Good morning, friends. My name is Daniel. I'm a pastor at Church of the Messiah, and like George said, a very hopeful church planter.
We're looking to plant a church in Canada, and yeah, it has been a tough go, but these are the times where it seems like God shows off a bit,
when things seem very implausible, maybe even impossible, and the Lord shows up so that all the glory will unmistakenedly be given to him.
So pray for us. It's a real joy this morning to open up God's word. Yeah, we'll get right into it. Let me pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your goodness and kindness to us. Lord, open our eyes to see our ears, to hear our hearts,
to understand what your word would say to us by your spirit. In Jesus' name. Amen.
So, first Sunday of 2021, and I have some wise advice for you guys. And here it is.
Do not invest in Blockbuster video. Instead, invest in Netflix.
Before you go on and say Blockbuster doesn't exist, it technically does exist.
There's one location still around. I think it's in Oregon.
And they are still traded on the stock market, at least as of New Year's Eve 2020, when I was putting this together.
It still trades. The stock is down 17.5%.
So, if you want to buy a share of Blockbuster, you can buy one for 7 one-hundredths of a penny.
So, a good deal, probably not given that. It just went down 17.5%.
Meanwhile, Netflix, you know, it's worth something like $30 billion.
This is not wise advice.
I say this as a big joke because, ironically, Blockbuster had a chance to buy Netflix back in the late 90s.
And they laughed at the founders.
Anyways, I don't bring up the story to talk about Blockbuster's blunders.
But just to simply say that this is obvious advice.
There's nothing wise about this.
But if I was to tell you this back in 1999,
I don't know.
That would be pretty ridiculous advice.
I would be probably the smartest, most financially savvy 13-year-old at the time.
But it's interesting how wisdom proves itself with the passage of time.
Time and again, this current generation,
talks as if we are the most wise generation that has ever existed.
The people that went before us, they were dummies.
Maybe not dummies, but not as progressively advanced as us.
George kind of cracks a joke about how just because people didn't have flush toilets
doesn't mean they weren't smart.
But we treat it kind of like that.
As time goes by, we somehow fall into this fallacy that we are the wisest.
That the prevailing wisdom of the moment is the wisdom of all the ages.
But it's not quite true.
You know, it's interesting.
The prevailing wisdom, 150, 140, whatever years ago,
from both political parties here in Canada,
was to forcibly remove indigenous children from their families
and put them in residential schools.
And we know that there's been an absolute...
There's horror stories of that.
That was prevailing wisdom from our cultural and political elites.
The intelligent people at the time.
And I'm not looking back on them and saying,
listen, tear down all the statues.
I'm just making a point that that was the prevailing wisdom.
The prevailing wisdom in the 30s was to turn a boat away
that was seeking safe harbor at our shores in Canada
that had almost a thousand Jewish people in it.
And that boat was sent back to Europe.
And a quarter of those people died in Nazi camps.
That was prevailing wisdom at the time.
It's interesting that our culture prides itself
at being the tip of the sword.
And yet time and again,
the future generations look back just a generation prior
and they are ashamed.
Or people in the current culture
that are more historically minded,
they'll look back and say,
hey, listen, we're following the same follies
that happened yesteryear.
But either way, there is this kind of hubris
that says we are the smart ones
and those people are, they're backwards.
And we have huge national apologies
and restitution and all of these,
I guess, noble-minded things
to correct the mistakes of the past
while failing to understand
that we're likely creating those same mistakes
in the present.
So where can we find wisdom?
Real wisdom.
A wisdom that doesn't just last one generation,
but lasts multiple generations,
maybe forever.
Where can we find this wisdom?
It's a worthwhile thing to consider
on the first Sunday of the new year.
And George just read the biblical story
of the Magi or the wise men
venturing from the east to pay homage
and worship the Christ child in Bethlehem.
I think, and we will see this morning,
that this passage, this biblical story
is full of examples of real wisdom.
