When the excitement of Christmas is over what’s there to do?
by Pastor Andrew Chan, PBC, Vancouver, BC
Text: Matt.2:1-12
overheard: I love Christmas, I receive a lot of presents I just can’t wait to exchange. Yes, Dec.25th 1999, a memory now. Had a great two days, choir was great, music celebration with all the singing, instruments, beautiful, exciting to be in candlelight service, spend Christmas eve and day with friends and family, feeling the love of God, but it is now today, boxing day, back to business, sounds of commerce rings outs as boxing day sales fill our North Am. Landscape…
What happens after Christmas? Dinner is done, presents are opened, guests have left, celebration is done… All the excitement has died down.
Shopping… back to business as usual?
The story of the Magi’s visit helps us to understand what God would want us to think about
2:1 Magi came from the east to visit the child Jesus.
The timing of the visit, notice is not immediately
After Jesus was born, did not say how long after
look down v.16, approx. 2 years
common manger scene with the wise men bending over an infant Jesus, a baby is wrong, more likely it was a toddler Jesus, a child,
v.11 suggests a house, not an inn, nor a stable, nor a manger scene.
Bu t what is significant about this is
the question they asked v.2
1. dedication and devotion:
Remember who is born on Christmas
a. The Magi:
“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”(v.2).
weary travelers, imagine those days traveling, fear of robbers
esp. carrying treasures of gold, incense and myrrh (v.11) no RCMP around to patrol highways, travel w/o a place like Holiday Inn, where you find indoor pool and sauna, stinky, and totally worn out if travel by camel or horse, try riding one of those things for hours, feel sore, smell the animals and then yourself, not pleasant, did this for close to 2 years, talk about persistence… travel into a land they obviously do not know too much about, because they went right to the capital city, Jerusalem, asking for directions… sense they were excited knew they were close by still no cigar.
Excited - we have come to worship him
recognize - significance of one born king of the Jews
Remember a time when Jeany and I traveled to NC in a little red Dodge Colt going for BGSE, being poor students did not want to spend money on motel, and another thing nobody spoke English there in the South, but two whole days on road from Wpg Manitoba to Asheville we were dead tired when we finally reached destination, I think Jeany was more tired, cause she drove all the way through the Smokey Mountains
The highway in that range was narrow and as she did not trust my driving, she drove whole way. Why? We were newly marrieds, she didn’t dare to upset me. Two whole days, no motel rest, driving through the night, it was murder. Remember us stopping at one rest areas, both of us knocked out. Can’t take it anymore. Just gotta stop!
Then I think of this guys, two years on the road, and us 2 days!
These guys must be convinced something great is going on!!!
And they were!
Excited, and us we were cranky, mind you zipping around in a two door colt is luxurious compared to what this Magi went through.
If we had to travel two years we’d given up and went home.
Something’s afoot
b. Herod:
“Where did the prophets say the Christ would be born?” he asked them (v.4).
He did not know even about the Christ being born, he had to ask.
On his home turf, the Savior born, and he did not know it.
It took some travel-weary foreigners to alert him to the fact.
Here is Herod: a “believer” born into Jewish faith
Probably goes to church have right type of religious upbringing, at least he had the smarts enuff to seek religious experts
“I too may go and worship him” (v.8) convince some people that he
is somewhat spiritually attuned.
Obviously affluent, being King and all, lived in great capital city of Jerusalem (v.3).
But was disturbed with the news of one born king of the Jews.
So was the rest of the city.
his response was pretense to worship… murder… (v.16)
Dedication of Herod was to do away with what disturbed him and led to murder
Dedication of Magi was to worship and brought joy
Makes you think? After excitement Christmas is over
What is you feel? Little disturbed, little more joy.
Would you check what you’re dedicated to?
Didn’t get too excited about Christmas? Joy? What joy? Celebrate what?
