The CHRISTmas Search

When I was five years old, I was so excited when my dad told my brother and I, that we were going to drive down the street to see if we could see Santa Clause in the sky. I remember the excitement I felt as I looked up in the starlit sky hoping to see Rudolph with his bright red nose and his reindeer, a big red sleigh with Santa Clause in his big red suit and his long white beard. I could hear him yelling, “HO, HO, HO” as he flew by looking down at me with all my gifts in the back of his sleigh. I also remember the disappointment I felt when my dad told me we were turning around to go home because we must have missed him. “Maybe, just maybe if we drive just a little bit farther, we may see him,” I thought. When we got back home, I walked in the back door of our tiny 2-bedroom trailer and saw my mom standing by the multicolored lit tree with presents underneath, telling us that we just missed Santa Claus. If only we would have turned around and had gone home a little sooner, we wouldn't have missed him, I thought. 

When I think of the excitement and anticipation I had as child, I think about how the wise men must have felt when they saw the star of Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’s birth. They followed the star in anticipation of seeing the King of the Universe and our Savior, Jesus Christ. While traveling that long distance, they had no doubts at all about seeing him, and no disappointment when they got there. Once they walked into the house and saw Jesus, the excitement and awe they must have felt. 

Matthew 2:1 (NLT)Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 

Matthew 2:10 (KJV) “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

The wise men traveled thousands of miles to see the Messiah. When they saw Him, they responded with joy, worship, and gifts. This approach is so different from what people often take today. We expect God to come looking for us, prove who He is, give us gifts and explain Himself. But the ones who still seek and worship Jesus today are wise, not for what they can get from Him, but for who He is. People question the star of Bethlehem and how it could guide the wise men to Jesus. But couldn’t God, who created the heavens and the stars, have created a “special star” to signal the arrival of His Son, Jesus? Whatever the nature of this star, these wise men traveled thousands of miles searching for a king, and they found Him. 

 Jesus wants us to have that same childlike excitement and anticipation as we watch for His second coming.  I can imagine seeing Jesus, our King, with a big bright light shining around Him as He descends from the clouds and stands in a long white robe with His arms stretched out. I can visualize seeing the light as it shines through His nail scarred hands as a reminder that He died to cover ALL of our sins. Tears of joy flowing from the eyes of the ones who have welcomed Him as their personal Savior, and tears of shame and sadness for the ones who didn’t believe and have rejected Him. We must be ready and on watch at ALL times for Jesus’s return.

Matthew 42-44 (NIV) “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and not have let his house be broken into. So you must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Luke 21:27-28  (NLT) “At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Luke 21: 36 (NLT) Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” 

Philippians 2:10-11 (AMP) “so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW (in submission), of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father. 

In conclusion, as I think about my search for Santa and all the “gifts” I have received as a child, the search for Jesus and the “gifts” the wise men gave after following the star of Bethlehem that led them to Him, and the “gifts” that Jesus freely gives as we wait in search for His return, I am reminded of the “gifts” we continue to receive at Christmas that will one day fade away, mentally and physically. The most important “gift” of all, is the free gift of salvation that is eternal. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT) "God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 

Romans 6:23 (ESV) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

I hope everyone enjoys this CHRISTmas Season, along with all the many blessings that the Lord continues to give you and your family. Instead of seeking what God can do for us, let us focus on what we can do for Him and for others.

God Bless You ALL and Merry CHRISTmas!

Amanda Bennett Black