Wisdom that has lasted
not just one or two generations,
but has lasted up until the present
from 2,000 years prior.
That this is wisdom that is eternal.
So if you have your Bible,
please turn with me to Matthew chapter 2,
verses 1 to 12.
I'll be reading out of the same version
that George was reading,
the English Standard Version.
So we'll get into the text in a minute,
but we'll see just a few aspects
of what godly, real, eternal wisdom looks like.
And there's three things I'm going to touch on.
The first thing is that real, godly, eternal wisdom,
this text will show us that it is inclusive.
That it is also authentic and humble.
And finally, it is courageous.
And it is something that has deep conviction.
So inclusive, authentic and humble and courageous.
So let's look at the first one, inclusive.
So it's important to put this text into context.
So this is the passage that is traditionally read
on the Feast of Epiphany.
Epiphany on the Christian calendar
will be this upcoming Wednesday, January 6th.
And like George mentioned,
it is the end, it marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas.
And it is traditionally understood
as the Epiphany of Christ to the Gentiles
or to the nations or to the non-Jewish people.
And the Magi are these non-Jewish people.
Although there were instances throughout the Old Testament
of non-Jews being included in the people of God,
we can think of Ruth.
We can think of Moses' wife, Zipporah.
Esther, well, Esther was, but man, so is Ruth.
Rahab is what I was thinking of.
That these are key people in the biblical story
that were not Jews,
but were considered a part of God's people.
But by far, the majority of God's people
in the Old Testament were from the historical
ethnic seed of Abraham.
They were Jewish people.
And although it's very clear throughout Scripture
that God's desire was for all the nations to worship him,
that the Jewish people had a special job
to be the light to the nations,
and they failed at that.
And by the time Jesus' birth comes around,
there was suspicion among the Jewish people
against non-Jews.
And it's understandable.
There was conquering nations that would come in.
There was constant falls into,
falling into idolatry.
There was almost like a colonization,
first of the Greeks,
and then eventually the Romans.
All probably legitimate reasons
to be suspicious of non-Jews,
but the point is they were suspicious,
and this is not what God had called them to.
So in walked the Magi,
right off the bat in Matthew chapter 2.
And they were most certainly not Jewish.
They come from the East,
and we're not sure exactly where in the East.
The text doesn't tell us maybe Persia,
maybe Babylon.
They were diviners.
They were astrologers.
Not in the way kind of NASA does astrology,
but they look to the stars for prophecy and for signs.
All these things, interestingly,
were things that the Hebrew scriptures forbade.
The point is these people were as far from Jewish
as a part of the in crowd as you could get.
And yet, they are juxtaposed here by Matthew with the in crowd.
So take a look with me.
Chapter 2, verse 1,
and we'll read down to verse 4.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea
in the days of Herod the king,
Herod is,
he is of some Jewish background,
but he was essentially put in place
to be the king of Judea,
but really he was an extension of Rome.
But he was the political elite at the time.
So in the days of Herod the king,
behold, the wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
the wise men, the Magi,
saying,
Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?
For we saw his star when it rose
and have come to worship him.
When Herod the king heard this,
he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him.
And assembling all the chief priests
and scribes of the people,
those are the religious elites.
These are the spiritual leaders
and really the cultural leaders
of the people at the time.
Herod inquired of them,
the scribes and the chief priests,
where the Christ was to be born.
And then they go on to tell him.
It's interesting here that these people
are supposed to be the real leaders,
the people that are leading
and showing by example
to God's people
how to be a light among the nations.
And here they are juxtaposed with the Magi.
And the Magi are the,
apart from Jesus,
they're the real stars in this story.
Not Herod,
not the chief priests,
not the scribes.
And it's interesting
because inclusivity in our day
is quite the buzzword.
There is such a push
to accept people
for how they are
regardless of who they love,
what they do,
what families they come from.
