The Star and the Gifts

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying "Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, "In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel." Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also." When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." (Matthew 2:1-11)

The story of the wise men is fascinating, because it is the story of a mysterious caravan, not a trading caravan, not a caravan of spies or diplomats, but a caravan of astronomers in search of God. They crossed mountains and deserts; they probably spent months on the road, making a pilgrimage to meet the Savior of the human race face to face. They rejoiced when they met him, even though he was still a baby. They gave him the best they could offer--gold, frankincense and myrrh--the costliest things of the ancient world. The search for God ends in just this way. Through all the obstacles to faith, we travel and seek out the Way, Truth and Life of Jesus Christ (John 14:6), and find salvation and the promise of someday seeing God face to face. In the joy of possessing eternal salvation, we strive to give the best that we have. And what is the costliest thing we have? The thing that God wants more than any other gift? Our souls, our very lives, to love and be loved in eternal union with Him. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ Our Lord that we can make the same journey as the wise men, guided by the bright Morning Star of Christ, to find a home within the sacred family of His church, and to meet salvation face to face (1 Corinthians 13). May we all open up our treasures this season and give all that we have.

City Church of Christ wishes you a Merry Christmas, Peace on earth and good will toward all. Amen.

Freedom and Justice

In a season of elections and controversies in North America, it is good to sit down and think quietly and seriously about what our freedom and justice truly mean. Have our concepts of freedom and justice come from God? Or have they come from man? Which is the more enduring freedom, which the more equitable and perpetual justice? Have we given power to godly men and women, or to the godless? Are we intent on seeing a republic of virtue and truth in our midst, or do we merely want what the unstable populace imagines it wants at the moment? During the turbulence of the English Reformation, the poet and scholar John Milton penned these following words:

"For it is of no little consequence, O citizens, by what principles you are governed, either in acquiring liberty or in retaining it when acquired. And unless that liberty which is of such a kind as arms can niether procure nor take away, which alone is the fruit of piety, of justice, of temperance, and unadulterated virtue, shall have taken deep root in your minds and hearts, there will not long be wanting one who will snatch from you by treachery what you have acquired by arms...Your peace will be only a more distressing war, and that which you imagined liberty will prove the worst of slavery. Unless by the means of piety, not frothy and loquacious, but operative, unadulterated, and sincere, you clear the horizon of the mind from those mists of superstition which arise from the ignorance of true religion, you will always have those who will bend your necks to the yoke as if you were brutes..." (Second Defense of the English People)

The Good Book has this to say about justice and governance:

"A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,

but a just weight is his delight.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace;

but with the humble is wisdom.

The integrity of the upright guides them,

but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,

but righteousness delivers from death.

The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,

but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.

The righteousness of the upright delivers them,

but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.

When the wicked dies, his hope perishes,

and the expectation of the godless comes to nought.

The righteous is delivered from trouble,

and the wicked gets into it instead.

With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,

but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;

and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.

By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,

but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked...

The desire of the righteous ends only in good;

the expectation of the wicked in wrath.

One man gives freely, yet grows all the richer;

another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

A liberal man will be enriched,

and one who waters will himself be watered.

The people curse him who holds back grain,

but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.

He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,

but evil comes to him who searches for it.

He who trusts in his riches will wither,

but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

He who troubles his household will inherit wind,

and the fool will be servant to the wise.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

but lawlessness takes away lives.

If the righteous is requited on earth,

how much more the wicked and the sinner!"

(Proverbs 11:1~31)