Today's Reading:O.T. - Psalm 99 - 102
N.T. - Matthew 2
Focus Verses:
Matthew 2:10-11
10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
Psalm 102:15,18-22
15The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. - - - 18Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD : 19"The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, 20to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death." 21So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem 22when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the LORD.
Insight:
Jesus is for everyone. God sent his son into the world to save in all nations through all generations. The Magi came from afar to worship the Christ-child, and they serve as a picture of the hope expressed in the Psalmist’s cry for salvation. The "Three Kings" of the nativity story bring to mind the hope that one day all peoples and kingdoms will "assemble to worship the Lord."
Response and Action:
I must always remember that Jesus is for everyone. Salvation and hope are for all people. I want to cultivate an awareness of the many cultures around me. I want my church to be a picture of the diverse international worship that the Scriptures promise. I want my relationship with God, through Christ, to break down the cultural and ethnic barriers that separate me from others.
Thank you, O God, for sending your son into the world to save the nations. I worship Christ Jesus because he is worthy, for he has redeemed, by his blood, people from every tribe, tongue, kindred, and nation. As we come to you, O God, please heal the wounds of separation and division that grow out of our racism, nationalism, bigotry, and ethnic bias. Reconcile all people to yourself and reconcile us to one another. O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord. Amen.
Proverbs: 20:12
"Ears that hear and eyes that see—the LORD has made them both.
Resources:
Diverse Worship: African-American, Caribbean & Hispanic Perspectives
by Pedrito U. Maynard-Reid
Where the Nations Meet: The Church in a Multicultural World
by Stephen A. Rhodes