And in a sense,
there is a nobility to this.
There is a desire
to not have people on the out,
but have people on the in.
But all too often,
this inclusivity
looks to exclude certain people.
There has to be
some sort of uniformity of thought.
And when somebody
has, say for instance,
a traditional view on marriage,
on monogamous,
heterosexual marriage,
that flies in the face
of inclusivity in our culture.
That's one example.
There are many.
But it's interesting
that in our day,
inclusivity looks a lot
like exclusivity.
There's an inclusivity
when it aligns
with a certain type of thought.
There is no plurality
of thought here.
And just in case
you're watching at home
and you're a Christian,
you think that I'm letting you
off the hook
and just railing
on our culture,
it happens in the church
all the time.
Sometimes really subtly,
sometimes overt,
but it's there.
We have this habit
in the church
of forcing conformity
onto people
before they actually
join the church.
We expect a certain
type of talk,
a certain type of dress,
a certain type of
vernacular behavior,
political affiliations.
It's like there's this
big list of things
you ought to endorse
and then you can come
into the church.
But that's not the way
of the scriptures.
That's not the way
of the Bible.
And yet we see the scriptures
speak so favorably here
about the wise men,
just as they are.
Nowhere does Matthew
condemn their religious practices
as they are seeking out
the Christ child,
nor does he justify it either.
But what he does do
is he commends
their eagerness
and courage
to travel
the distance
they traveled
all the way
at great cost
to see Christ
and to worship him.
It's very,
very interesting
that no longer
is the invitation
for the people of God
just to one specific
people group.
But it's for all people.
All people,
regardless of where
they have come from.
Regardless of their
socioeconomic background,
the language they speak,
the family they come from,
the things that happened
in their past,
the things that they did
in their past,
whether they're male
or female,
regardless of the color
of their skin,
that there is this
wonderful,
wonderful
inclusivity
that we see
in the scriptures
that the wise men
are just so,
it's so evidently
they are lifted high
as the
real in crowd
in this
scriptural
story.
So change must come
for a Christian,
but it has to come
after salvation.
We have to understand that.
It can't be a precursor
for salvation.
We come as we are.
We are broken.
We are beggars.
We are sinners.
That's the only prerequisite
and that is something
that is shared
by all of humanity.
This is what
the scripture teaches.
If you struggle
with that idea
that humans
are inherently sinful,
I mean,
I would say
take a bit of a
survey of history.
There is a lot
of good,
but the running
thing that seems
to unify humanity
is sinfulness,
is brokenness.
The wisdom
of the scriptures,
of this story,
it speaks to
this inclusivity.
And in many ways
to be a Christian
is to be
your most authentic
self.
So we touched
on the inclusivity,
real,
genuine inclusivity
of the wisdom
of this story.
But there is also
this authentic
and humble aspect
of the wisdom
as well.
we have this
interesting exchange
between Herod
and the Magi
where Herod
tries to show
how pious he is,
wanting to worship
the child.
If you join me
in verse 7,
this is what it says.
Then Herod
summoned the wise men
secretly
and ascertained
from them
what time
the star
had appeared.
And he sent
them to Bethlehem
saying,
go and search
diligently
for the child.
And when you
have found him,
bring me word
that I too
may come
and worship him.
We read a bit
farther,
not in our portion
this morning,
but just a few
verses down
in verse 16.
We see that
Herod here
is lying
through his teeth.
The Magi
are warned
in a dream
to not go back
to Herod
so they go
in an alternate way.
And Herod
is so
vexed
by this.
He is so
angry
that his true
intentions
come out.
See,
Herod here,
he is a
pretender.
He's a
hypocrite.
He is
inauthentic.
He makes
believe he
is godly
when he
is anything
but.
And here's
the thing.
History
tells us
that Herod,
so unwilling
to give up
power,
so suspicious,
so greedy
and self-absorbed
that he
killed his
wife
and some
of his
children
and relatives
because
he had
suspicion
that they
were going
to betray
him.
