Much that happens at this time of year is much ado about nothing and has little or nothing to do with the birth of our Saviour. We desperately need to turn to the Scriptures to keep the main thing the main thing and to worship the One who was born King of the Jews. When we focus our attention on our Lord and Saviour who fulfilled multiple prophecies, saved us, dwelt among us, and abides with us, then the rest are just details.
The good soldier of the Lord does not get caught up in civilian affairs of which there are plenty. At the risk of reiterating the above paragraph; the way to avoid being swept away on the bandwagon of frivolities is to prioritise the essential. Reading and meditating upon Matthew and Luke’s accounts of the Nativity is always profitable and fuels greater adoration and wonder for the Lord Jesus who condescended into our world.
Taking time to consider the implications of the great carols we sing, and the truths contained therein is time well spent. That will make us deeply informed about what we sing and increasingly cognizant and grateful to our Messiah who gives us second birth. It will give us a greater desire to share those truths with others so that they too may come to worship Him.
We worship the Lord so that He is rightly glorified through prayer, reading the Scriptures, songs of praise, collective worship, and obedience to His will in each aspect of our lives. When we consider the magnitude of what the Lord has done, we will be energised to spread His praise from shore to shore and to make known His wonders.
The wise men from the East set before us an exemplary example of how to conduct ourselves. Their mission was to find the Messiah and to worship Him. They brought their gifts for the King of the Universe emphasising His royalty, divinity, and the ultimate sacrifice He would make to redeem humankind and reconcile us to God. When they were warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod they departed for their country another way.
This world has many cares and concerns, many of which are either trivial or transitory. But we are instructed to seek the Lord and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto us (Matthew 6:33). The message is simple yet sufficient. Make it your business to be like the wise men with the ultimate objective to come and worship Him.
Jon Taylor 14th December 2021
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