Do You Hear What I Hear? ~4 Days Away

            "O Little Town of Bethlehem" & "We Three Kings"

4 Days Away

Today is about worship. "Sweetly singing." Who is doing that singing? 

Angels. 

Many of the details surrounding Jesus' birth are, well, not normal. In order to be more kind, I could say, not typical, but I really do mean not normal. 

The announcement of Jesus' birth is certainly not normal. Angels announced Christ's arrival. Angels.

While we can quickly conjure up images of Christmas pageants past with our littlest children donning white sheets, wings, and halos, the reality can be much more complex to fathom. 

Angels? Heavenly beings?--Yes! Yes! Yes!

With the glory of this realization comes the sobering fact of the presence of evil on the other side. Let us glory in Jesus AND let us put on the full armor of God in order to face each day prepared for our spiritual battles.

Music: "O Little Town of Bethlehem"

"We Three Kings"

Meditation: "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.'
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 
'In Bethlehem in Judea,' they replied, 'for this is what the prophet has written: 
But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.'
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. " ~Matthew 2:1-12

Following the example of the Wise Men this Christmas: 

  • They were attentive. They noticed the star. 
  • They felt compelled and responded. 
  • They stopped everything to go. They made time for their Maker. 
  • They planned the best gifts available to them: gold, frankincense, myrrh
  • They travelled from afar. 
  • ****They were overjoyed upon seeing the child. 
  • They bowed down to Him; they worshiped; they offered the gifts.
"Clap you hands, all you nations; 
shout to God with cries of joy.
For the LORD Most High is awesome, 
the great King over all the earth...

Sing praises to God, sing praises; 
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth; 
sing to him a psalm of praise." ~Psalm 47:1-2; 6-7

Great Mystery, Almighty God, a little town and a starry sky. Lord, you orchestrate the world and nature according to Your Design. Help us to be attentive to Your Works and appreciate Your Plan. Help us to be in tune to Your World like the Wise Men. Help us to be overjoyed and to worship You. Finally, help us, Lord, so we can help others and offer them the hope of Jesus. In Christ's Name. Amen. 


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