Hello Friend

In my last email I posed a question about the first documented
worshipers of Jesus.

For what it's worth - here are my thoughts...

Firsts are always significant in the Bible. I've been thinking
about a few different 'first' appearances lately, the first
musician documented in Gen 4 (which I'll talk about in another
posting) and the first worshipers of Jesus.

Let me tell you about that...

I remember one Christmas getting something from my local shop
and glancing at the nativity scene on the counter. As I picked
up my change and left, a really strong thought compelled me to
rush back home and check out how that scenario was actually
documented in the bible.

You know what I discovered? The first people who voluntarily and
sacrificially worshiped Jesus for who he was (it seems that they
'got it' before everyone else) were a crowd of 'New Age', Eastern
Mystic Stargazers! Think about it - they didn't have any covenant
relationship with God, they broke His previously stated rules
(for example, astrology was forbidden in Old Testament Law) yet
God guided them with dreams and cosmic signposts to the exact
spot where Jesus was.

And when they arrived "...they bowed down and worshiped him.
Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of
gold and of incense and of myrrh." Matt 2:11

To me this whole scene just screams grace! It also makes me
realise that perhaps folks who would be considered spiritually
'suspect' by most of us in mainstream western Christianity are
actually closer to the heart of God than we think.

It also makes me think that as a musician and worship leader
that there may be something to be explored here. If they were
compellingly drawn to the presence of Jesus back then, then why
not now?

If God reveals his presence when we worship (Ps 22:3) surely
this is a reason to explore creative ways of taking our
music/worship into alternative spirituality/'new age' contexts?

I must confess that the idea excites me - let me know what you
think.

(Interestingly, there is no biblical reference at all to there
being just 3 wise men, in fact some historians say that there
could have been as many as 200 of them in the posse! There
certainly were enough of them to cause a stir in Jerusalem when
they arrived, for it caught the unwelcome attention of Herod.)

Speak soon, Cheers - Andy