​While Simeon was looking and watching expectantly for the consolation of Israel, another seasoned individual was also seeking God’s redemption of His people.

The festivities are over, the presents have been opened, the decorations are starting to come down, merchandise is over half off, and Christmas seems officially over.  However, is Christmas Day really the end of everything, the pinnacle moment, grand finale?  Or is Christmas Day truly the beginning?

​Sweet baby Jesus!  You left your heavenly dwelling of glory to be born among the lowly and despised of the earth, in a cattle stall among people who had no room for You.  From a throne of splendor to a straw filled manger, You humbled Yourself and be came like one of us in our very weakest and vulnerable state.  You came as a newborn baby, fully reliant upon an imperfect, inexperienced mother and father.  And while shepherds paid their respects, and wise men came to worship, the very people You came to save largely rejected and ignored You.  Their hearts and their doors stated “No room in the inn.”  And now, two thousand years later, many people still have signs hanging on the door frames of their homes and hearts declaring, “No room in the inn!”  But may we be like the shepherds of old who left their flocks by night and came to your bedside to worship.  Or may we be like the wise men from a far who traveled many miles in search of the King of Kings.  And may our Christmas prayer this year be this:  

​As we continue our “God Came Down” series, the next characters from the Nativity story that we will look at are the Magi or wise men.  How often we see these special guests depicted as three elegantly dressed men bearing rich gifts and kneeling before or hovering over an idyllic manger scene!  Now while I hate to burst your bubble or perfect picture, the truth of the matter is that the wise men were nowhere near the manger scene for the birth of Jesus.  In fact, we don’t even know if there were three who visited the infant Jesus!  There could have been five or ten for all we know!  Nevertheless, while no one knows the details on their identity, we can still learn some very valuable lessons from these semi-obscure worshipers of the Christ Child. 

​The Christmas season is upon us!  Have you heard the bells ringing or the choirs singing?  But Christmas isn’t just about the songs, bright lights, festivities, and colorful decorations, is it?  No, it’s about much more!  Christmas is about God doing an extraordinary thing through a simple girl form a small town called Nazareth.