And here
in verse 16,
this is what
it says.
Then Herod,
when he saw
that he had
been tricked
by the wise
men,
became furious
and he sent
and killed
all the male
children in
Bethlehem
and in all
that region
who were
two years
old
or under.
So I'll
read the rest
of it.
According to
the time
that he
had ascertained
from the
wise men,
he did
not want
to share
the throne
with this
supposed
king of
the Jews.
So what
does he
try to
do?
For his
own
pomp,
for his
own
pride,
for his
own,
so to speak,
political
welfare,
he has
people
murdered.
Inauthentic,
humble,
not humble
whatsoever,
prideful man
this Herod
was.
So we
don't have
murdering
megalomaniacs
running our
country,
our provinces.
You can
make jokes
and snicker
at home,
but the
truth is
we don't.
But we
have this
attitude
everywhere.
We have
this inauthenticity
that seems
to be
thoroughly
Canadian.
That we
have this
facade of
humility,
but inside
it is,
we are
prideful
people.
People
who make
themselves
out to
be humble
and authentic
and pious
and righteous,
but when
one scratches
the surface,
you see
something
different.
The
practice
of cover
up is
alive and
well in
Canada.
We have
non-disclosure
agreements
to shut
people up
so the
truth doesn't
come out.
That is
not
humble.
That is
not
authentic.
And again,
guys,
this isn't a
thing that's
just out
there in
bad Ottawa,
bad Canada.
It's in the
church too,
isn't it?
Just in the
past few
months,
two very,
very high
profile Christian
leaders,
celebrity
Christian leaders
in the
Protestant
church,
have had a
huge,
huge falling
away,
rattling
people's
faith,
purporting
to be
righteous
and holy
and humble
and their
sin has
been found
out.
In one
case,
while the
person was
still alive,
in another
case,
when somebody
passed away.
It's also
in the
Roman Catholic
church with
the sexual
abuse
cover-ups
as well.
This seems
to be a
human problem
and the
church is
full of
humans,
so it's
a problem
in the
church as
well.
The
interesting
thing about
the Magi
are that
they are
actually
cultural
elites
where they're
from.
They are
people that
would be
somewhat akin
to the
scribes
and the
chief
priests,
people that
are looked
to to
lead,
people that
are
intelligent
and that
they have
responsibility
that extends
far beyond
their own
home.
And yet,
with their
prestige and
their wisdom
in their
native countries,
they travel at
great lengths,
at great
cost.
We,
I mean,
just on a
pause,
we sing
We Three
Kings,
it was likely
that there
were more
of these,
and they
weren't kings,
they were
wise men or
Magi,
and there
was likely
more than
three.
We say
We Three
Kings
because there
was three
gifts,
but it's
likely that
there was
multiple,
that there
was a
whole entourage
with them.
I mean,
the cost
of travel
must have
been
astronomical,
and yet,
what do
they do?
They seek
out this
child.
They hear
this story.
It's unlikely
that they
would have
known much
of the Hebrew
scriptures,
maybe enough
to know
about this
prophecy,
but here
they are
with so
much prestige,
and they
suspend it.
They spend
it to find
this child,
and then they
see this
child in a
home,
likely a
very,
very poor
home in
Bethlehem.
We remember
that Mary
and Joseph,
when they
were presenting
an offering
at the
temple,
all that
they could
afford were
two pigeons
to sacrifice
for Jesus.
They were
poor.
These rich
people went
to a poor
home,
and in the
end,
they worshipped
just the
child.
They didn't
say,
well,
bring the
child to
us.
We are
important
people.
They
condescended,
even though
Jesus was
the true
one who
condescended
from heaven
to earth.
But they
lowered
themselves.
And they
didn't do
it begrudgingly.
