Not only did the star lead the Magi far from home but the star didn’t stop where they expected it to stop.

They watched the star trailing across the territory of Israel as it was moved toward Jerusalem. (Bethlehem is, of course, near Jerusalem. Today, it is considered a suburb of Jerusalem.) The Magi assumed as the star approached Jerusalem that the birth of such an important personage would have to have taken place in the palace. So they went to the palace of Herod. But Herod knew nothing about the blessed event. They arrived on the doorstep and asked, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship Him.

Herod was dumbfounded! Royalty knew nothing about this great event. There were no flags flying, no music, no celebration, no festivity. Herod in perplexity and despair recalled his own wise men and inquired of them where the Christ child would be born. They searched their sacred writings and informed Herod, ‘in Bethlehem of Judea’. For thus, it is written in the prophets: ‘Thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, are not thou great among the tribes of Judea? For unto you who will be born a son, the Savior of the world.’

Then they come to the house where the child Jesus is and the wise men see the Messiah. Some scholars say it could have been a year after the birth of Christ. We read in scripture that, “they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts…” of precious gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Medieval theologians suggested that gold is a gift for royalty, frankincense a gift for deity, and myrrh a gift for death. They postulated that these were gifts for a King, a King who was God, and a God who would die. The reality is that they were probably the most costly things that they could get from their country. They brought that which cost them something. You remember David once said, I will never offer to God that which costs me nothing. So they offered the most costly things they could. But the greatest gift they gave was not the gold, frankincense or myrrh. The greatest gift that they gave the Christ child was the gift of true worship. That’s the greatest gift anyone can give Him.

It was there in that house that they yielded their lives to one who was greater than they were. They adored the child and gave the gifts that they had carried all the way from their homes in the east. When they returned home they were empty-handed but were full hearted because of the worship from the heart. The treasures they gave the child were worth little compared to the value and fulfillment they had in their hearts in worship. They had worshipped the King of the Jews.

The heart that can worship the Lord gives our entire lives a sense of fulfillment and meaning. Worship makes us whole because it meets the need of our inner being, our soul, our very core. God is worshipped, adored, and given honor. He is the one who created us and to respond to God in love makes life large and whole. Without worship of God we put ourselves in the center of our lives and we end up giving greater emphasis to ourselves.

Worship is a way to maintain perspective in the midst of life’s pressing demands. Most of us live our lives according to the “priority of the urgent”. We run from urgent demand to urgent demand. The problem is that we neglect that which is important. When the magi came face to face with the Christ child, the only thing that became urgent was ‘to worship him.’ They did not look to themselves.

They did not lift themselves up, but lowered themselves, bowing down in worship. If we take time to see the baby at all this Christmas, worship will not only be appropriate, it will be a necessity. Worship is a natural and appropriate response to the goodness and greatness of God. To worship means to pay tribute to, to honor, to revere God. When one comprehends God, truly sees him, it is the only appropriate response.

Christmas Collection

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection