Tis the season to celebrate, buy gifts, and eat foods we only eat once a year. It is the season to attend events we don’t really care for, but someone asked us, so we went. It is the season to exhaust ourselves with all sorts of Christmas traditions and festivities, Tis the season to do all sorts of things in the name of Christmas that has nothing to do with the Christ of Christmas. In Matthew 2:1-2 we find wise men coming from the east, and saying they are coming “to worship Him.”
Matthew 2:1-2 “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”
I find these wise men were much like people of today. Multitudes will flock to churches during the Christmas season that normally do not attend church. It is their tradition. It is something they do that is expected, or that gives them a warm fuzzy feeling once or twice a year. Yet, there is no evidence of Christ in their daily lives. These wise men said they were there to worship, but it was not worship that the Bible speaks about.
They had heard and thought of Him as the one to be King of the Jews, but there is no evidence that shows they believed He was divine. They did not come to honor Him as God in the flesh. The original word for worship means to fall down prostrate before the one you are worshiping. This they did, but they also did this before other kings, such as Herod, the one who told them to go find Jesus. In their minds, they were paying homage to the newborn king of the Jews.
They had seen an extraordinary star like they had never seen before. Their curiosity caused them to pursue and follow the star to see what it indicated. Word spread across the region, and Herod felt threatened, so he sent the wise men to see what this birth was about.
They used the excuse that they came to worship, but their understanding was far from what God expects from us as His followers. The word worship means to give worth, to adore, or to show reverence. It is an act that comes from the heart. It must engage the mind and the emotions. It is not uncommon to see people attending church each week without showing any signs of worship. When we worship, it should move us to react to what God has done for us. When you love someone, there will be a positive response that can be seen by others and felt by the one you love. Does this describe the way you worship? Is there an engagement of your will and your emotions? Do you think about what the Father sacrificed to show His love for you? Do you think about what Jesus did to make it possible to spend eternity with you? Is your “worship” a routine of going to church and checking a box until the next week, or do you fall before Him prostrate to show your adoration and love? Are you truly thankful for all you have and all He has done for you, or do you believe you have what you have because of your own merit? Which will it be for you this Christmas season, true worship or going through the motions?
My prayer for you as you read this is that you would truly worship and that it would not end with Christmas but will continue all year long. He is so worthy of all our worship!
