Often I go out into the yard at night and move my existence beyond the 12 foot bubble I live in. I focus on the greatness and beauty of God’s creation by staring deep into the sky. This is one place that I can, in essence, see exactly what was before the eyes of the Magi thousands of years ago. I can gaze on the very stars they gazed upon. They fixed their eyes on a star that star, a light if you will. I invite you to follow the light of Jesus in your life.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the birth of our king, I realized that like the Magi that came from the East to worship Jesus….we too are going to see the King. We are a part of God’s story each and every day! Join with me as we look at how WE are a part of this ancient story that is relevant today as it was then!
Matthew 2:1-2 (TNIV)
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 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.”
The first way that we are a part of this story is that we have the opportunity, just like the Magi, to testify to the truth of Jesus en route to see Him. Where are we en route too? To a life with and eternity with our Father, indeed, with Jesus Himself!
I saw a young pastor once speaking about the importance of recognizing that in or lives, we live between two trees.
Genesis 1:8-9 (TNIV)
8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground, trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Before this tree in the book of Genesis, God was and God always has been.
Listen to Genesis 1:26 [TNIV, This is God speaking:]
26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
He was there for eternities past! Jesus was there for eternities past! In that way, as we follow His light in our lives, we are testifying to the truth en route.
Look closely at verse 8: The words “us” and “our” are used. You see, Jesus was there in the beginning. God the Father–Jesus the Son–and the Holy Spirit!
Now, we look at the very last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation and we see this same tree, the Tree of Life.
Revelation 22:13-14 [TNIV, Jesus is speaking]
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
You see, after this tree, the tree of life in the last book of the Bible, God is and God will always be! Through our trust and faith in Jesus Christ we will enjoy an eternity with God, indeed, with Jesus! WE LIVE IN THIS LIFE….”Between two trees”
So, again, where are we en route to? We are en route to an eternity with the King–with Jesus Himself! Just like the Magi, we follow the light of a star, the light of Jesus! And just like the Magi, we worship and we praise this new life–God’s Son–born in a lowly manger, born to be the light of this world!