Welcome back to another podcast of Struggling Well that Suzi and I have the way of bringing to you. And we're in the midst of Advent, in the midst of the Christmas season. I think for many people that story is a very familiar one. but it's also been one that I think has lost some of the roots based in scripture and some of the roots are now seems like are more based in Hallmark Christmas cards. So there are things that Hallmark would say are there that if you go to scripture that's just not true. Like what are some of those?
Well, like the scenes that are there of Jesus lying in a manger and the wise men or as the song popularly calls them the three kings.
Three kings
of orient.
Mhm.
You know, and there's no sense in which scripture ever refers to just three of them.
Well, the three probably came because of the gifts.
Probably because of the gifts.
You know, write a little story and say three kings.
Yeah. But so that so that's not there. And also they weren't there in the manger scene. They were probably 2 years after.
Mhm.
and it's fun to see our grandkids as they've helped us decorate our home. We have a couple different nativity scenes and the grandkids never put the wise men in the scene. They have them somewhere else in the room, right?
Because they know they've heard it said enough in our household that they weren't actually there. So I mean there's a couple things that I look at and say, "Yeah, it's not exact. the way it was.
And they weren't kings either.
No.
Which is who wrote We Three Kings of Orient?
Some guy years later.
I think Tim Briggs wrote that.
I think he may have.
He may have. there are a lot of So you think about how we've taken scripture and this is so common to us is we look at scripture, not us meaning Jimmy and I, but a lot of people we look at scripture and we kind of tell a story based on what we think the story should be. And so it fifths a hallmark narrative or you know the Christmas pageant narrative to have three wise men as opposed to like maybe there were 12 I don't know
yeah but that doesn't take away from the just the amazing story that this is and you want to start with the shepherds
yeah go ahead
so he these guys were it was not a sought-after job first of all and they weren't necessarily the cream of the crop in town. And here they are doing what they did every night. and God chooses to bring to them the good news of great joy. and it's what they do with that I think is amazing.
I think as we're preparing for Christmas Day, which I don't even know, is that the right day to
Well, no, it probably wasn't. It probably was more in the springtime, but anyway, doesn't fit the snow falling on roasting and all that. But
as I've been reading the passages about Jesus being born and from the shepherds to the magi and is there's a lot of movement going on. Let's go back to Mary and Joseph. the prophecy and what had to happen involved movement,
right?
They didn't just stay where they were. They had to move because the census was being taken. So there was move movement to get to the birth of Jesus with the shepherds. They the angel comes to them and says, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And you'll find him wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." And then the heavenly host started singing. And then it says, "When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened. Let us go. Right?
So again, there's movement towards Jesus. So I love the initiation from the Godhead sending the angels to say to the shepherds, you know, unto you today in this city is born the king of the Jews. So the initiation coming from God and then they have to respond and by obedience, curiosity, I don't know what they move towards Jesus.
Yeah. And then if as the story continues that they leave there, they see the baby and they leave there and they move back into their world and it says that they returned glorifying and praising God for all that they had seen and heard as it had been told them.
So, so there's movement after the fact, too. and I think what strikes us, we've talked about this, Suzi, is that there's so much movement around Christmas. Yeah, you know, we move boxes out of the attic to decorate our homes. We move and we go and we it's a is a busy time of movement all over, but I wonder is there ever movement towards Christ in all that or is it movement towards the holiday season? so they weren't the only ones that had to move though.
No, the wise men, as we talked about, they see this star, which is fascinating if you do any research on it. Was it a, you know, a star that's still there? Was it a what do they call it? oh, I can't think of the word. Let me see if I can find it. Like a nova, supernova.
we don't know. But they saw it and they were men that studied the stars. They looked at the stars. And I've read in one commentary that a star or something unusual in the heavens would often signify the birth of a king. And so they see this event, excuse me, in the sky and they're curious about it and they start moving towards it and then and they're looking for the king. So they move towards Jerusalem.
Mhm.
