This Christmas, I’m focusing on Wise Worship. I’ve been studying the Wise Men in Matthew 2 and looking at an interesting possibility regarding their origin. About 600 years before Christ’s birth, Daniel saves the lives of hundreds of Wise Men in Babylon (Daniel 2). In fact, in Daniel 5:11, the Bible says that he became their leader. Daniel’s message revolves around a coming Messiah or “Anointed One” (Daniel 2:44,45; 9:24-27). And Daniel is visited by none other than the angel Gabriel who prophesied the birth of Jesus to Mary (Daniel 8:16; 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26-38).

Could it be that for 30 generations, the message of Daniel was passed down through the ranks of the Wise Men of Babylon? Were the Wise Men who visited Jesus in Bethlehem the great, great, great, great (You get the idea) grandchildren of Daniel’s Wise Men?

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.” Mt. 2:11

Here’s an amazing definition of worship from William Temple (1881-1944). He served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1942 to his death in 1944. He gave Europe a visionary and prophetic plan for a post-war society in his book “Christianity and Social Order.” And he was one of the founders of the Council of Christians and Jews in 1942.

“Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. Worship is:

• To quicken the conscience by the holiness of God
• To feed the mind with the truth of God
• To purge the imagination by the beauty of God
• To open the heart to the love of God
• To devote the will to the purposes of God

All of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.”

What are you seeking this Christmas? Where are you looking this Christmas? What are you giving this Christmas?

The first and best gift of all is your Wise Worship.

Merry Christmas,

Rich and Tania