WEEK 1: LOOK TO THE LIGHT / DAY 7: Perseverance
By Pastor Courtney Hall (Sat. Dec. 4, 2021)
They came from afar. They risked very much. They came bearing gifts, led by a star. They came to bow down, to worship & honor the newborn King.
These were the “Magi,” a name derived from the Greek word “magos” used to describe a class of Persian wise men who had likely learned about the Hebrew Bible during the Jewish Babylonian exile which occurred hundreds of years prior to the birth of Jesus.
Though much time had passed from that era until the time of the Magi of the Christmas story, the Word of God makes an indelible impact (Isaiah 55:11). For generations, successive generations of the Magi had continued to refer to God’s word & to actively search the skies for the star signaling the coming of the King (cf. Num 24:17).
Our focus for today is PERSEVERANCE, an attribute strongly demonstrated by these wise men. Their journey to Israel (carrying highly valuable gifts intended for Jesus & His family, as recorded in Matthew 2:11) would have entailed crossing massive desert landscapes in which resources were scarce & risks were many (including harsh weather & predators both animal & human). As dignitaries entering a foreign land without formal invitation, they risked threats to their well-being & even their lives (consider God’s warning & King Herod’s volatile behavior in Matthew 2:12 & 16). Yet despite all of this, the joy the wisemen held in their heart at the sight of the Son’s star far outshone any risk & far outweighed any hardships that might have daunted them. They continued faithfully on their journey, looking constantly to the light, until that light led them the Lord Jesus & exceeding joy (Matt 2:11). May we do the same today.
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SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 2:1-12
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east & have come to worship Him.’”
(Excerpt above is vv.1-2. Compare also Numbers 24:17; Micah 5:2, 4)
