“Wise Guys and Starry Skies” – that was the name of a children’s musical I saw several years ago. The kids dressed up like the “wise men” were decked out with bejeweled robes, scraggly beards, and crowns bigger than their heads. These “3” guys have certainly been made famous over the years. Yesterday at CRCC, David Rhodes taught us that the wise men BROUGHT their curiosity and gifts to Jesus. What did they take away? Inclusion in the Kingdom of God!
(Matthew 2:1) After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
These men would have been Arabs from the region of the world called “Persia”.
They were probably the very FIRST visitors to encounter Jesus as OUTSIDERS to the Jewish traditions. FOREIGNERS to all things Jewish for sure. Even though every manger scene includes these guys AT the manger – we know that they didn’t even arrrive until several years later – maybe when Jesus was just a toddler. Doesn’t that sound STRANGE? “Jesus was a TODDLER”…
This was perhaps the first GLIMPSE that Jesus was to be the Savior NOT just for the Jewish people, but for the…. WHOLE WORLD! Today the story of Jesus has gone around the globe fulfilling the promise of “every tongue, tribe, and nation” that are WELCOME to the family of God.
Question: How well do you handle people who are different than you? How open are you to seeing them as equals in the eyes of God? How about reaching out to someone that is FAR different than you?
Application: We want YOU to bring it – each week – “COATS AND CANS”
Bring any winter coats and canned goods that we can donate to Heritage Baptist Church in the inner city of Greenville.
Steve Keyes
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