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Weekly Devotional

January 3, 2012

God’s peace be with you all.

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, ²asking, “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.” ³When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ⁶‘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.’” ⁷Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸Then 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.” ⁹ 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. ¹⁰When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹On 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. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road

I was disappointed on Sunday evening when Carrie and I arrived back from Salisbury.  Why?  Because all my neighbors had already taken down their Christmas decorations.  It was not even the 8^th day of Christmas yet, and they all were already done.  Us?  We still have ours up and still light them up every night.  Christmas is not over yet.  Christmas goes to Epiphany, which occurs each year on January 6.  For us, it is not so much a rebellion against society and the eagerness to move to Valentine’s Day as it is joy to continually celebrate the birth of our Savior.  Yesterday I got in the car with Addison to run an errand, and the Holiday Channel that we listen to on the radio had already been shut off for the year.  What is it about January 1 that makes everyone want to hurry up and get Christmas over with?

Epiphany is one of the forgotten celebrations of the church.  Unless it occurs on a Sunday, we rarely celebrate it.  Yet, Epiphany marks the historic event of Gentiles (the world) coming to see the Messiah (who is a Jew).  It is the first step in the relationship between not just God and his people, but instead between God and the world.  As Gentiles ourselves, we too still seek this complete relationship with Jesus.  We seek to see his face, and to awe at the wonder that is the Son of God.  Our Christmas is about continuance in our relationship with God, and we celebrate that once again on Epiphany.

In our prayers this week: Ann, Daniel, David, Scott S., Mike C.

God’s Peace,