Coming to Worship -- Matthew 2:1-12

Introduction

Most people live not more than 15-20 from a neighborhood church. Most of the worship services begin around 11 a.m. on Sunday. Assuming it takes a person an hour to get ready for church, then most people can sleep until 9 a.m. in order to get to worship on time. Most people decide that’s too early to get up on a Sunday and decide to sleep in, or do something leisurely instead of worship at the local church.

These same people usually have to drive a considerably farther distance to get to work at 8 a.m. five days a week. That means that some people have to get up at 5:30 a.m. in order to be on work on time. They do this five days a week without thinking about it. After all, you have to go to work in order to make a living.

Compare that to the gentlemen we are considering in today’s passage. A group of men traveled perhaps two years to worship in the presence of Jesus. We have no idea if their trip to Bethlehem was eventful or not, nor do we know how difficult a journey it was. All we know is that these men saw a sign from God and determined they would take the time necessary to worship in the presence of the Lord.

Background – Herod’s response to the news (3-8)

While we want to focus on the magi and their determination to worship Christ, we need to also consider Herod’s reaction to the news of the birth of the King of kings.

The Bible tells us “When Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him” (v. 3). It’s understandable that Herod would be disturbed. After all, he was the king of Judea and the news of a new king being born was a clear threat to his throne and his rule. Herod was not noted for his benevolence; on the contrary, he was known to be quite ruthless to any perceived threats. Yes, Herod was disturbed, and understandably, Jerusalem was disturbed as a result.

Herod was not a Jew, nor was he known to have worshiped or even had much knowledge of the Jewish faith or Scripture. He did have enough knowledge to know that if anyone would know about the birth of the king of the Jews, it would be the Jewish scholars and chief priests. Reading v. 5 lets us know that the answer was a ready one, quickly quoting Micah 5:2.

Having determined that Bethlehem was the birthplace, Herod then met secretly with the magi. His official message to them was to go to Bethlehem, find the child and let him know, so he, too, could worship the child. Unofficially, Herod’s plan was to do away with his potential rival. At know time was Herod interested in worship or anything remotely having to do with welcoming Jesus into his world. There was no room for Jesus or any other rival in Herod’s realm.

Knowing this, we can now return to the magi and their determination to worship the king of the Jews born in Bethlehem as foretold by the prophets.

Central Truth: True worship allows us to become open to God’s leadership.

The Magi’s journey of worship:

1. Was intentional (1-2)

There really isn’t a lot we know about the men who came to worship. The Bible refers to them as magi from the east. Magi were astrologers, stargazers who read signs and portents from the night sky. We don’t know if they were in the East when they saw the star or if they were elsewhere. Based upon v. 12 of the passage, however, it is likely they had traveled to Jerusalem from their homeland. Tradition tells us there were three of them, but that’s based on the fact that only three gifts are mentioned. We really don’t know how many there were. They were not in Jerusalem when the sign came to them. When they saw the star—when God chose to speak to them in a way these men would understand—they began a journey to Jerusalem, looking for the king of the Jews. Why? “We have come to worship Him.”

There was no particular reason for these men to travel an unknown distance to see Jesus, other than the desire to worship Him. Even from the distance, the magi understood that this child born in the Middle East was someone worthy of worship, worthy of praise, worthy of homage. And so they set out to find Him.

And really, isn’t that what worship is? We recognize something special about God, about Jesus, about the Holy Spirit, and we want to acknowledge this to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The worship of God is the realization that He is worthy of praise, and so we seek to come into His presence and meet Him.

“I can worship God anywhere.” We’ve all heard someone say that at least once. It’s true. The majesty and wonder of God speaks to us in nature as we look at the beautiful world around us. We can worship Him on the lake, on the golf course, at the football or baseball game. But we don’t. Why? Because we don’t go to the lake, the course or the stadium to worship. We go to fish, to golf, to be spectators, and God quickly becomes an afterthought, if He was ever thought about in the first place.

To worship God, to seek to enter His presence, we have to have the specific intent to worship Him and only Him. We have to come with the conscious decision to set aside the things of the world and the cares of our lives as we concentrate on the presence and wonder that is God.

While we may not know a lot about the magi, we do not that they came with one specific intent, and that was to worship Jesus.

