“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:6-7
We love to adorn our humble manger scenes with the extravagant Magi. They bring some sparkle to the whole setting. But their part in the real Christmas story goes beyond elegant gifts and decked-out camels. They show us that God will meet us where we are. And He will meet someone genuinely seeking Him, whether that person’s theology is spot-on or not.
The words below by poet Malcom Guite (2012) express it well:
It might have been just someone else’s story,
Some chosen people get a special king.
We leave them to their own peculiar glory, We don’t belong, it doesn’t mean a thing.
But the Magi arrive and bring us with them,
Gentiles like us, their wisdom might be ours;
A steady step that finds an inner rhythm,
A pilgrim’s eye that sees beyond the stars. …
Their courage gives our questing hearts a voice
To seek, to find, to worship, to rejoice.
The words below by poet Malcom Guite (2012) express it well:
It might have been just someone else’s story,
Some chosen people get a special king.
We leave them to their own peculiar glory, We don’t belong, it doesn’t mean a thing.
But the Magi arrive and bring us with them,
Gentiles like us, their wisdom might be ours;
A steady step that finds an inner rhythm,
A pilgrim’s eye that sees beyond the stars. …
Their courage gives our questing hearts a voice
To seek, to find, to worship, to rejoice.
Scripture Focus
Isaiah 55:6-9
Insight
God used foreign Magi and a wondrous star to further His plan. He’ll go to great lengths to shout His message of love to you, too.
Bible In A Year
- Haggai 1-2
- Proverbs 27
- Revelation 11-12