January 5 | Christmas 2, Year C
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Psalm 84 or 84:1-8
Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a
Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 or Luke 2:41-52 or Matthew 2:1-12
Every year around Christmas, one can find written on highway billboards and greeting cards: “The wise men sought Jesus then and wise men seek him still.” That message raises the question of who the wise men were and who the wise men are today. An additional question is where and how we must look to find Jesus.
The wise men saw the star appear while they were still in the east. They interpreted the unusual star as a sign of the birth of a very important person — a king. When they followed the star, they found the child — the King for whom they searched. Once in his presence, they presented the child with the best of their resources. In addition, we learn from their report to Herod that they had been on their star-guided journey for two years. What, then, are we to learn from the wise men?
If we are to be wise men, then we must:
- Study our resources, specifically Holy Scripture;
- Note the revelation and follow it;
- Depend on divine guidance to find Jesus;
- Put in the effort of going out to find him;
- Offer him the best we have;
- Be obedient to God’s will;
- Do all these things by faith.
The wise men show us how, and ultimately where, to look for Jesus. They were wise men, so if we are to find Jesus, we will need wisdom. A good working definition of wisdom is the right application of knowledge. Wise people, therefore, are those who take the knowledge they have been given and apply it to their lives so they grow into the image of God — that for which they were created. Where is it we can find that knowledge? It is most fully revealed in Jesus Christ. If we are to be wise men, then we must search for Jesus — both diligently and continuously. If we are to find Jesus, we must not be like Herod and let others do the searching. Nor should we be like the Jewish leaders who allowed their expectations about the appearance and nature of the Messiah jade their evaluation of Jesus. Rather, we need, like the wise men, to recognize the signs, depend on divine guidance, act by faith, and acknowledge Jesus as the King of our lives.
Signs are only received when they are sought — when we desire to see them. As the wise men were first enlightened by the star, St. Paul would have us enlightened by the Spirit. We, like the wise men, need to look up from our lives in order to see the Spirit. But in this life, the world continues to darken even our ability to see this hope through the constant drumbeat of individualism, entitlement, competition, and autonomy. We are told that there is no truth. Right and wrong are routinely evaluated by the outcome of an act or decision. The culture declares that our private world is none of anyone else’s business. In addition, the social and moral command is that we must accept and approve of the self-justified behaviors of others.
Only God, in the context of his community and through the Holy Spirit, can open the eyes of your heart so that you may know the hope to which he has called you. The church and corporate worship at their best are the ways that we can experience the hope of seeing God as we will in eternity. When you attend church, leave the blinders of criticism, evaluation, personal preference, and the need for self-edification/fulfillment in the parking lot. Pray that God will give you the eyes to truly see him as he reveals himself through corporate worship.
Look It Up
Read Ephesians 1:17-19a. St. Paul gives us his prayer as a road map to Jesus.
Think About It
A revelation only reveals the truth when we receive and accept it. Faith in God’s Word is the lens through which we see the truth.
The Rev. Dr. Chuck Alley, former rector of St. Matthew’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, teaches anatomy at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical School.