1. Led them to Jesus (9-11a)

I had a professor at seminary that mentioned a worship service he attended once while visiting a Midwestern city in the 70’s. He went to a Methodist church in the downtown area. The church had seen better days in terms of attendance. The vast worship area was sparsely attended, and my professor thought the service was rather dull and uninteresting. When the service was over, my professor was unimpressed.

And then he noticed the other worshipers. Some had tears streaming down their cheeks, others clearly showed signs that the hour of worship had greatly moved them. It was at that point that my professor realized his error, and he sought God’s forgiveness for failing to worship as he knew he should have.

The magi were told to go to Bethlehem and there they should find this king of the Jews. As the men left Jerusalem, they found the star again, and followed it to Bethlehem. They followed the star, and eventually they came to the house where Joseph and Mary were living with their little son. They came seeking the One to worship, and their sincere quest led them to Jesus.

I’ve got to admit that there have been times when I’ve gone to church and failed to worship. I’ll find myself counting the lights in the ceiling, or thumbing through the hymn book to see who wrote the most hymns. I’ll walk out of the service having never had an encounter with God, having gained no greater understanding of God’s will for me and for my church. I’m the poorer for such times.

And then there are the times when I come into the worship center of the church and I find myself becoming drawn into the moment. The hymns speak to me, the Scripture pulls me forward, and I find myself in a place that is different from the norm. Something intangible happens.

Like the magi following the star, we can be drawn into the presence of Christ as we allow ourselves to be touched by His Spirit and allow ourselves to quiet the noises and distractions of life.

1. Opened them to God’s leadership (11b-12)

As the magi enter into Jesus’ presence, they worshiped Him. We aren’t told how they worshiped nor for how long. Certainly they marveled at the child before them, praising God for the opportunity to be in His presence and for showing them the way.

As part of their worship, the magi offered their gifts—their offering—of gold, incense and myrrh. There are those who seem to consider that each gift has a symbolic meaning. Perhaps they did, perhaps they didn’t. It really doesn’t matter, and the Bible is silent on the matter. What we can see from this display is that the wise men, upon seeing Jesus and being in His presence, willingly offered Him precious gifts as a token of worship and praise. The gifts were freely given and accepted.

Having concluded their worship, the magi found a place to stay the night. While they slept, God spoke to them in a dream to warn them to avoid Herod, and upon awaking, the men obeyed the word of God and found a different route home. The fact that the magi were open to God’s signs when they first spotted the star, and that they had had a close worship experience in the presence of Christ makes it relatively easy to see why they would be open to God’s instructions and never returned to Herod.

When we are able to truly worship, when we enter the holy presence of God, we find ourselves far more open to His message and His calling. Isaiah is a prime example. While in worship at the Temple, Isaiah saw a vision of God and immediately became aware of his own sinfulness. Confessing that sin, he found immediate cleansing and then heard the voice of God calling. Isaiah’s response was immediate: “Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8).

These are the elements of worship. First, we find ourselves “seeing” God in a new light, gaining a new understanding of His majesty and glory. Confronted by this holy sight, we are reminded of our own sinfulness, leading to confession and repentance. As God cleanses us of our sins, we then find ourselves “hearing” His call for a greater commitment to Him on our part. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer has said, “We cannot say Jesus is Lord and tell Him, ‘No’.” If Jesus is Lord of our lives, and He is, then our only response can be that of Isaiah: “Here am I, send me.”

Conclusion

I’ve often teasingly said that I look forward to a very special day—the day perfect for worship. People often wake up on Sunday and think, “It’s too nice a day to stay cooped up inside. Instead of going to church, let’s go to the park and have a picnic.” Or they wake up and say, “The weather is perfect for staying in bed and reading a book, having a late breakfast, and just staying comfy cozy.” Still other days evoke the reaction, “It’s not fit for a person to get out in this type of weather. I think I’ll stay in bed and get some more sleep.” It is a very rare day when people will say, “What a glorious day for worship and fellowship. I can hardly wait to get to church today.”

The truth is, every day is a perfect day for worship, for praise, for the quiet contemplation of God and His ways. Every day is a perfect time to sit in the presence of Christ and listen to His reassuring voice of comfort and encouragement. Every day is a perfect time to find ourselves within the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, finding strength and courage to stand strong in our faith. And we don’t have to travel years to do so. Worship is as close as the unspoken prayer, the silent surrender, the conscious decision to seek God with all our heart and being.

Are you ready to worship?