It says
that when
they found
in verse
9,
they went
on their
way,
verse 10,
sorry,
when they
saw the
star,
they rejoiced
exceedingly
with great
joy.
That this
was something
that completely
enraptured
them.
And they
were very,
very,
very joyous
about finding
Jesus.
And they
fell down
and worshipped
him,
gave him
gifts,
kingly
gifts,
royal
gifts.
We have
this true
authentic
and humble
wisdom
that pursued
Christ,
pursued the
right thing,
even though
it cost
them.
So we
have a
wisdom that
is inclusive
and also
authentic and
humble,
but also
courageous.
Look with
me at
verse 3.
When
Herod the
king heard
this,
that the
wise men
were looking
for the
king of
the Jews,
he was
troubled in
all Jerusalem
with him.
And assembling
all the chief
priests and
scribes of
the people,
he inquired
of them
where the
Christ was
to be
born.
They,
the priests
and scribes,
told him,
in Bethlehem
of Judea,
for so it
is written
by the
prophet,
and you,
O Bethlehem,
in the
land of
Judah,
are by
no means
least among
the rulers
of Judah.
For from
you shall
come a
ruler who
will be
shepherd of
my people
Israel.
When the
Magi inquire
in Jerusalem
to Herod
where this
king of the
Jews would
be born,
where they
could find
him,
Herod enlists
the religious
experts of
the time,
the chief
priests
and scribes,
the thing
is they
correctly
identify the
truth in
the scriptures.
They know
the scriptures
very well,
and they
nail it.
I mean,
they just
do.
They cite
Micah chapter
five,
and if you
read Micah
chapter five,
it actually
doesn't have
that bit at
the end,
who will
shepherd my
people Israel.
But that
little bit
is from
King David's
coronation in
2 Samuel.
And this
is a
remarkable
thing for
them to
include in
this prophecy
because it
means that
they have
deep insight
into who
the Messiah
will be and
what he
will do.
These people
know their
Bible,
and yet
it's just
the Magi
that go to
Bethlehem.
King Herod
doesn't go,
and neither
do the chief
priests and
the scribes.
They had a
chance.
You'd have to
think they
had a chance,
and they
don't go.
They know
the scriptures
and they
don't act
on them.
Maybe because
like Herod,
they were
risking their
own political
gravitas,
their own
standing within
society,
or maybe they
were just
afraid of
Herod.
I mean,
it said that
all Jerusalem
was troubled
with him.
My guess is
that all
Jerusalem was
troubled with
him because
they knew
that Herod
was a
paranoid guy
that could
fly off the
handle,
kill people.
They had a
chance.
They knew
the scriptures
and they
didn't act
on it.
They weren't
courageous.
They didn't
have deep
conviction.
Their wisdom
only went so
far and proved
to be a false
wisdom at that.
This is a huge
warning for
Christian people.
It's a huge
warning for
pastors.
We can say
the right things.
We can go to
church on Sunday.
We can take
communion,
have our
children baptized,
do devotionals,
have a wonderful
journal,
Instagram with
your hot coffee,
beautiful journal,
your Bible open.
Everybody thinks
you are so holy.
And when you
don't follow through
with scripture,
when it says
something and it
convicts you of
sin and you
brush it away,
your heart gets
black.
your heart gets
stone hard.
It's a huge,
huge warning
for us.
It's a huge
warning for me.
True wisdom
isn't just
knowing what
to do,
but it's the
conviction and
the courage to
do it.
If you feel
like a
coworker or
a superior
is encouraging
you to
compromise,
at work,
you have to
have the
courage and
the conviction
to stand your
ground.
There's ways to
do it that is
a bit more
winsome for
sure,
but there has
to be
courage or
else it's not
wisdom.
If you're in
a relationship
and there's an
unhealthiness to
the relationship
and instead of
choosing to do
the right thing
and repent and
involve other
people,
into the
relationship or
maybe break
off the
relationship if
it's not a
marriage and
you don't act
on it,
then that is
not wise.
