During the days surrounding
Christmas, I spent a lot of time in reflection about the incarnation and the
atonement.
As I looked at Christmas
lights, I thought of John’s prologue. As I looked at the angel figurines I
collect, I thought of Mary’s obedience in the face of adversity. And then,
while riding in a car, I looked up into the night sky and was struck by the
beauty of the stars. It made me think of the Three Wiseman and their long
journey, guided by a magnificent star.
Matthew 2:1-12 The Visit of the Wise Men
1 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, 2 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.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all
Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and
scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They
told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the
land of Judah,
are by no means least among the
rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who
will shepherd my people Israel.’”7 Then Herod summoned the wise
men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And
he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and
when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After
listening to the king, 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. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced
exceedingly with great joy. 11 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. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they
departed to their own country by another way.
For some reason the idea of
the magi coming from the East, guided simply by a star really caught my heart
this year. I thought about the absolute certainty that they must have felt to
travel that far; the absolute certainty that they were part of a momentous part
of history; the absolute honor they bore him by bringing the newborn king such
extravagant gifts. I was just blown away by the significance of that moments
and what an honor to be a part of it.
Then I had a thought. Yes,
Jesus’s birth and even His death are monumentally significant! But they were
part of God’s salvation plan; His plan to draw us near to Him and allow Jesus’
death to allow us to stand righteous before Him. It is because of these
significant events that I can have assurance of my eternal life. As such, I get
to be part of something truly amazing; the unfolding salvation plan in my world
and in my own life.
I pondered about whether I
had that same sense of wonder and awe when I consider my unique role in history
and God’s plan. The honor is two-fold really; firstly, that Jesus would come to
die for me, to give up His own sinless life in my place. Secondly, as an
extension of that, that I have eternal life and a role in the kingdom. Too often,
I think, I am preoccupied with how difficult I feel like God’s plan for my life
is or how much I have to give up that I forget the absolute honor of being
adopted into His family, to have a calling on my life.
As this is being posted, it
is the last day of 2012. As I pray about what God would have me do; what He
would have me pray; what He would have me learn, this lesson is at the forefront
of my mind.
That I would continue to
make it less about me and more about Him; that I would revel in the absolute significance
of this moment, each moment of my life. That I would appreciate each season the
Lord has me in; that I would appreciate the honor of being able to be a
reflection of His glory. And above all, that I would come to love Him more than
ever before.
