Christmas 2013
Dear Neighbor,
You are invited to come see a living, reverent portrayal of the Christmas stories. The script is entirely from the Gospels. The times are 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 15. Bring your children and grandchildren!
Who were the wise men who came to worship Jesus when He was born? Why are they called “wise”?
For one thing, they knew an ancient prophecy that there would be a special star, which would be a sign that a new King of the Jews had been born—not an ordinary king, but the King of kings. You can read that prophecy in Numbers 24:17. The wise men preserved the memory of this prophecy, given more than 1000 years before Jesus was born! Even more, they were wise because they still believed in the prophecy, even though it was from so long ago. And they wanted to come worship the Lord.
They also knew what gifts to bring to Him: gold, frankincense and myrrh. They chose these gifts because of their spiritual significance. Precious gold, bright yellow and malleable, corresponds to loving the Lord with all our heart. Sweet-smelling frankincense, offered at the time of prayer with fire from the altar, corresponds to loving the Lord with all our soul and all our mind, and our neighbor as ourselves. The sweet smoke curling up to heaven represents the perceptions and thoughts we receive from the Lord about how we may best serve Him, enlightened by His Word. And the myrrh, used in anointing the body, including at burial, corresponds to loving the Lord with all our strength, in action.
We can be wise in similar ways. We can keep the promises of the Lord’s coming fresh in our minds by reading His Word. We can believe that the Lord is always coming to us. We can be willing to bow down to Him in the way we lead our lives. And we can offer Him spiritual gold, frankincense and myrrh, by loving Him with all our heart and mind and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves.
May you receive the promise of the Lord’s coming this Christmas and seek Him with all your heart. “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Sincerely,
Rev. Lawson M. Smith