The Wonder of JOY

What can theses three from foreign lands teach us about the WONDER of Christmas? That there is JOY to be found, in the waiting because, the Journey is always leading us to Jesus

VIDEO

(S2) — The WONDER of JOY

What the Wise men ultimately found Following a sign given by God. It was a difficult, long, and arduous journey, that came with great cost — TIME, RESOURCES and RISK. After many months, miles upon miles of searching, the star in the night sky guided them to a child who had been born in a stable.

Their reward? They would come face-to-face with the one who came to SAVE

Matthews gospel (2:10), tells us that when they arrived, they were overcome with emotion — Filled with the WONDER of JOY when they saw the star....

(S3) —

Matthew 2:10 (NLT)

When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

Yet the wisemen show us that getting there is sometimes difficult

Those who find Christmas hard — Loss — Illness — Financial hardship — Personal struggles

The last statement from the video today is a powerful reminder of the WONDER of JOY —When the journey is always leading to Jesus.”

Can it be the same for us in our waiting to experience this Christmas, when you realize the road you have been traveling intersects with the Savior who was born for you.

What I have discovered…the more difficult the journey, the greater the JOY, in knowing that Jesus came for me.

We are all on this journey called life — Like the wisemen, in search of Christmas JOY

Joy…in the tinsel, decorations, lights hung all aglow, the mantle filled with stockings, and chestnuts roasting on an open fire...

Joy...In the hustle and bustle of shopping for the perfect gift, and those songs we hear and sing that take us back to our own childhood days

Joy...In the face of a child or the smile of the elderly

Joy...In the heart of the poor or the generosity of the rich

Joy…in celebrations with family or friends

A GREATER JOY found in the WONDER of Christmas — The Wise men’s journey...

Their JOY in finding Jesus!

Jeremiah 29:13 “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

There is WONDER in JOY when its leading us to Jesus

PRAY

(S4) —

“Getting there is half the fun.” — Said by someone who never traveled with children (Griswald’s)

“There is joy in the journey” — Youth mission trips (middleschoolers)

While there can be some truth... the journey of the Magi is what they found…Joy in Jesus. There response to finding Jesus can lead us to discover — the wonder of Joy EVERYDAY.

(S5) —

We begin with what we know about the Magi and their journey?

Matthew 2:1-2 (NLT)

(After) Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?

East (Persia) — Gentiles — priestly order (Greek philosophers)

Their knowledge — Astronomers — Interpreters of signs

Their affluence — The means to make the journey

Following the light of a star, a divine sign, they find their way to Jerusalem — seeking the newborn king.

The Magi’s travel — 900+ miles — by the time they found Jesus he was a child, more than a baby.

While they make a fascinating addition to our nativities, their presence teaches that Jesus wasn't born as savior only for a certain people — He had come as a savior to all

Isaiah 49:6 “ I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.””

We can only imagine the faith of the wisemen to travel this hard journey for months, exhausted...guided by a light in the sky that kept moving.

Exhausted just making it to church

It was Joy that lead them to Jesus — The words the angel spoke to the shepherds

Luke 2:10 “the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.”

What if that was our focus for the remainder of ADVENT — EVERYDAY — Joy is leading us to Jesus.

Joy kept them going when the journey got hard — when they were confronted by King Herod — Motives. They kept looking to the signs of HOPE and PEACE — They kept following JOY until they found it.

Could you use a little JOY for the Journey?

(S6) —

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.

10 When they saw the star, they were filled with JOY

How exhilarating it must have been to see that star finally stop…

When we get through a long and difficult time in life — Thank you Jesus!!

...they were overjoyed to find Jesus in THE PLACE the star had lead them.

(S7) —

Matthew 2:11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary

The place where Jesus was. Not a stable…but the HOME of this young mother and her husband.

The Joy the presence of a child brings to the home

2 yrs old — The boy Jesus in the flesh — Imagine for a moment what that home was like?

(S8,9) —

I. They found JOY in the PRESENCE of Jesus!

Where Jesus was! His presence filled the home with JOY

Story — Jesus in the home

How blessed is a home filled with Jesus — Love, forgiveness, healing, grace…and JOY

Joshua 24:15 “Choose today whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

How much more JOY would there be if our homes became a PLACE for Jesus? Not just one room but every room was filled with love, mercy, healing, grace and joy?

