Having just celebrated the event of Christmas, we find ourselves between the birth of Christ and the birth of the “New Age;” we’re in the “tween age.” The birth of Christ has changed everything. We live in a new world. The world is, in a sense, pregnant with new life. Because of the coming of Christ, His death & resurrection, THE WHOLE WORLD IS PREGNANT. A birth of a BRAND-NEW WORLD IS ON THE HORIZON. His seed was not only in the created womb of Mary, but it has found its way into the very womb of this created universe. The universe is pregnant with the new life of God Himself and we are moving inexorably toward the birth of a brand-new world. The announcement of a pregnancy creates a flurry of emotions and a flurry of preparations. In light of this, how should we live; how should we prepare?

Let’s take our cues from the Magi, who enter the scene AFTER Christ is born. Here are 3 cues that we can see in Matthew 2:

1.  SEEK HIM. “…magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?’” For those who desire to find God, He gives us eyes to see the clues – yes, somewhat obscured and hidden now – scattered throughout the created world and imbedded in our very hearts. “You will find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:13  Sounds like a promise to me.

2.  WORSHIP HIM. “… they saw the child, and they bowed down and worshiped him.” Once you find Him – not the baby Jesus, but the full-blown adult Jesus that we read about in the rest of the Gospel accounts – his magnificent courage, compassion, righteous anger, fun, sacrificial love, etc., the most natural response is to bow down before Him and offer your ALL to Him.

3  REJOICE IN HIM. The nouns and verbs in the text meaning “joy” and “rejoice,” buttressed by adverbs and adjectives (a grammar lesson here!) “exceedingly” and “great” are all a part of the birth announcement and discovery of the Christ. Deep, rich, limitless and exuberant JOY are the hallmarks and the heritage of those who find and follow/worship this Christ. “…that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11  GOOD news for a world shrouded by the dark cloak of broken hopes and dreams!

SO, may looking back at the birth of Christ and looking forward to the coming birth of the brand-new world, the Kingdom of Christ, lead us to seek Him ever more enthusiastically, worship Him more deeply and rejoice in Him more exuberantly as we make our way into 2019 and beyond.