Come and Worship

Read Matthew 2:1-12

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, ² 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.” – Matthew 2:1-2

We had a gift hanging on our door when we got home from worship on Christmas Eve morning. It was a small box of Christmas treats from the people next door; a nice gesture  of kindness. The act of baking, packaging and delivering this gift made it all the more special to us.

In the same way – albeit on a much larger scale – the wisemen’s gifts represent far more than simply the gifts themselves. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are certainly valuable, and maybe even precious. But look at the effort these men undertook to deliver the gifts.

You can certainly say that there was no UPS, FEDEX, or USPS in those days. Nor were there computer-aided astronomical charting systems. These wisemen took the trouble to watch the stars, piece together the witness of the heavens (cf. Psalm 19:1-6), and travel to Jerusalem seeking the one who was born King of the Jews. This is no mailed-in congratulations-on-the-new-baby card. There is effort, intentionality, and no little amount of trouble to which these magi are going in search of Jesus.

I wonder how much effort we make to worship our Lord. Some will let the slightest wrinkle get in the way of attending worship. Others will be there every time the doors are open. At least as important as making the effort is the focus of our worship. Jesus is not just King of the Jews; he is King of kings. He is worthy not only of our efforts to find him; he is worthy of a life of dedicated following.

The wise men offer an example of dedicated worship. Jesus is worth any effort we may make to worship and honor him.