Pastor’s Podium

When you set up your nativity scene, where do you put the three kings?

The story of Jesus’ birth is in two parts. The first act involves shepherds and angels and is told in the Gospel of Luke. This part of the story places Mary and Joseph in a stable. The lowly shepherds end up right there at the manger which serves as infant Jesus’ bassinet. The shepherds are the first to hear and believe the good news that Christ the Savior has been born and is with us in the world. It is so comforting to put the neediest people closest to Christ. It is one of the best messages of the season that God notices the poorest and lowliest people. They get the good news of God’s help and peace first.

What about the rich kings? Please take the time to remember the second act in the story of Christ’s birth. It is told in the Gospel of Matthew. This part of the story includes the star that appears in the sky when Jesus is born. It includes the wise kings in the East who notice the star and follow it to Bethlehem. In this part of the story, Jesus is a toddler by the time they find him in a house in Bethlehem. The kings give Jesus three gifts — gold, frankincense and myrrh.

We know Jesus could have been around two by the time the kings come. The scholars advising King Herod studied the scriptures and interrogated these wise foreigners from the east. These court scholars calculated that the baby the wise ones are looking for could be up to two years old. That is why King Herod has all children two or younger killed as a way to make sure “the one who was born to be King of the Jews” is killed. This is the dark part of the full story of the birth of Jesus Christ into the world. It results in Joseph and Mary becoming refugees. They make the decision (by a message from God) to flee with Jesus and cross the border into Egypt. As refugees, this special family finds asylum in Egypt. (Read all of this in Matthew 1 and 2).

Glory be to God that Mary and Joseph and Jesus found welcome and safety in a foreign land. Because his life was preserved there, the family could eventually return to Nazareth where he would grow up. From Nazareth Jesus launched his ministry, teaching the way of God and healing people from their sickness and sin.

Fulfilling the truth of the Christmas story, there was always a place in Jesus’ heart for the lowliest children, widows and outcasts. There was a place for the rich rulers and religious leaders too. Jesus welcomed everyone to follow him as he fulfilled the purpose of God to save the world. But most could not be bothered nor give up their comforts.

So I admire those first rich foreigners who recognized the small change of one new star among the millions and were willing to leave their comfortable routines to get to the root of this change. God’s clue to finding the savior for these men of means was a change in the natural world God created. They noticed and responded. A change in the constellation had those guys on a path that took them two years to be rewarded by. And after finding Christ they went on yet another new path because they had to “go home by a different way” to avoid evil Herod.

The Word of God draws us into the stories in Scripture and guides us by their truths for how we should live our lives today. The full story of Christmas teaches us so much. It is especially important for us to think about the place of the kings in the Christmas story because we are the wise people with means today. We have gifts to give. We are people who have resources of time, money and education.

The wise ones from the East can be our inspiration as we appreciate our gifts and discern where and how we are supposed to give them to our Lord today. These kings encourage us to be willing to leave our routines and comforts to get to the root causes of the changes in our world God is helping us notice today. As we apply our gifts there, we will see the Savior. What Joy. Merry Christmas.