week as we get ever closer to Christmas and the day we celebrate as the birthday of our Lord and Savior. Most of us have heard the story from the Book of Luke and we have the visions of a newborn baby wrapped in swaddling clothes laying in a manger on a bed of straw. We can picture the sight as Mary and Joseph look into the eyes of their miracle baby and they soak in the wonder that brought Him into this world.
Mary and Joseph know that he is not the father of this child and that this little life in their care was not conceived by natural convention. The two new parents know that their son is meant for something special and that they are merely caretakers until his time of destiny is reached. None of this prevents them from doing what needs to be done for the child, because they too feel the calling on their lives and the weight of the responsibility. They evade the evil ruler that seeks to kill their son until God assures them that it is safe to return. Mary and Joseph were chosen by God for the challenges of raising this special child because God knew their hearts.
Now, let’s look at the wise men. These men traveled from far away to see that baby laying in a manger because they knew. They knew something special was happening, and they We are going to be a little more serious this knew what this child was to mean to the world. These were not extraordinary men, or men of particular high character, but they knew. They brought their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh because they knew, and I believe God led them by the light of a star because He knew their hearts.
