Saturday, January 7, 2017
Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." ... After listening to the king (Herod), they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
GOD'S HOLY WORD LEADS US TO OUR KING AND LORD
Sages from the East afar, When they saw this wondrous star,
Went to the find the King of nations, And to offer their oblations
Unto Him as Lord and King.
Guided by the star they found Him whose praise the ages sound,
We too have a star to guide us Which forever will provide us
With the light to find our Lord.
As a star God’s holy Word Leads us to our King and Lord;
Brightly from its sacred pages Shall this light throughout the ages
Shine upon our path of life.
(Worship Supplement 2000, 717)
It was an act of faith that brought the Wise Men all those miles to Bethlehem and the Christ-child. With their worship and their offerings they also gave outward evidence of faith within. We can speculate as to what prophet-inspired words were instrumental in all this (we remember that Daniel was among the Wise Men of ancient Persia), but this we do know for sure: "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). Of more benefit is our remembering that God has used His Word to bring us to worship and honor the promised Savior from sin and death born to Mary at Bethlehem.
Since God creates and sustains our faith by means of His Word, let us by all means make daily diligent use of that Word a planned priority in our lives. We have a special opportunity to do this tomorrow. And as we have just begun a New Year with prayers for renewed faithfulness in matters of faith, let us follow the revelation God has given us in the same way the Wise Men followed the star God used to lead them to their Lord. Every day. Until our journey brings us into His presence.
