City Life Starter

I. The Word: Matthew 2:9-11

9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

After their encounter with king Herod, they continued their journey towards Bethlehem, a city located south of Jerusalem.  Perhaps when they arrived in Jerusalem, these men thought they arrived to their destination, only to find out that king Herod was not the one who they were looking for.  They could of have thought that their journey was a huge mistake.  

Surprisingly, they pressed on and continued their journey.  As they do, they saw that the star which guided them from the East reappeared and continued to direct their path until they arrived in Bethlehem, to a sheepfold where Jesus was born.  When they saw Jesus, they fell down and worshiped Him.  What a joy it must have been for these men, after traveling such a long distance to find the One who they were looking for.

Finally, they present gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Gold is seen as the metal for kings.  Frankincense is a aromatic gum from Arabia used as incense.  Myrrh is also an aromatic gum that was used medicinally but also as perfume.  Because gold was a royal metal, frankincense was used by priest in the temple to worship, and myrrh was used to embalm the bodies of the dead, these gifts presented at the foot of Jesus foretells He will be the King, the perfect High Priest, and the Sacrifice.

The Christmas celebration of the birth of Jesus means far greater than celebrating baby Jesus.  This day, we celebrate God’s love towards us, His willingness to send His only Son to be sacrificed for our sins, fulfilling the thousand-year old question of how God will restore the relationship between God and men.

He is our King; let us bow before Him.

He is our High Priest; let us go to Him.

He is our Savior; let us worship Him.

Merry Christmas, JY