“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 in the east and have come to worship him'” (Matthew 2:1-2 NIV).
“Worship is pulling our affections off our idols and putting them on God” (Tim Keller).
This Christmas I’ve asked my family and our church to pull the emphasis off of the glitzy, chaotic, spending frenzy that Christmas has become and to get back to what it should really be about — worshiping King Jesus.
When the Magi traveled from the East looking for the one “born King of the Jews,” they first encountered His counterfeit, the usurper Herod the Great. This half-Jew, half-Imudean took the throne that never belonged to him and demanded the worship of a people that belonged to God. He even “super-sized” the Jewish Temple to move the focus from God to his own “greatness.”
I’m sure the Magi were tempted by the contrast between the gold and glamour of Herod’s palace and the humble house that they found in Bethlehem. But their pursuit for the true king won out. They followed the star. They were overjoyed as they fell on their faces, worshiped, and presented their treasures to Jesus.
We still have a choice between worshiping King Herod or King Jesus. We have to pull our affections off of one and put them on the Other.
This Christmas, why don’t you join the Advent Conspiracy? Instead of giving presents, lets ask for more of His Presence. I’d rather give my kids Jesus, wouldn’t you?