Wisdom is
wisdom if it
is acted
upon.
I don't look at
the chief priests
and the scribes
and think,
oh,
those guys.
I look at
them and it's
a mirror right
back at me.
You know,
you have to
understand in
verse 16,
Herod here
kills all the
firstborn.
It doesn't
seem like,
like at best
they were,
they were
silent on it.
they didn't
try to stop
it.
Their
successors were
actually the
ones that
would push and
push and push to
have Jesus
crucified.
And yet they
knew the
scriptures.
Real wisdom
must be
courageous.
It must be.
in preparation
for today,
I was going
through a
commentary
written by
Bishop J.C.
Ryle.
That's our
seminary's
namesake.
And he said
this of this
specific verse,
familiarity
with the
sacred things
has an awful
tendency to
make men
despise them.
When you
think you
know what
to do and
you don't
act on it,
you become
a hard-hearted
person.
This is why
friends,
confession is
actually a
beautiful,
beautiful gift
to us.
Because it's
an opportunity
for us to
recognize that
we are sinful,
that we fall
short,
that we don't
act in wisdom
in ways and
at times that
we should.
But we
confess it,
we communicate
it to people
around us that
we can trust
and love,
that love us
back.
But we also
confess it
and we
communicate it
to God.
That stuff
keeps our
heart soft.
I'd encourage
you guys,
as a bit of
a sidebar,
if you need
to confess
sins,
confess them.
You can find
somebody to
confess them
to and pray
so that you
may be healed.
The end of
the epistle
to James
says that.
wisdom,
Godly,
long-lasting,
eternal wisdom
that is
inclusive,
that is
authentic,
and that
is humble,
and also that
is courageous.
I don't want
people to leave
thinking that
there is no
wisdom outside
of the church.
There's nothing
to be learned
from secular
authorities.
I don't think
that's true
at all.
There's plenty
of good and
practical wisdom
to be learned
from leadership
experts and
business experts
and parenting
experts that
aren't explicitly
Christian one
way or the
other.
just yesterday,
I started
watching a
video by
Tim Ferriss.
He's this,
I don't know
exactly what he
is, but he's
something, this
lifestyle, whatever
coach, and it
was how to
improve your
morning routine.
I stopped the
video because I
realized this is
not applicable to
me until I
don't have young
children, but
nevertheless,
there's tons of
practical wisdom
to be gained,
gained.
But the
thing with
practical wisdom,
there's a whole
principle in
scripture that
says that God
sends rain on
the just and
the unjust, that
there is this
common grace that
allows this world
to exist in
somewhat harmony.
But this wisdom
can only lead us
so far.
It can help us
to improve our
lives, but never
fully leads us to
the ultimate end,
which is the
salvation of our
souls.
The communion
with the triune
God that all
human beings
long for, whether
they understand it
or not, this
hole in our
heart that can't
be filled with
stuff or people.
There's this
interesting bit in
Dante's Divine
comedy where
Dante's guide,
Virgil, who
represents human
reason, can only
take him to the
entrance of heaven,
but no farther.
It's very wise
imagery because
salvation is not
a series of
tests or head
knowledge or
whatever of some
kind of conventional
wisdom or
behavior.
And if you
somehow succeed,
you get into
heaven.
It's not like
that at all.
Why?
Because of sin.
Sin is active
rebellion against
God that even the
most wise among
us are guilty of.
The wisest human
being is guilty
of rebellion
against God, of
sinfulness, of a
type of inauthenticity
at times, of pride,
of slander.
I mean, go through
the Ten Commandments
yourself and you'll
see, yep, check,
check, check,
check.
The most wise of
people fall into
sin.
It is impossible to
avoid all the
trials of life,
all the trip-ups of
life, all the
temptations of life.
Living completely
sinless is completely
impossible.
Except for Christ.
Christ is born.
