Artwork:
Adoration of the Magi by Leonaert Bramer, (c. 1630 – 1635) is an oil on panel painting. Housed at The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI., Bramer depicts the Magi presenting their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ-child within a dramatic illuminated setting.

Advent Devotional

As a child one of my favorite games was hide and seek. Disappearing behind the folds of a curtain or lying snug beneath a bed, I’d still myself in anticipation, waiting for the moment of discovery. Each passing footstep or rustle heightened the joy of finding and being found.

In our passage today, the Magi asked the most important question of the age, “Where is He?” “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?”

The good news of Christmas is not hidden but it can be easily obscured. Christ’s birth had been foretold by prophets, now it was shouted by angels and painted across the heavens. But after centuries of silence was anyone listening, looking, waiting, or seeking?

The gospel is designed to be experienced, celebrated and shared. Yet, whether from blindness by Satan, busyness of ambition, or lack of Christian proclamation we often miss God’s presence and work in our midst.

The first noel was given to poor shepherds on a quiet night. And a little later, with the Magi, an encounter with Christ was granted to foreigners from a distant land who set their hearts on pilgrimage.

God’s self-disclosure invites our seeking. When God reveals Himself we are drawn into the response of angels: joyful praise and reverent adoration. Like the wise men, God invites us to seek and begin a journey to know and worship Him. This Christmas let’s slow down, reflect, and turn our gaze to the greatest gift: the true King, God’s own son lying in a manger.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,
today I choose to wait,
remember, and look
for Your coming.

Amen.