“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:2 (New King James Version)

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As I started preparing my house for the Christmas season, I was thinking about the possible theme for decorating this year and settled on the theme, “The wise still seek Him.” In most traditional Christmas nativity scenes, we generally find three wise men kneeling or standing reverently, with their three gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh. By all Biblical accounts, it is probably more accurate that a group (we have no reference to the number) arrived considerably later than the nativity scene, at least four months (Ezra 7:9) but possibly even approaching the two-year mark following Jesus’ birth. The journey of seeking to worship Jesus would have taken serious effort. It would have cost them to seek, find and worship Jesus. It would have cost their time, their energy and their resources.

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Today, we find ourselves in a time in history where many do not want to pay the cost of seeking and worshipping, and yet He remains available to be found (Isaiah 55:6). We know that the wise always look for God’s way of redemption (Daniel 12:3). The wise know that Jesus is the answer for humanity’s greatest challenge of sin (John 14:6; 1 John 1:9).
 

At the time, gifts were given in worship by the wise. Worship always requires giving. The gifts given would have been extravagant in that time. What do we bring as gifts in our worship? What can we possibly bring the greatest gift-giver of all? We need to bring the greatest quality and quantity of ourselves; our effort, our time, energy and resources.

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I find it interesting that after worshipping Jesus, the wise departed changed. No, we don’t have an account of a conversion, but we know that after they left Jesus, “they departed into their own country another way.” The received the warning and heeded it and changed directions.

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We know that when a person comes into contact with Jesus, they are changed, and they leave a different way from the way they came. I pray you take the time as we fast approach the start of the advent season for 2020, to consider what you are seeking, and how you are worshipping the only one deserving of your worship. May we continue to seek Him and His kingdom first and only (Matthew 6:33).

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“Father God, we recognise the need to continue to seek Jesus and to bring Him our worship. We want to be counted amongst the wise who seek and worship the King of all kings. Amen”