Week 3: Delighting in the Advent of Christmas

Offering of Worship

Matthew 2:1-2, 10-11

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, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house,they saw the young Child with Mary His mother and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When my children were elementary aged, my friend Jennifer and I decided to get our kids together and have a birthday party for Jesus. Because I am more the Biblical character “Martha” in our friendship and she is more the “Mary” (Luke 10:38-42) we each contributed different things to the celebration. I baked a cake, purchased birthday plates and matching candles. My girlfriend came with one thing, the most important thing; several small, red, paper hearts.

After singing and eating way too much cake before dinner, Jennifer gave each child a paper heart. She lovingly explained that the best gift anyone could give to Jesus for His birthday is our hearts. In response, each child wrote their name on their heart and placed it next to baby Jesus who was laying in the center of my nativity set. Nearly 20 years have passed since we held that birthday party, but I cherish those paper hearts each Christmas.

In Matthew, the gospel writer describes some wise men coming in search of Jesus. They saw a star and followed it, likely hundreds of miles, to Jerusalem looking for the baby born “King of the Jews.” They did this because they wanted to worship Him. When they finally found Him, they fell down and worshiped the baby King. The word worship in these verses means delighting in something or someone of great value. 

Notice the wise men didn’t just behold Jesus at a distance. Instead, they followed His star, came into His house and then delighted in Him because they believed He was worthy of their worship. This challenges me. How many times do I simply behold Jesus from a far, but do not follow, draw close and delight in Him with worship and adoration? The things that keep me at a distance are usually unimportant distractions that typically pale in comparison to Christ and His glory.

The wise men let nothing stop them from worshiping Jesus and when they finished, they presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. We don’t know exactly the reason for their choices, but each gift was a precious, sacrificial treasure given as an act of worship. This too challenges me. What am I offering Christ that is precious and sacrificial? Am I extending to Jesus the best of what I have to offer Him, even if it is meager?

Each December, when I find the hearts from that birthday party long ago, I am reminded that the best gift I can give Jesus is my heart fully surrendered to Him. My heart is all He really wants for Christmas and throughout the year. When it is offered to Him, He is able to transform me, and then I reflect more of Him to the world around me. My offering is meager, but it is sincere.

There is a Christmas song written by Paul Baloche entitled “A Christmas Offering.” The first few lines of the song say this,

 Over the skies of Bethlehem appeared a star 
While angels sang to lowly shepherds
Three wise men seeking truth, they traveled from afar
Hoping to find the child from heaven
And falling on their knees they bow before the humble Prince of Peace 

We bring an offering of worship to our King
No one on earth deserves the praises that we sing
Jesus, may you receive the honor that you're due (the honor that you're due)
O Lord, I bring an offering to you

There is truly no one on earth who deserves our praises other than Christ and Him alone. He is holy, all powerful, loving, just, merciful and good. One day, every knee will bow before Him and confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). As we continue to yield our hearts to Him what might your offering of worship look like this Christmas and the coming year? Let’s not worship from afar but rather let’s draw near and bow before the humble Prince of Peace.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,

Thank you for the wise men that provide an example for us. They traveled a long way diligently looking for You so they could simply worship You with their hearts and offerings. Each day may we model their behavior of drawing close, worshiping and offering You the best gifts we have to offer. May our hearts be surrendered and tender toward Your leading especially when it requires sacrifice on our part. As Christmas approaches, may we be particularly aware of the meditations of our hearts and minds.  May they be focused on You and the celebration of Your birth.

In Jesus name, Amen.