Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king. After Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. 2 They asked people, “Where is the child who has been born to be the king of the Jews? We saw the star that shows he was born. We saw it rise in the sky in the east and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard about this, it upset him as well as everyone else in Jerusalem. 4 Herod called a meeting of all the leading Jewish priests and teachers of the law.
He asked them where the Messiah would be born. 5 They answered, “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea, just as the prophet wrote: 6 ‘Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are important among the rulers of Judah. Yes, a ruler will come from you, and that ruler will lead Israel, my people.’” 7 Then Herod had a private meeting with the wise men from the east. He learned from them the exact time they first saw the star. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem. He said, “Go and look carefully for the child. When you find him, come tell me. Then I can go worship him too.”
9 After the wise men heard the king, they left. They saw the same star they had seen in the east, and they followed it. The star went before them until it stopped above the place where the child was. 10 They were very happy and excited to see the star. 11 The wise men came to the house where the child was with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him.
Then they opened the boxes of gifts they had brought for him. They gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 But God warned the wise men in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they went home to their own country a different way. (Matthew 2:1-12, ERV)
In your worship of Jesus this Christmas, consider offering Him some simpler gifts:
1.
Contentment
“I am telling you this, but it is not because I need
anything. I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have and with
everything that happens.” (Philippians 4:11, ICB)
2. Love
for Others
“Let love and kindness be the motivation behind all that
you do.” (1 Corinthians 16:14, TPT)
3. Spiritual
Conversations
“In the same way let your light shine in front of
people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in
Heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, NOG)
“Want to keep Christ in Christmas? Feed the hungry,
clothe the naked, forgive the guilty, welcome the unwanted, care for the ill,
love your enemies, and do unto others as you would have done unto you.” (Steve Maraboli) [i]
[i] Inspired by the sermon “Christmas, Pure and Simple:
Simpler Gifts” (installment four, final) Sunday December 23,
2018, Pastor Dave Jansen CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH.
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