Gifts for the King

And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11

Kingly gifts are offered to the young King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The adoration of the wise men from the East shows us just how significant Jesus is in the world and beyond it. When I combine this episode with Luke's account of the Nativity, we see incredible worship at the time of Jesus' birth. Angels announced and sang glory to God, shepherds came to marvel at the Messiah, and wise sages traveled the globe to see Him and bring him kingly gifts.

And Jesus deserves such worship today. In fact, He is still adored by angels, commoners, and kings. He is Lord and King, God and Savior, worthy of all worship. Why? Not because He stayed a safe baby in the arms of Mary, but because He lived, and died to bring us to God.

Technorati Tags: Jesus,Nativity,Christmas,Worship

We need a Savior.

(THIS POST begins a new study in the Gospel of Matthew)

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21

There is much more than a Christmas card meaning behind this instruction from the angel to Joseph. The ESV Study Bible notes shed some light on the importance of the name given to Jesus:
"Jesus (Gk. Iesous) was the historical, everyday name, and is Yeshua'/Yehoshua' (Joshua) in Hebrew, meaning "Yahweh saves" (Neh. 7:7; cf. Matt. 1:21). The name Jesus was given to sons as a symbolic hope for the Lord's anticipated sending of salvation through a Messiah who would purify his people and save them from oppression (see note on v. 1). But the angel points to a more important theme: to save his people from their sins. Salvation from sins was a repeated promise in OT prophets (e.g., Isa. 40:2; 53:6; Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:25-27; Dan. 9:24; Zech. 13:1)."

Sometimes liberal criticism of the gospels tends to downplay the name of Jesus. They insist it was such a common name in the day and that we should not be surprised to see it. Yet the gospel of Matthew goes out of the way to let us know that no less than an angel of the Most High God commanded the earthly stepfather of Jesus to give Him that name. Yes, the common name meant "Yahweh saves". And a common hope in the Palestine of the First Century was that a deliverer would come to end the scourge of Roman oppression. Yet the angel has a much broader view of the hope that would come in Jesus: He would save His people from their sins, not from an outside political occupation. This is a greater hope than anyone else in Israel could have possibly had for their little child named Yeshua. Jesus would be different.

So as I spend some time now working through the gospel of Matthew (about the next six weeks or so), I will see if what the angel said is indeed born up in the testimony about Jesus. And I can't help but wonder if that reality of Jesus as a Sin-Savior might be the most important understanding I need of Him. Many evangelicals in America are distressed to see a current political climate that seems to be moving away at faster-than-light speed from solid Judeo-Christian underpinnings. That may be true. And some political oppression may be possible in the years ahead. But even then, we do not need a conservative politician to meet society's greatest of needs. We need a Savior. And Jesus is the One.

Technorati Tags: Jesus,Nativity,Savior,Christology

The grace of God has appeared.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
Titus 2:11-12

The grace of God has appeared. That is the reality of the Christmas message that we begin celebrating today. In Jesus, the grace of God fell on a rebel planet. God chose to give His Son to offer pardon for the sinful state of humanity. This is the best of all gifts for all people.

This grace appeared in Jesus and it brought salvation. Of all the gifts a person can receive, this is the greatest of gifts. Just as it is the costliest gift ever given, it is the greatest gift ever received. And this salvation is not just a pie-in-the-sky vaguery. It affects me in the real world.

This passage shows that salvation in Christ teaches the believer how to live. It trains us for a new kingdom. We renounce our rebellion, turn from the forces of selfish sin, and join the King's followers in a new allegiance. We are trained then to renounce what was once our basic training in rebellion: ungodliness and worldly passion. And we live under the King with new self-control, upright thinking and godly living AMONG the very rebels we once conspired with against the King.

This is what the Nativity brought to me. And this is the perspective on Christmas that I will carry with me this evening in worship, and tomorrow in celebration.