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Week:01, Season:1,
2014
Posted on Saturday by PCT
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It is Amazing!
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Scripture：《
Matthew 2:1-12
》
2：1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
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Witness Christ on the humble one
After graduating from National Taichung Girls’ High School in 1960, my mother did not want to follow the career her father expected: working in a Kang Le Duei (A musical band which mainly performed to entertain the military, twenty or thirty years ago) but rather, being a Christian, she left home secretly to study at Taiwan Presbyterian Bible College in Huinchu. She was a student majoring in Christian music and was the second graduation class of this newly commenced four year course.
At the end of the following summer, my grandfather realised that his daughter was studying at a Christian college and he was angry and went to the college to bring her home. It was the day after a typhoon had visited Taiwan; there were leaves all over the grounds. My grandfather entered the college and saw that a man wearing a hat, shorts and wellingtons was cleaning the floor. Grandfather said to this man in a scornful voice, “Hey janitor! What is the Dean’s office?” This man answered respectfully, “Please follow me. I will take you there.”
My grandfather waited at the dean’s office for a while and suddenly the janitor appeared addressed in a smart suit and greeted him with an apology. The janitor was the Dean. My grandfather immediately became humble and apologised to the Dean, Revd Wang Ying-Shi. Grandfather then asked how his daughter was doing at the college. Revd Wang contacted my mother who was hiding away and led her to my grandfather. Surprisingly, my grandfather did not drag my mother home but instead, gave her 200 NT Dollars to buy a dress and he encouraged her to complete her studies. He also invited my mother to visit all our families in the tribe whenever she had free time.
My grandfather, Chen Wen-Hsiu, was the first officer of Heping District of Taichung to be appointed by the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China; he was also the first council member of Taichung County mountain district. A serious man like my grandfather immediately felt contrite when he saw a man with higher education, a Dean, willing to also work as a cleaner. This impression changed my grandfather’s mind so that he decided to support his daughter’s studies at the Bible College. Such a change rewrote my mother’s life page and also brought the gospel to my grandfather. Since then, the number of my family members who became Christians has increased. The next year, my grandfather and his brother even sold someof their land to build houses for worship, which became Snow Mountain Presbyterian Church and Shuan-gi Presbyterian Church in Heping District of Taichung.
Humbly offered in front of the Lord
Let us switch our focus to the Bible passage. The Magi, expert astrologers, travelled from the east where the sun rises to Jerusalem, the most important city of the Jews, carrying precious gifts. They were looking for the new born king but did not find him immediately. Their search spread throughout the city of Jerusalem and came to Herod’s attention. Then Herod heard the prophecy from a teacher of the law that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Pretending that he wanted to worship the new born king, Herod met with the Magi and invited them to search for the new born baby in Bethlehem.
The Magi left Jerusalem and travelled to the small town of Bethlehem according to the suggestion made by Herod. Suddenly they saw the star in the night sky which gave them the sign according to the ancient Jewish record. They were happy and excited about what they were going to find. The Magi entered the stable and saw an ordinary woman with a new born infant. In such a simple and modest place, the Magi humbled themselves to worship the infant. They offered the precious gifts with joyful hearts and left quietly.
The Magi may represent Gentiles (people who are not Jewish) who value highly academic performance and social status. They met Christ after a long journey; they worshipped Christ and offered the best gifts. It was amazing that they humbled themselves at the moment they met the infant Jesus.
My grandfather was like the Magi; he witnessed the good behaviour from a Christian and immediately stopped being arrogant. He humbled himself in front of God and became willing to support his daughter to work for God. He led the entire family to God and offered his property to the Lord. In the Old Testament, Job cried out from extreme suffering. When God became present with him, he bowed down and said, “Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge? Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know…My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:3-6, NIV)
Christ will make you believe that his mercy does not show only to a particular group of people with specific social status or talents; instead, he makes himself known to those who are humble and changes their hearts. Those who humble themselves for Christ and serve other people will influence arrogant people to become humble and to know the Lord of heaven and earth, the living Christ, the Saviour risen from death who is now the hope for all. This amazing work is as if we were walking on a hot sunny day and our bodies were refreshed after drinking cool water.
When you truly experience the presence of the Christ, you will look at him and worship him whenever you may without calculating the cost of time, money or reward.
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For discussion：
1.Is there anyone you know whose life has changed quickly after believing in Christ? His/her story may become our example. Please share their stories with others.
2.How can we touch people’s hearts through our faith? Try to think of some practical examples.
Please pray for：
1.In this new coming year, pray for trust in Christ and worship him on every occasion.
2.For your church to follow the example of Jesus and become a light for its tribe and community.
Prayer：
Creator God, you do not live in a temple built by human hands; instead, you sent your only son Jesus to this world, who is humble and meek, who teaches us the mystery of the gospel, who changes our mind to follow him. We pray for your constant presence with us, so that we can understand and remember that nothing on earth, money or wealth, can compare to you, Lord. Help us to seek your face only and be ready to offer ourselves to you anytime. In the name of Christ, Amen.
Something you can do：
1.Promoting activities of tribe/community service at your church.
2.Planning your annual offerings, service and time you can offer to God. Be persistent in practising your plans.
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