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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion January 6, 2006 The Wise Men worship Jesus |
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Frontline Devotion for Friday, January 6, 2006 by Mike Martine
What I always wonder when I look at the story of the wise men is this: What were they looking for? What did they think they were going to find? What would it mean for their lives.
We all have questions about God, about life, about our ultimate destiny. In our little children, these questions often take the form of questions about heaven. As a pastor, these sometimes get directed to me.
Two years ago I received the following letter from a little boy named Alex
“Dear Pastor Mike,
Are there small cabins in heaven to sleep in?
Can you help God do chores in heaven?
I am an awesome Lego builder.
You are a nice pastor!
Love, Alex.”
To me, these are questions posed by a wise, if tiny, man. Alex’s questions show that he was wondering if God is warm and accepting. A God who will provide him with purpose and the good things in heaven that he has loved in this life.
The wise men, I think, traveled with similar questions. Is God truly loving? Will God accept us? accept me? Do I have a part to play in the divine drama?
Questions answered when they saw that God had come to them in love and absolute humility—as a child born among the poor.
I did, of course, answer Alex’s letter…
“Dear Alex:
Thank you for your letter. I liked it very much.
You asked me if there are small cabins to sleep in when we go to heaven and if God has us help with chores.
A few years ago a wise man named Eric Martine (who was three at the time) told me that, when you go to heaven, you turn around and you see all of your toys coming to heaven behind you.
I think Eric is right. I think heaven is like that.
Heaven has stuff we like in it, so that we will be happy. Like toys and friends to play with. If you like sleeping in little cabins, there will be some little cabins for you to sleep in. Maybe we won’t live in them, maybe they’ll just be a place to visit when we go boating or fishing. Some people, like my wife, Freda, would not be happy sleeping in a cabin all the time, so I’m sure God has some nice houses for us, too.
I’m not too sure about chores, but God likes it when we help with stuff. Heaven is probably a good place to try cooking new recipes. It’s probably a good place to make birdhouses. The Legos in heaven must be really cool. I bet you could even build a birdhouse with them!
I hope this answers your questions. The big thing to remember is that heaven is very nice, and that we will all be happy there.
Love, Pastor Mike”
I think what the wise men found out is this: God is very nice, and we will all be happy with him.
And that is why they worshipped.
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