Real Hope: Christmas StorySample

The Wise Men

The wise men followed the star until they came to the place where Jesus was found. These wise men from the east recognised Jesus as a new king, a ruler of a new and different kingdom that was to include both Jew and Gentile. These were men of great knowledge and stature, and yet they fell down and worshipped the child, and they presented their gifts. Gold, a gift fit for a king who had come to rule with love, not violence; frankincense, a gift for a priest, its sweet perfume filling the temple as the sacrifice is made; and myrrh, given to one who is going to die so that He may be anointed.

In these gifts we see God’s provision for Jesus and His family as they fled into Egypt. But we should look beyond these rich and magnificent material gifts, to the gift of Jesus Himself. In Romans 6:23 Paul confirms that ‘the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’. It is only through Jesus that we can receive this ultimate gift.

Each year, when I hear the story of the wise men, I wonder not just at the faith that set them on their journey, but at the blessing placed upon them by the presence of Christ as a child. And I realise it is the same blessing, the same gift, that all of us have been given, simply by believing in and knowing Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Written by CHRIS PARFOOT

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