|
|
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion January 2, 2007 They Made… The Right Choice |
A daily |
Frontline Devotion for Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007 by Matt Pensinger
Matthew 2:1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men
from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born
king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay
him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem
with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people,
he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In
Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
The stories around the birth of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew are filled with dreams and decisions and angel messengers and midnight warnings. There are many points where the characters of the stories have to make hard choices, usually as a result of a dream message from an angel, between doing what might be easier or more beneficial or more acceptable and doing what God wills. Joseph has to choose to buck the societal norms and the laws of his religion, as well as (probably) swallowing personal pride and hurt, by marrying Mary and naming and raising a son whom he did not conceive. The young newlyweds then have to choose to flee their country in the middle of the night and go to a foreign land, alone and friendless, to protect the child Jesus from a crazed ruler. In between these momentous and difficult decisions, there are these visitors from the East, wise men of an indeterminate number. Where they come from and how they know that the “king of the Jews” has been born is not explained. What is obvious, though, is that they are important people from a foreign country, and that their first stop on their quest is to “check in” with the local ruler and to enter into an agreement with him: show us the way to Bethlehem, and we’ll deliver this child to you. They’ve made a deal with a powerful king, our “wise men” have, and there are potentially fatal consequences for going back on it; they have to know this.
But the wise men, too, make a hard choice, a difficult decision: they meet the child, and they recognize the Messiah, and they fall down in worship… and then they listen to what God has to say to them. As I said, we know next to nothing about these visitors; we don’t know what they were like or what they believed before. But when God speaks to them through dreams and through a little child, they turn away from a potentially lucrative agreement with a powerful king, risk the potentially fatal consequences of going home “by another road,” and make the powerful and risky commitment to doing God’s will.
I guess what I hear in the story of our “wise men” is that it doesn’t matter who you are or who you were or where you came from or where you think you are going. It doesn’t matter who or what you’re afraid of or embarrassed about or in debt to. What matters, more than anything, is making the difficult choices that are a part of seeking for and striving to do God’s will. Not that the choices and opportunities for decision that God presents to us are always difficult… but we know that they often are. God gives strength and courage to face and make those choices to Joseph, and to Mary, and to wise men and women from near and far in every time and place… and God gives strength and courage to you. May you know God’s strengthening, encouraging presence in your life today.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for sustaining me today. Give me courage to know and to do what is right; let me always seek your will. Turn our hearts to you today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
|
|
All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
Visit the |