Think again
Got a lot to be thankful for…
Look at Magi, not right pedigree, from the east, not Caucasian nor Jew, eastern Asians, wrong profession they read stars - no good God-fearing religious Jew would do that, wrong language, different accent, wearing funny clothes, stand out…
Yet God chose to reveal the Savior’s birth to them while
the politically correct, fashionable, right breeding Herod knew nothing
Gives Hope
That though all of us brought up in wrong circumstances,
we have little reason to be cranky when we see big picture of Christmas,
that God loves us all, God so loved the world, so we don’t have to have all the right answers, right breeding, right clothes, right hairdo, right kind of skin-tone, everything this world thinks you need to fit it or be right…
Consistent pattern of God through the ages to show himself to the Magi of the world rather than the Herod
Deut.7:7
“The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.
Judges 6:15
When Israel was over taken by power of the Midianites for 7 years, whom did he choose to show deliver Gideon. And he protested
“But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” - we know Gideon routed the powerful forces of Midian
Book of Esther God chose to raised an insignificant woman to save Jewish people from extinction.
Numerous other eg such as shepherd boy David to become giant killer
Christmas story insignificant village not even a town Bethlehem chosen prophesied 7 centuries ago by little known prophet Micah, to the place where Savior of world would make an entrance
insignificant beginnings born in a manger
insignificant parents, not famous people, celebrities, but to a poor carpenter
insignificant Mary could’ve been cast off as a single mother for the scandal of having baby born out of wedlock
Jesus continued the show favor of God by choosing motley crew of disciples that would have been labeled rejects, the scum of the earth, that included tax collectors, fishermen, people who would have no potential, no ambition, down and out kind of folks
Telling us loud and clear, COME HOME all ye who feel like a dirty traveler on this road call Life, come worship the one who is born KING of the Jews
Jesus has come rescue mission…. Those who are willing to dial 911 and call on Him he will save. That’s what’s he’s here for, Christmas is all about.
Guess who’s coming to worship?
Not self-righteous?
You and I who recognized a King is born
A savior.
If we sit down here, all smug, with no heart to worship, because atmosphere is not right, did not get right present, someone did not give you a gift, feel snubbed or the pastor is useless, or the music is horrible, demanding that someone something to make your day, i.e. begin to feel disturbed even when the King is present, guess who is being worshipped then? Is it not just you? Focus is on wrong thing!
God is not impressed by the know it alls, gotta have Chuck Swindoll preaching or nothing, gotta have George Berverly Shea or Michael W. Smith to make me really sing - God is not impressed when we worship Him when we feel all comfortable, God is impressed by our readiness to acknowledge who He really is, i.e. the rightful KING whether you feel like it or not and worshipped accordingly
When the excitement is all over, do we still worship?
The news of Savior been born is 2 years old to Magi and still they journeyed on to worship. How about you, Christmas day one day old, journey still to worship? Some of you do, but others I ask why are u here?
Some of you do it like a Herod, seek the religious answer yet feel disturbed
Magi - Dedicated to worship the Savior, not the right circumstance
Remember circumstance change, the God who loves you and chose you to be saved and came to save does not , His purpose never changed
His love is for you. To choose to ignore this, is at your peril.
To choose to worship only when it convenience you is Herod’s style.
That adopts mentality of world, make it convenient for me!
To choose to worship though weary yet overjoyed because of Jesus and only Jesus, the King, with dedication and devotion fit for a loving ruler and shepherd as revealed in Jesus, that you would bring all your treasures and worship Him is what God desires.
After Christmas, what’s your response. Like a Herod, celebrated life in style like him, live in big city Jewish capital, but don’t mean thing and feel disturbed? When you are approached about worship the newborn King?
like the Magi.
Herod sought the Messiah to kill.
Magi sought the King to worship.
God is not a flashy, but interested in the seemingly forgotten ones.
Like the village, like the Magi, like us…
Will you come and worship?
O come let us adore HIM!
