Wise men

The Gift of Being a Neighbor

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On coming to the house they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, and of incense and of myrrh. Matthew 2:11

Most of us do not have much gold lying around the house, fewer still Incense, and probably no one even knows what myrrh is any more. So over the next twelve days I’m going to suggest twelve things you won’t be able to find at the shopping mall or even on-line, that we should be putting on our gift list for Jesus Christ. Today we start with the gift of being a good neighbor.

The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:31 – Most of us know that Jesus told us to love our neighbors, but it helps to remember that Jesus had neighbors too! He took the time to talk with them while He was also doing the more miraculous things like healing some of them. Jesus took time to change water into wine at a nearby wedding. He raised a widow’s son from the dead at a neighboring village and showed fisherman how to catch enough fish for a month. But in His own neighborhood Jesus was rejected!

Do you have neighbors who have rejected our friendship, invitations to special events at church or even good mornings at the mailbox? But, their rejection doesn’t get us off the hook from the command to love. Instead, Jesus might say, “Welcome to the club!”  He was so roundly rejected and His own brothers and sisters didn’t believe in Him and even Mary began to wonder about His sanity. But Jesus just kept on doing what He could. Jesus continued to share the good news that God had anointed Him to bring the gospel to the poor, freedom for the captives and sight for the blind. One day some of them would understand. His mother followed Him to the cross. Two of His brothers became apostles and more than half of His disciples came from the nearby city of Capernaum.

How can you give the gift of being a neighbor to someone this Christmas? Shepherds gave him praise. A small boy offered five loaves of bread. The woman at the well gave Him water and a rich man, a tomb to borrow for three days. Ask God for ideas, then step out in faith, because we will never know what He can do with what we give until we place it in His hands!

This morning I’m sharing one of my favorite Christmas songs called There’s a Rose in Bethlehem. May you have a blessed day and stay tuned for eleven more gifts along our journey to Christmas this year.

Find and Seek

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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.” Matthew 2:1-2 NIV

The hidden beauty of the wise men’s journey is that they came seeking a king without knowing who he was. Of course the films depict them as coming to find God’s Son, but if that were the case then why would they have asked at Herod’s palace for him? So, they traveled a thousand miles across deserts and mountains with costly gifts to win His favor.

But God has something far greater in mind than those Magi ever suspected. Instead of finding favor with a king, somewhere along the way they started to realize that who they were seeking was greater than any earthly king. Once they left Herod, they saw the star again and followed it to Bethlehem. Most likely that is when they began to understand that the someone they were looking for was mysteriously greater and more holy than they first imagined. Then the star came and stood over a humble house in a tiny village and they were filled with awe, in the presence of God’s Jesus and they bowed and worshipped Him. Our good news for today is that their joy of finding Jesus that night, can be ours as well this morning. Just like them, we can find Him if we seek Him, because, all the while we are seeking God; He is seeking us!

Lentil Soup and a Wise Man’s Gift

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And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11 ESV

“What’s for dinner honey?” I said with a laugh knowing that it would be lentil soup for its fourth and final performance. Those first years of our marriage any shopping was a low cost adventure. Though Christmas was coming a tree and decorations were things we didn’t even dare imagine.

Christmas Eve came and since it was pay day, I waited line for my check (about a hundred dollars). “Merry Christmas” My boss said winking as he handed me my envelope. “And a little something extra for you tonight.”

I peeked inside and drew a quick breath in amazement. “Wow thanks Joe! Merry Christmas to you too” I said amazed at seeing the fifty dollar bill he had tucked inside!

I drove home through the heavy traffic getting there just before five. “Come on Nancy! Let’s go buy a tree!” I shouted as I ran up the stairs to show her my bonus. Five minutes later we bundled up and drove around the corner just in time where the owner was delighted to sell us a tree for five dollars, just before he closed.

p1010357.jpg Then we raced over to the Woolworth store a few blocks away, where for 10 cents each we bought some colored glass bulbs and a string of lights with tinsel. God hadn’t needed to send the wise men to Bethlehem with gifts to make it Christmas; but He did. That Christmas our wise man was named Joe and he left us a treasure that we still open every year.