Nations Will Come to Your Light

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD. Isaiah 61.1-6 (NIV)

Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 3.2-6 (NIV)

The Coming of the Magi to Visit Jesus

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "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."
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east[in its rising] 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 and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Christmas/Epiphany Squeeze-Play

We compress the birth narratives of Jesus found in Luke and Matthew for the sake of presenting all the known material of his early childhood. The literary license is used for plays and pagents to give a full-orbed view of this significant event--the invasion of time by the Eternal.

The first memorial to the coming of Jesus was Epiphany. It marked the revealing of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi. We still celebrate the Enlightenment of the whole world every January 6. With it we conclude the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Like the distance between the dates of December 25 and January 6, there seems to be some time between the events of Luke's birth narrative and the coming of the Magi in Matthew. Matthew clearly states that the Magi event happened "after the birth of Jesus." The Magi find a "child" in a "house" not a baby in a manger. The star appeared or "rose" 2 years before they actually saw Jesus, as indicated by their reply to Herod and his murder of all males 2 years old and younger.

The Light has Dawned.

The first truth of the Magi Visit and Epiphany in general is that God sends enlightenment to every person. He grabs our attention. We cannot understand or please God through our own effort. But he has promised to get our attention.

The Magi were professional advisors of court. They studied areas of knowledge that the common person of the time would not have known. One such area of knowledge was astronomy. They studied the planets and stars trying to determine future events. This astrological method of divination of course was pagan and wrong, but God got their attention through a star.

The Light Drew Them Closer

God never speaks clearer than through His Word, the Scriptures. The Magi go as far as the could based on the signal star. They arrive in Jerusalem and ask to see the new King. In response, the scribes and teachers of the law site God's promise in Micah 6.2. Bethlehem, not the capital of Jerusalem, was the place to look.

We cannot do better for instructions for living or insight into God and his world than looking into the Bible. If it says, "Do," we'd better do. If it says, "Don't," we'd better not do. In the lids of this anthology we will find principles, precepts, precidents and practices that will improve our living and being. God's Word gives clear teaching on the nature of the universe and the origins of the world as it exists today. It also gives practical direction for money management, emotional health and healty relationships. Most importantly, it teaches us about God and how to properly relate to him.

They Left Different

After seeing Jesus, they worshipped him. Literally, they bowed down. Then they gave him significant gifts.

[Aside. What ever prompted the church to move away from giving as an act of worship?!?!? Sure, church growth "experts" said folks were turned off by offering-taking. But worship inside the lids of the Bible is always connected to giving of ourselves. We may have robbed folks of a blessing in the attempt not to offend them.]

Then they received new light from God. He warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. So they followed these instuctions and returned home by another route. They left differently than they came.

When we find Jesus, we too want to share with him, to bow down in obessance. And we, too, can leave different than when we came into the Light. Isaiah had the same experience in chapter 6 of his prophecy. Jacob had the same in his wrestling match with the Almighty. Seeing God changes us. Seeing his radiance makes us radiate his Light. The face of Moses shone with glory after he returned from the Mount of the Law's revelation.

We must radiate the love of Jesus to a dark and lonely world.