Celebrating Epiphany -- The Wise Men Showed Up to Worship

Epiphany, or the 12th day of Christmas, falls on January 6th (but celebrating on the closest Sunday -- today, the 8th) and it marks the official end to the wonderful season of Christmas. That’s why so many of us wait until after this day to take down our Christmas decorations. Epiphany means manifestation of God in His Son as human in Jesus Christ. It marks a visit to the baby Jesus by the Three Kings, or Wise Men.

Most manger scenes include those three wise men, but, in reality, the wise men didn't even actually appear until about two years after Christmas. Tradition has led us to assume many things about these men that the Bible doesn't tell us. For one, they're referred to as “kings,” which is probably not accurate. To call them wise is probably fair, as the mostly likely possibility is that these men were astrologers and the Bible doesn't give the number of men. All we know for sure is that they brought three gifts on their long journey from the East.

These men had seen a very unusual star that signaled to them the birth of divine royalty. So, like captains charting a course by the stars in the middle of the vast ocean, these men set off to “follow” the star. Their journey brought them to Judea. And assuming that the star indicated a birth in the house of the ruler, they went first to King Herod's home.“Where is the King of the Jews?” they asked Herod. That question was the beginning of Jesus’ troubles. Herod didn’t like the question, because he WAS the King of the Jews, and the fact that it was being asked by some foreigners who had journeyed from a distant country was even more troubling to the king. The thought that there was a rival to his throne was terribly disturbing for him.

So we get the sense that a plan began to form in Herod’s head. But first, he needed to know where this newborn King of the Jews was. Herod sent the men out to find the baby, then to report back where he was. So the men go, continuing to follow the star that had led them there to Judea. And sure enough, it led them right to the doorsteps of the home of Mary, Joseph and their child Jesus.
Reader’s Digest once posed the question “What if God had called 3 Wise Women instead of 3 Wise Men? If 3 women.....

1. They would have asked for directions to the stable instead of going to King Herod.
2. They would have arrived on time and helped deliver the baby.
3. They would have cleaned the stable and brought practical food for the family to eat – like a casserole.
4. And there would have been peace on earth!”
LOL!

Back to this intriguing story. Matthew 2:11 says that immediately upon entering the house, the wise men knew they were in the presence of the most wonderful king to ever been born. They fell to their knees to honor and worship Him, and they offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Not such practical gifts, like a casserole or diapers for a year, but most definitely...valuable gifts. A gold brick in today’s time is worth about $485,000 and in that day it would have probably been even more valuable. Those gifts probably sustained the Holy Family for many years to come. Now that's what I call "a baby shower"!

Those wise men brought gifts to Jesus, but Jesus gave them, and us, back so much more -- an even greater gift. He came here to this earth ON PURPOSE. He became one of us so that He could GIVE to us the gift of a “PAID IN FULL” bill. He gave us the gift of forgiveness and a pardon from ever having to pay for the mistakes we make. He gave His ALL!

All we have to do is receive and take the gift. And once we do, we won't be able to help ourselves -- we will want to give back to Him in worship with everything we are and everything we have. We honor and worship Him. When we experience His love, like the Wise Men, we MUST give and we MUST worship Him, not because we’re required or have to, but because we want to honor, adore and worship our KING of all KINGS!

Kindness and a Glass of Milk

Day 275 of Photo Inspirations – Kindness and a Glass of Milk
My son sent this email to me yesterday – it was an email he received from his Dad 10 years ago – and it sure bears repeating today.  Kindness to others can sure go a long way.
 
From: "Ronald J. Wuerch"
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 at 10:30 AM
Subject:   Do An Act of Kindness Each Day

You never know how important the good deed done by you today is connected to the answer in your tomorrow.  The little things matter greatly in God’s sight.  Let’s plant kindness today and impact our future.  Smile, God’s watching.
Dad

A GLASS OF MILK
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.  Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"   You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."   He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."   As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many years later, that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.   Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.  Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.  He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day, he gave special attention to her case.  After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words ... "Paid in full with one glass of milk"

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You,
God, that Your love has spread broadly through human hearts and hands."

Dr. Howard Kelly (1858-1943) was a distinguished physician who was one of the four founding doctors of John Hopkins, the first medical research university in the U.S. and arguably one of the finest hospitals anywhere. In 1895 he established the department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at that school. Over the course of his career, he advanced the sciences of gynecology and surgery, both as a teacher and as a practitioner.

There's a saying which goes something like this:   Bread cast on the waters comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time.  If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place... and, after all, isn't that what life is all about?