January 3, 2022 Monday Message
Matthew 2:2 NLT: “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose in the east, and we have come to worship him.”
Epiphany means gaining a full and complete understanding of something that is really important to you. Epiphany means your eyes have been opened, and you can now see the truth! On the church calendar, we celebrate Epiphany on January 6th, 12-days after Christmas. We celebrate the revelation of the Christ child to the Magi, Wise Men from the east. Up to this point, Jesus was known only in the Hebrew world, known only to his fellow Jews. But the Magi are Gentiles, and as we now know, Jesus came to the world through the Jews with a mission of redeeming ALL of mankind! And this would be the first inclusion of Gentiles, which is Good News for most of you reading this!
We Three Kings details: Tradition shows us a picture of three kings on camels riding across the desert to visit Jesus, but there were probably more. The Bible speaks of three gifts, but never mentions the number in the entourage. It’s unlikely they would have traveled alone. Once in Bethlehem, “They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary.” Apparently the Holy Family had abandoned the stable in favor of a more traditional dwelling. Consequently, these Wise Men never met the Shepherds from the manger scene! Their gifts gave the Holy Family the resources to travel to Egypt when Herod was killing all the male Hebrew babies. God made a way for them to stay safe!
Rejoice that Gentiles are included in God’s redemption plan. Jesus is the hope of the entire world!
Pastor Norton Lawellin
Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406
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