Matthew 2:7-11
The first gift that the magi presented to the Christ Child was not gold, frankincense, or myrrh; it was nothing material. Rather, it was their act of worship; they knelt and paid him homage. In Frederick Buechner’s book, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC, Buechner sees that to worship God is to serve God.
Serving God can be done in one of two ways: by doing something God needs done or by doing things for God that you need done, but unless there is an element of joy and foolishness, the time would be better spent doing something else. Often the overt commercialism and consumerism of the season blind us to the real meaning of the coming of the Messiah. We become lost in the material, the 50% off and BOGO (buy one, get one) sales. Let us not forget to notice the star in the sky and let us not forget to include God in our lives and actions in joyful service to the one who was born king of the Jews.
Prayer:
Light of all nations,
May I seek to serve you each day with joy and adoration.
-Amen
Blake Traynham