God, the Son of God,
He is incarnate.
He lives a completely
sinless life.
He is fully God and
fully man.
In fact, 1 Corinthians
1 calls Jesus both the
wisdom and the power of
God, that He is
literally wisdom
embodied.
The wisdom and power of
God culminate with
Christ on the cross.
In God's infinite
wisdom and kindness, He
sent God, the Son of
God, to humbly take on
the form of man, to
authentically live a
perfect life without
pretense, without
hypocrisy.
And then, when faced
with the opportunity to
not see the job
through, He has the
courage and the
conviction to say to
God the Father, with
great angst in the
Garden of Gethsemane,
not my will, but
yours be done.
And then He is hung
upon a Roman crucifix,
not for His own sins,
but for yours and for
mine.
And He dies in our
place, making us right
with God.
This is the wisdom
and power of God
displayed in its full
majesty.
It's the culmination of
the wisdom and power of
God.
But it's not the start of
it.
The start is what we
see here in Bethlehem.
Jesus makes a way for
us to grow in wisdom,
to grow into wisdom.
He gives us an
opportunity to not
live shackled to sin
and to death anymore,
but to free us so
that we can live in
obedience, in wisdom.
We can proclaim with
our mouth the good
news of the gospel to
people that are not in
the in crowd.
The point of the
magi really are,
it's not so much that
the gospel has come to
the Gentiles.
It is true.
But now that God's
people are expanded,
the people of God are
expanded.
But there are plenty of
people on this planet,
in our city, in this
neighborhood, on your
street, that don't
yet know the good
news.
The wise men, as
wise as they may have
been, in the end,
were led by God to
God, by the star.
By this light in the
sky.
In the same way that
the Israelites were led
to the promised land,
out of Egypt, by this
miraculous pillar of
fire, and this cloud in
the day, the wise men
were led by God with
this miraculous light in
the sky.
We have that, the light
of Christ in us.
We have the opportunity
of proclaiming and
leading people to the
Lord.
Not because we have some
kind of power within us
that's kind of special
about us.
It's because there's a
power outside of us
that is now in us.
The Holy Spirit.
It is a great joy and
opportunity to share the
gospel with other
people.
It is scary.
I'd encourage you guys
this new year to try to
share the gospel.
To pray.
To pray for courage.
The wise men say in
verse 2,
Where is he who has
been born king of the
Jews?
For we saw his star when
it rose.
Matthew calls Jesus the
king of the Jews here in
chapter 2 right at the
beginning of the story.
He also calls Jesus king
of the Jews right at the
end.
At his death.
The sign hanging above the
dying Christ said Jesus
king of the Jews.
That this child was
destined to live but
ultimately to die for you.
And God calls this the
wisdom and power of God.
Let's pray.
Lord God I pray that you
will help us to behold the
Christ child.
Behold Jesus in all of his
glory.
All of his goodness.
All of his power and all
of his wisdom.
To understand that true
wisdom sought us out while
we were still afar.
When we were not a part of
the in crowd.
That true wisdom humbled
himself.
taking all of his divine
and all of his divine
prerogatives to condescend
to live as a poor
likely unattractive man
2,000 years ago.
to live a completely
authentic life.
To die on the cross for
our sins courageously.
Lord help us to think about
that.
Help us to dwell on that.
Help us to have the same
attitude as the wise men.
That we will rejoice with
great joy.
That we will fall at the
feet of Christ and worship
him.
Help us to be wise people.
Help us to be people that
proclaim your gospel to
whomever come across our
path.
To whomever God puts in our
path.
That we will be truly humble
people.
That we will be truly
authentic people.
And that we will be truly
courageous people.
Lord that we will feast on
your word.
And that you will help us to
act on it.
Lord help us not to look to
conventional prevailing wisdom
as if it is eternal.
But rather look to your
eternal word for true wisdom.
We pray these things in
Christ's name.
Amen.