Day 6: What IS Christmas Really About?

Matthew 2

Visitors from the East

   Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise menfrom eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, ² “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

Here we are on day six and I have been searching out for an exact number of wise men.  Each version of the Christmas story I read in the Bible, tells that wise men came searching for Jesus, however there is never mention of exactly how many.  As I was speaking to a friend about this she tells me that they assume three wise mean are present as there are three gifts presented.  How can we be sure this is truth?  Have we just made up stories about three wise men?  I am not certain how to approach this particular piece of the puzzle.  Once again I am faced with the question, how much of Christmas is us and how much is really about Jesus?

Since I can not clearly argue how many wise men were present to give the lovely gifts to Jesus, I do not have much of a blog on this subject.  However, I can tell you that I am spending some great reflection time just getting to the core of Christmas.  My mind is being renewed and God is showing me a side of Christmas that is both intriguing and peaceful.  There was no stress surrounding the birth of the King.  It was such a joyous occasion despite the circumstances in which He was born.  Today we are so wrapped up (pardon the pun) in getting gits and running around we barely have time to stop and pause to view the manger.

I am urging us all to redirect our focus this year and begin right now to see Jesus in our display of Christmas.  He is the focal point or just a small nativity set somewhere?  He needs to be front and center in our celebration for it is all about Him.  And, if it is all about Him then Christmas is all about love and compassion, not shopping and going broke.  In today’s world of constant running around and lack of concern for others we truly have a hard time focusing on our main purpose as spiritual beings.  Take a moment now to connect with God and let Him show how He would like to see Christmas.