"COME TO ME...."

After the angels appeared to the shepherds, the babe in the manger touched their hearts to "come to me". To the Wise Men, the babe in the cradle touched their hearts to "come to me".  Even in this present day, the babe touches each of our hearts. As a man he says to us "Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28a,b; NIV).
He is still saying to you-you who has accepted you are lower than the shepherds; He says, "Come to me..." At the time Jesus was born there was no one considered lower than the shepherds. This had been their lot for years and they had come to accept it. But then one night, one night different from all others an angel came to them-them the outcasts, the ones considered too unclean to be welcome in God's temple and their hearts were changed forever.
You-you who has been provided with everything one could possibly want or desire but still has an emptiness in the very depth of your being, the Savior touches your heart and says, "Come to me..."
The Wise Men-ones who had everything provided for them, no wants, no needs--followed a star, a bright "light" and their hearts were changed forever.
You-you who is filled with such pain you don't think you can face another day-let the babe touch your heart as He says, "Come to me..." Come to the manger, look upon the One called Jesus, Savior, Immanuel, Most High God, Mighty One; let His heart speak to your heart and change it forever.
This Christmas Eve, let the babe speak to your heart, "Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest....take my yoke...learn from me..." Let him change your heart forever!!

LESSONS OF CHRISTMAS--MAGI & KING HEROD

Before starting this lesson, it's necessary to clarify information regarding the presentation of Jesus. Jesus's circumcision and naming occurred on the 8th day. Jesus's presentation at the temple and Mary's purification happened 41 days after his birth in accordance with the Laws of Moses. When the wise men came they found Jesus in a house in Nazareth at some point within his first two years of life.
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It was my initial intent to address the wise men and King Herod, chief priests, and lawmakers (Matthew 2:1-14) in two separate lessons. However, what these two groups teach us is so closely intertwined they really can't be separated.The wise men were seeking Jesus with there hearts. The note in THE COMPANION BIBLE for Matthew 2:6 gives us our first insight into today's lesson: "This incident shows that intellectual knowledge of the Scriptures without experimental delight in them is useless.....The scribes had no desire toward the person of this 'Governor' whereas the wise men were truly wise, in that they sought the person of Him of Whom the Scriptures spoke and were soon found at His feet. HEAD KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT HEART LOVE MAY BE USED AGAINST CHRIST (my emphasis as this is point 1 of today's lesson). When we are seeking this person Jesus of Him of Whom the Scriptures spoke whether it be the first time or several, it is with our heart that we must seek. According to Charles Spurgeon "true friendship...means identifying with someone in thought, heart, and spirit". POINT 1: It is at the feet of Jesus we will find our answers if we come with a sincere heart.
In this event we see the who, what, why, where, when, and how of the reason Jesus came to earth. The who is the Holy Spirit that guided the wise men to Jesus just as the Holy Spirit guides us to Jesus. The what is the desire in which we seek Him; is it with our head or with our heart? The why is the reason we seek Him; are we seeking Jesus to crucify him or are we seeking Jesus as our Savior? The where is where we will find the answer to our quest; we will find the answer to this quest at the feet of Him of Whom the Scriptures spoke. The when is when the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart to seek out this One called Jesus, Savior, Immanuel, Prince of Peace. The how is the manner in which we seek this Babe; is it to crucify or is it to "love with all your heart, your soul, and your mind" Him who offers you abundant life? POINT 2:It is at the feet of Jesus we will find our answers if we come with a a sincere heart.
The wise men came to the feet of Christ for no other reason than to bestow gifts on Him. It is important we bring gifts of thanksgiving, of praise, and of rejoicing to Him of Whom the Scriptures spoke on a regular basis. All to often we come to Him with our petitions and we forget our gifts. For  the same reason we enjoy hearing thanks from our parents, children, friends, superiors; our Savior enjoys it. POINT 3: Bring our gifts of thanksgiving, of praise, and of rejoicing to the Him of Whom the Scriptures spoke.