And they ask around where where's the king who's going to be born? And they bump into end up with Herod and ask that same question. And Herod is a little suspicious because he's going to be the king of the Jews. That's what the magi have said,
right?
So we know that little story about they end up leaving Herod. Herod, well, Herod says to them, "Go find this baby so I can worship him, too." Which was what he wanted to do is kill the baby, right?
But he tells them to go find him. So, they are on the move again, and it takes them quite a while. did they go by camels? Probably because of the distance. Maybe somewhere on foot, we don't know. But there is movement towards finding Jesus.
Yeah. And then when they leave, Bethlehem after they find him, they obviously are suspicious of Herod's motives and so they go a different way back home. Probably come all the way from Persia, ancient Persia to get there. So, so that's why it was probably maybe 2 years after Jesus was born that the magi finally arrived in Bethlehem.
and I've always found it curious. These are pagan wise men.
Yeah.
Who study the stars and yet they come to the conclusion that there is been a king born who will be king of the Jews and so they but there's movement towards him there's movement to pursue and to find him and I think that's the thing that strikes us in this Christmas season there's a lot of movement that takes place in our lives
Christmas parties to attend
present presents to buy decorations to put out all that movement there's nothing wrong with any of that. But I have to ask myself, is there movement for me towards Jesus in the midst of all that?
You know, the thing that I love about when the wise men do finally find Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, it says and going into the house, they saw the child, this is in Matthew 2, with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. That's amazing to me. Then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts. And we know old frankincense and myrr. And somehow I mean giving gifts is a wonderful thing. I love giving gifts much more than receiving gifts. But these men, however many there were, when they see Jesus, now again, they're pagan. They come, they see him, and there's something about him that is remarkable. So they fall down. These pagans fall down before him and worship him. And then they bring him these gifts. They give Jesus gifts. what a different look at Christmas than what we do now.
again, a gift giving is a wonderful thing. Having your kids get excited over you being thoughtful and getting them a gift or getting something for the people you love is a wonderful thing. I think we've missed I've missed through many many years. I've missed what the purpose was is to worship Jesus that he was born. And so in the movement that is going on here and the worship that is happening in this place. I've got to ask myself a couple of questions. One, as I think about the birth of Jesus, am I taking time in the midst of all the Christmas crazy to worship him to be thankful that God sent his son to be born? I mean, if any of you have had children or have witnessed your spouse giving birth, it's a messy situation. But the God became flesh and went through all of that to redeem us. So how these guys looked at him and saw that he was not just a baby is so amazing and thrilling to me. and the other thing is what do we bring to him?
What am I willing to give to him? and the first off is myself. but not in the way of, you know, I am in awe that you came. I'm in awe that you came to redeem me. I want to give you my life, my whole life. I want to give you my thoughts, my dreams, my heart, my words, everything. I want to give myself back to you who gave yourself for me.
Yeah. And you know, I the tradition that I grew up in was not a heavy lurggical tradition. And I honestly I was thinking back on this, I don't ever remember Advent being talked about or celebrated in the tradition I grew up in. it has been more recently in our lives. And I think how many years we come to the day after Christmas and Advent season, I look back and go, but I didn't really celebrate it.
I celebrated a lot of other things. And You and I have talked about this how we didn't we weren't consistent with reading or we weren't consistent with in some way pull pulling our thoughts. So you to your point pulling our thoughts and our movement towards Christ.
I think we've done well to celebrate our kids, our grandkids, our friends and each other and all those things which again nothing wrong with any of that
but to be able to find the space and the time to have movement towards this one who is the savior the world. That's what the wise men did. That's what the shepherds did. That's what Mary and Joseph did in so many ways in the movement that is there towards Christ because of the incredible gift that he is to us. So our encouragement in the midst of your celebration, whatever it looks like, don't stop celebrating each other. We're not saying that. But can you find time? Can you find space? Can we find time? Can We find space to celebrate the one and move towards the one who's the reason for all that we do this season of the year.
Yes.