By Bro Eddie C. Villanueva
Christmas 2010
It’s Christmas time again and the search is on. By this, I mean the annual search for the customary best and finest gifts we may give to our families and friends. By this, I also mean the annual search of godchildren for their godparents for their much anticipated aguinaldo. By this, I further mean Filipino overseas’ balikbayan boxes getting filled up with the choicest padala and pasalubong for their loved ones back home in the Philippines.
The concept of searching for the finest gifts during Christmas season is not original to us however. In fact, the act of seeking is the very heart of Christmas.
When the angel of the Lord appeared before the sleepy shepherds who were out in the field that night, watching over their sheep, he bid them tidings of great joy. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10, Msg).
At once, the shepherds took off, went to Bethlehem, sought and found the newborn Child. Then they told everyone about the angel’s appearance and his message about the Child.
These simple shepherds were the first people to be told about the birth of the Savior, and they believed what they heard. They were the first to be told to seek Him, and they sought and found Him – and everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said (Luke 2:20)!
Their inspiring story tells us how our simple faith can make us see the Savior. If we listen to the Word and obey, there are no pre-qualifications asked of us. We can come to Him as we are, regardless of our position and condition in life, and we will still find Him as He is.
The second group of people that sought the Child and found Him were the wise men from the East. They purposefully went on a long journey to seek and worship the newborn King of the Jews. A star guided them to the right place at the right time. “They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh” (Matthew 2:11).
These scholars’ enlightening story teaches us that a truly wise man knows, seeks, and finds the real Object of his search in life – the King and no other! It’s remarkable how their wisdom led them to the Savior and how, in their wisdom, they worshipped Him with their best offering of prophetic gifts that spoke of His deity, humanity, and sovereignty.
Man should realize that these wise men’s message rings true to this day, and anyone who thinks that God is already irrelevant in our time of sophisticated technology and advance intelligence is utterly foolish. “Only a fool would say, “There is no God!” People like that are worthless! They are heartless and cruel and never do right” (Psalm 53:1).
Christmas or not, wise people still seek, and find, God.
Then there was King Herod who also sought the Child, albeit his intention was evil. Afraid that the newborn King whom the wise men were looking for might take the kingdom from him, Herod set to seek the Child himself that he might kill Him. So he asked the magis to report to him where he could find the Child, in the guise that he too wanted to worship Him.
But God cannot be mocked nor cheated. Aware of Herod’s evil plan, He instructed the magis in their dream to never go back to Herod.
Realizing eventually that the wise men outwitted him, Herod ordered all boys aged two years and below to be killed. But by then, the Child was already out of harm’s way. And Herod died without seeing the Savior.
The sorry story of King Herod proves to us that there are those who seek the Savior and find Him not because they seek Him not with a pure heart. Herod also typifies how man’s power, wealth, and fame do not guarantee him automatic access to the Savior. And most importantly, Herod’s fate teaches us that seeking and finding the Savior is a personal act; we cannot order, pay, or threat others to search God for us.
These are the three lessons on searching and finding the best Christmas Gift who is the Savior Child born to become our Messiah and Master: first, simple faith can make us see the Savior; second, wise is he who intentionally seeks the Savior; and third, the search for the Savior must be sincere and personal.
This Christmas, amidst the frenzied busyness of the holidays, may we find ourselves seeking the Savior with all of our heart and finding His great love for all of us! Only those who have found the Savior and accepted His saving grace have the reason to celebrate the season.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12). “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).