Or will we experience divine inspiration about honoring the Christ Child with our resources? Preparing for Christmas involves opening our eyes and looking around!

Go see where God is working.

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem”

Christmas is about God, Himself, looking out from heaven, coming to earth, and reaching out to meet needs. Christmas is God working in our world to make His life and grace concrete. (That’s the Incarnation) God became a human being in Jesus of Nazareth. The Creator became a part of His creation. It is a mystery but it is a blessed miracle because in the incarnation, God demonstrates His love for us and tangibly provides the gift of salvation Himself.

Reputable Bible scholars think that Jesus was probably one or two years old when the Magi finally arrived. Remember that it took some time to get there after they first saw the Star. They were now in a house in Bethlehem and the baby was then called a “child” rather than a baby. Plus Herod got from the magi that the baby was born two year ago or less. The Magi traveled thousands of miles to see the king of the Jews. They found him and responded with joy, worship, and gifts.

God is seeking to be made real today in hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, food pantries. God is an advocate for the poor, the widow, the orphan. Deut. 10:18-“He (God) defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.”

Zech. 7:10-“’Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.’” It is important for us to go see where God is wanting to work! And then, like the magi . . .

Invest in what God is doing.

“‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’”

The magi wanted to not only see, but to honor Jesus—to tangibly give Him praise with gifts. They thought about what would be gifts that would be fitting for the Christ Child.

There’s nothing wrong with giving gifts to our loved ones! By them we have a way to express our caring and love. Jesus said that it is blessed to give. We give out of love—usually—sometimes out of obligation—but usually to people who want but don’t need.

Like the Magi, we, too, need to invest in what God is doing so we honor God. How will you use your resources this Christmas Season? Like the Magi, we must get out of our comfort zones and attempt to do God’s work.

Will you only do nice things, or will you do some good things, God-things, too? Will you include doing some “good” things for people you don’t ordinarily help? Will your possessions this Christmas help you kneel to worship the Christ Child or to worship the Mall?

Include one or two gifts for the needy “stranger”:

The point is to serve and worship Jesus at Christmas time, not forget Him in a flurry of shopping.

Follow the divine rather than the human impulse.

⁸He (Herod) sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.’ ⁹After they (magi) had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.”

The Herod spirit versus the Jesus Spirit. King Herod’s attitude or reaction was to be threatened by what Jesus might take from him. Jesus was an “intrusion” into his Christmas time of the year. The magi were only concerned with what they could give Jesus. Let’s be honest, sometimes doing the things that would please Jesus at Christmas time are more like an intrusion and out of place to us. We’re more familiar with blessing each other and ourselves than we are with worshipping and honoring Him. We need to be aware of the divine impulse and follow it as well as the human one.

Tell about God by your giving.

“¹¹On 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 and of incense and of myrrh.”

The magi may have been Zoroastrians or some other pagan religion that studied the movement of the stars. But they were also seekers of truth and desirous of following the Truth when they found it. The gifts they gave showed who they through Him to be—the special one—the Promised One and they gave Him royal gifts.

Our use of our resources at Christmas is meant to bring us to our knees at the manger so that people may see God’s light and love in us, rather than bringing us to our knees in utter exhaustion. You’ll be showing that Jesus lives in your heart, in this gift, and in the presence of those to whom you are ministering.

What will you do now?

Are you preparing for Christmas by finding ways to honor and serve the Christ Child with your various resources? What can you put in to your holiday schedule this year so that you, too, will bow in service before Him? Amen.