The Seventh Day of Christmas / New Year’s Eve
Matthew 2:1-8 NIV
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem [2] 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.” [3] When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. [4] When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. [5] “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: [6] “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” [7] Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. [8] 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.”
‘Go and search carefully for the child’, so went Herod’s instructions to the wise men. Forget his motives for a moment and listen just to his instruction, ‘go search carefully for the child’. If you were to pick a verse to live by in the New Year, you couldn’t do much better than this one.
Father, help us by your Spirit to find your Son this coming year in all that we do and all that we are and in all that is around us.
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