I wonder how that changed the wisemen’s perspective of their homes? Did they instantly realize the JOY they had been missing?

1 Corinthians 6:19 “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you?

JOY is where JESUS is — Where we invite him

(10)

Matthew 2:11 ...and they bowed down and worshiped him.

II. They found JOY in WORSHIPING Jesus

In the ancient Middle Eastern world, Magi were trusted advisors to kings. As far back as 604 BC, king Nebuchadnezzar summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed.” (Daniel 2:2)

These magi, knew how to respond in the presence of a king — Worship! Yet this time it is different — They traveled this far to pay homage to a child who they understood was of God!

Their extensive knowledge...understanding of literature, including the early scriptures — They had anticipated the coming of the king of all kings

There response was a WORSHIP of JOY

Psalm 145“Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness. 5 I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. 6 Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness.

When we think of Magi, it’s easy to only see them in our nativities. Has their worship lost it’s meaning for us? What if we were to reclaim the importance of our worship this Christmas? Would we find JOY not just in our homes, but in worship?

This song of David says,

Psalm 145:4 “4 Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power.”

Believing that God is worthy of my time says something to my children and to others. Worship is the way to JOY.

Taking time each week to celebrate God through song and the study of God’s Word together makes a bold statement to the generations who are watching us.

We do this because there is a God who is worthy of our worship. We do this because there is great JOY to be found there.

7 Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with JOY about your righteousness.”

The correlation between the lack of joy in the world…and the decline in worship attendance?

A new poll indicates that American church attendance has fallen below the majority for the first time.

(S11) —

Church attendance drops below 50%

The past 20 years have seen a sharp drop off, falling from 70% to 47%.

What if we reclaimed the importance of worship and the JOY found in it?

Matthew 2:2 “Where is the newborn king? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.””

They found JOY in worshiping Jesus

(S12) —

11“Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

The gifts they brought may be confusing to us today. While gold makes sense, the other two just leave us scratching our heads: frankincense and myrrh? Was one of the wisemen into essential oils? 😜

These were actually standard gifts to honor a king or deity in the ancient world: gold as a precious metal, frankincense as perfume or incense, and myrrh as anointing oil.

The Book of Isaiah, when describing Jerusalem’s glorious restoration, tells of nations and kings who will come and “bring gold and frankincense and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord” (Isaiah 60:6)

In addition to the honor and status implied by the value of the gifts of the magi, scholars think that these three were chosen for their special spiritual symbolism about Jesus himself—gold representing his kingship, frankincense a symbol of his priestly role, and myrrh a prefiguring of his death and embalming.

No matter how you look at it, They came bearing gifts — Prepared to GIVE

(S13) —

They found JOY in GIVING to Jesus

Herod — Had ulterior motives in approaching the wisemen — To get information and save his kingship

Lack of JOY in our own lives — In our western culture…we have learned to acquire things…even the best of Christians to come to worship to GET instead of GIVE.

Paul encouraged the church in Corinth of the joy of giving

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:6–7

What would it look like if we took on the same attitude as the magi when we choose to give? What if each time we give, we really took the time to consider that we are giving to a king who came to save us! Jesus who GAVE himself up for us so we could GET.

These men who traveled 900 miles to find a new king were not required to give him a thing. They chose to do this out of their hearts. They gave out of the JOY of finding someone who would change everything.

(S14) —

You can bet that it changed them. They went home a different away — JOY in the presence of Jesus — Joy in their WORSHIP — JOY in GIVING

We search for it…we long Joy is experienced by everyone on the planet in some way or another. However, as followers of Jesus Christ, you have access to a greater JOY. It’s different than any other, because our joy is not found in our circumstances. Our joy is found in the person of Jesus.

Their JOY came in FINDING JESUS — Same for us as well...

(S13) —

On the night before he went to the cross, he said this to his followers:

John 15:11 (NLT)

I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my JOY. Yes, your joy will overflow!

Maybe today you find yourself on a journey looking for something or someone. May I tell you that the real star of Christmas is Jesus? He is the only place where you will find joy in your journey.

Invite Jesus into your HEART…then into your HOME

Seek JOY in WORSHIPING the one who sent his only son to save you

Give your full self to Jesus and you will find JOY in your GENEROSITY

Joy for the JOURNEY — Joy that’s always leading us to Jesus

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