Christmas morning brings so many memorable scenes in a home bustling with children. Whether they are the ones pulling mom and dad out of bed or the parents are waking sleepy-headed littles, there’s nothing like the joy that radiates from them once they realize “It’s time!” There is a wonder and belief that becomes infectious if you just let yourself be as taken with the experience as they are. I would never wish to quell that kind of complete surrender to the blessings of a moment.
This lead me to think of Matthew 19:14 where the disciples had just rebuked the crowd for pressing the children around Jesus. “But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” (NLT) This joy and wonder we see in children on Christmas morning, what if that was what we awoke to on Sunday morning? The realization that we get to worship with our church family and bring gifts of praise, stirring us from our sleepy-headed existence and into the throne room of God. In reality, many Christians would probably like to pull the blankets back over their heads. Some make lists of the things that they could get done instead or they’ve made their lives so busy that even Sunday has little room in their schedule. “Get real Dellaca, we have grown-up responsibilities and can’t be so childlike with our beliefs.” The surrender to the blessings of a moment are not where the adult mind typically goes. So when I get to witness that childlike abandon in an adult it makes me smile.
It can be no surprise that I’ve been watching my fair share of Christmas movies this season. Polar Express is one my kids have enjoyed over the years and it was highlighted at my church’s production during our annual Journey to Bethlehem. A group of young children go on an expedition to the north pole, one of them close to no longer believing in Santa. They have a glorious adventure and the boy who was near to letting go of his belief found it renewed and stronger than ever. That is what I want for my life to look like! A grand adventure of seeking the Lord that renews my belief and strengthens my resolve.
Speaking of a grand adventure, and my church’s production of Journey to Bethlehem, I’m reminded of our family’s tradition of setting the manger. The backdrop is in its place before Christmas so we think about what is to come. When the day comes we read Luke 2 and as the different people are mentioned we set their figurine in the scene. We then go to Matthew 2 to read of the wise men and set up their figurines as well. People who attend the Journey to Bethlehem at our church will often say, “You know the wise men were not there that night.” Our reply, come back in a few months so we can do this all over and make it right. Just kidding, we don’t say that. We do however want to acknowledge their contribution of establishing Jesus’ kingship. Yet, I want to take you deeper.
In my study of the Bible, I see an earlier reference to wise men east of Israel. When Daniel is set up at Nebuchadnezzar’s court in Babylon it is as a wise man. (Daniel 1:18-20) Daniel’s work for the empire made him a prominent figure there and his teachings and prophecies were shared with those around him. I would say that it is likely the wise men in that area, even through the rise and fall of the empires, were trained in those teachings, and maybe even descendants of those exiled Israelites who remained in the land. That being a possibility, they had a vested interest in the signs unfolding of the prophesied messiah. While those living in Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth would have seen the wise men as outsiders, they could have had ancestral ties to this holy land that stirred something inside them.
Seeing the signs, spoken of by generations of those who remained in Persia, now coming to light (literally in the star), these wise men showed a sense of wonder and desire to believe. They set out on an adventure, not a polar express, but a desert caravan just hoping this faith would be confirmed. They displayed the childlike belief of waking on Christmas morning and knowing, It’s time. They showed this attribute that would say “the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children,” who would drop everything to run after Jesus. Let us pray we would do the same. So remember the next time you see a nativity scene complete with wise men to let them come.
Author Dellaca Ferraiz Reynolds 