When summertime is upon us, the story of Christmas remains far away from our minds.  The holiday of gift-giving does not fill our thoughts as it does during the season of days that fall between late November until the end of December.  Nonetheless, it is there:  the birth of Jesus we need to rest our minds today.

During the days of King Herod, there was much turmoil, for taxation was upon the people, life was difficult in the day-to-day meeting of needs, and the region was ruled by a man who feared (above all) losing his power to another.  Therefore, when the Magi came from the far east to report that they were following a star to worship the king who had been born, King Herod knew that he needed to kill this king more than anything else.  Under the guise of wishing to also worship the newly born king, the ruler of the people sent the Magi, the astrologers who studied the stars and the heaven, to find this newly born ruler and then to report back to him, so he too could worship the babe.

• Today, we have instant accessibility to Scriptures.  We merely open our Bibles and read.
• Today, we have instant availability to see Jesus.  We simply bow our heads to pray.
• Today, we have instant approachability to worship the King of kings.  We can see Jesus everywhere with our spiritual eyes.

The question remains:  Are we searching for the King of kings with our whole devotion as the Magi?

If not, what obstacles keep us from doing so?

We live in a time when its easy to see so many falling away from their faith, and it causes us to ponder:  WHY?  What makes one leave his first love?  And what keeps one from remaining faithful?  Sure, the world is turning faster than what seems possible, and truly, life struggles abound, but hasn’t that always been true?  During the days when Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, life was difficult, times were tough, and faith in God was not accepted by all.  Just like today, the people of that day needed a Savior.  And just like today, the people of that time needed Hope.

For generations, the prophets had prophesied about the birth of the Messiah.  They proclaimed He would come from the tribe of Judah and would come to rule all of Israel.  Maybe that was the place where King Herod’s fear originated—from the truth found in Scriptures.  Could it be for that reason that he sends the multitude of Magi to follow the star, to find the One born ”He who has been born King of the Jews.”

Although we who have studied the Christmas story know the rest of the story, the truth behind Herod’s fascination with finding the babe, at the time with the Magi departed from Jerusalem, they were unaware of King Herod’s intentions.  It was only later, after they found the babe lying in the manger, that the LORD appeared to them in a dream, instructing them to not return to Jerusalem but to go home by another route.

The Magi did not need anyone else, once they arrived in Bethlehem, so they had seen the babe, Jesus, with their own eyes.  They came into the house and placed their gifts, and then fell to the ground in worship.  Scholars tell us that these gifts provided the funds necessary for Joseph to escape to Egypt, to protect the babe from the slaughter of King Herod.  Scriptures explain the narrative of the birth of Jesus fulfilled prophecy.

JESUS remains assessable and available and approachable even today.

Nevertheless, if we are not careful, we can allow the busyness of our days, the allure of society, and the day-to-day struggles to pull us away from our first love.  So, it is with that in mind, we question:  Are we searching for the King of kings with our whole devotion, just as the Magi did when they saw the star of Bethlehem?  Are we allowing obstacles to keep us from falling to the ground in worship to the King of kings?

We may not see the Lord of lords with our physical eyes as the Magi did, and we may not see the star of Bethlehem high up in the sky; however, the Bible is so crystal clear about believers’ faith, about keeping the Lord’s commandments, and about remaining faithful until the appearing of the light of the world—the Lord Jesus Christ.