“After
they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen
when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child
was. When they saw the star, they were
overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and
they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their
treasures and
presented him with gifts
of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”
Matthew
2:9-11
Reflection
The astrological event that led the wise
men to Jesus was brighter and more spectacular than any other. Through God’s divine providence, it
appeared to announce the birth of Christ for those that were watching and
waiting. From all practical perspectives, everyone should have noticed the splendor
of this unusual event. But the Bible and other historical sources tell us that
this was unfortunately not the case. Only a few educated philosophers and
astronomers were able to interpret this glorious birth announcement, three of
which are revealed in our passage for today. They knew that they were
witnessing an extraordinary event. Something was taking place that was beyond
the traditional and often narrow view of the natural world, and they wanted to be a
part of it.
Sometimes we allow tradition
to cloud our perspective of what God is doing in our world. We get so consumed
with our narrow view of things that we forget that God's view encompasses so much
more. Especially during the Christmas holidays, it’s easy for us to get
sidetracked. It’s easy to slip into a complacent mindset that misses the big
picture. When this happens, peace tends to elude us and joy becomes a rare. Just as many missed the coming of the Messiah, we miss the unusually
bright star in our lives as well because we fail to look up.
As we come to the end of the second week of Advent, let us commit ourselves to look up and see things from God’s
perspective. Let us not miss the “bright morning star”. Let us keep our eyes
upon the “light of the world”. As He guides us toward Christmas, let our perspective
be clear, and our view broad.
Prayer
God, we confess that
sometimes we allow ourselves to be consumed by the cultural views around us. With our
eyes focused on the world, we miss the miraculous things that you do in our
lives. Help us, Lord to keep our eyes focused upon you and not miss the guiding
stars that you place before us.
Amen
Amen
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