SATURDAY 26th
Matthew 2:1-12
(v11) ‘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.’
This is our penultimate look at the nativity story, for us, today is Boxing day, it is the day after Christmas, but when we come to the narrative in our text it did not happen the following day. We know this firstly because when the wise men arrived, Jesus was no longer in a stable but in a house, now it is possible that given the circumstances that someone immediately gave up their accommodation for Mary and Joseph and the child, and so the next night was spent in better accommodation, but we also know that it took the wise men a while to get there, they only had camel power not brake horse power, and it is possible their arrival may have taken up to two years for Scripture says that Herod decreed that all the baby boys under two years of age were to be killed, according to the time the wise men told him they had seen the start in the east (Matthew 2:16-18)
What I want to suggest today is this, ‘The wise men were late in arriving for the party – but at least they arrived!
They had seen the star, they had realised its significance and its importance, and they did all they could to make the journey to find this child and to present him gifts and to worship him.
When we share the gospel there are those who are quick to want to listen and will readily respond, like the shepherds after hearing the angels, (‘When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger’ Luke 2:15-16) while there are others who although will listen, they are not so quick to respond, they take longer, they want to digest the information over a longer period, checking out the facts, they start on the journey, but take longer to arrive at the party, for it is a party, when one finds Jesus it brings great joy and the angels of heaven rejoice.
The shepherds were the first to arrive, it says that when they returned to the fields, they returned ‘glorifying and praising God’, (Luke 2:20) when the wise men finally arrived it says, ‘they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy and they fell down and worshipped him.’
A few weeks ago, Sandra asked me about the words of a song that I had never heard of before, Heaven invites you to a party, and it does, we of all people who have been washed in the Saviour’s blood should be celebrating and rejoicing, we should be full of joy, the shepherds were, and once they had finally arrived to the party so were the wise men. May the joy of the real meaning of Christ’s advent never leave our hearts, may it daily be our joy, our reason for rejoicing, may everyday be like a day at a party, celebrating the good news that the Saviour is here.
Maybe you haven’t arrived at the party yet, well the invitation is still open, the day of grace is still upon us, you too can join with the shepherds, join with the wise men, join with the redeemed of the Lord and celebrate Jesus.
We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star
Oh, star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light
Born a king on Bethlehem’s plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign
Myrrh is mine, it’s bitter perfume
Breaths a life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding dying
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb
Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light