Christ Church Daily Devotion Dec 17 2023

Magi from the east came to Jerusalem seeking the newborn King of the Jews. King Herod was disturbed by this news and wanted to find the child. The Magi were motivated by their study of the stars and wanted to worship and offer gifts to the newborn king. Herod saw the child as a potential threat and wanted to eliminate him. This story prompts us to reflect on our own motivations for finding Jesus and whether we are willing to let him rule in our lives. A suggested prayer from Charles Wesley's hymn is provided. Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for December 17th, 2023. Today we will be reading from Matthew chapter 2 verse 1 through 8. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi, from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose, and have come to worship him. When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the peoples, chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. In Bethlehem in Judea, they replied, for this is what the prophet has written. But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, are by no means least among the rulers of Judea. For out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him. The wise men had one motivation for going to Bethlehem and finding this newborn king. Their study of the stars had revealed to them how important this child would be. They were fascinated by the possibility of getting to be there and meet this royal infant. They wanted to worship him and offer gifts to him. King Herod had a totally different motivation for finding this child. Just the mention of a newborn king made him anxious and troubled. In his verse three notes, when Herod was disturbed, everyone in Jerusalem became anxious because they knew how ruthless he could be. He saw this child as a potential threat to his throne, so he wanted to quell that threat as soon as possible. Those are examples of extremely differing motivations for finding Jesus. Let's let them cause us to search deep within ourselves as to why we want to find him. Remember, he's a king. He seeks to rule in your life. He wants to guide you in all you do. Many people want to be in control of their life. They are reluctant to let anyone else guide how they live and what they do. How about you? Are you sure you want to find this king? Today's personal worship option. Charles Wesley, John Wesley's brother, wrote a hymn we often sing during Advent. Here's part of the last verse for you to consider as your prayer today. Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a king, born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring. By thine own eternal spirit, rule in all our hearts alone.