What excites me most is what lies at the heart of it all—the celebration of our Savior’s birth and the PEACE, HOPE, and JOY His coming made available to all who believe.
When we slow down and really consider the details surrounding the birth of Christ, the most wonderful truth of all is simply this: HE CAME. The King of Glory laid aside His heavenly status and clothed Himself in flesh. He was born in a barn, laid in a manger—God Himself wrapped in humanity so He could be Emmanuel, God with us.
Think of the wonder of that! The God of Heaven came close so we might behold Him, touch Him, and be touched by Him. Why did He come; because He so loved the world. The same love that drew Him near in His birth would be the same love that carried Him to the cross in His death.
This idea of God “drawing near” fills my heart with hope. His nearness is our greatest comfort in a world that so often makes us feel alone, forgotten, or without help.
In the book of Matthew it describes the long journey of the Wise Men—nearly 1,000 miles by camel—in search of Him. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they asked the powerful question in Matthew 2:2,“Where is He that is born King of the Jews?”
I’ve asked that same question at many points in my life: “Where is He?”
Difficult seasons have a way of making us feel distant, like we are a thousand miles away. This Christmas, I want to invite you to make the journey—to draw near to Him in your worship and to lay your gifts at His feet. We are assured that those who seek Him find Him.
Stephanie and I would love for you and your family to join us on Sunday, December 21 for a special time of worship, celebration, and giving. I encourage you to prayerfully consider what you will lay before Him as a sacrifice this Christmas. I believe that as you seek Him, you will find Him to be near. Near to your heart and very present in your struggle.
With love and expectation,
Pastor Ronnie
I have often mused about the journey that the wise men made to find and worship the newborn baby Jesus. The journey of a thousand miles is no joke, no matter the transportation; but to do it on a camel’s back seems like quite a commitment. Also, to think that their journey was inspired solely by a “star” they had seen in the sky. These wise men would be the first of millions upon millions that have made a journey in search of Christ. Our modern marketing plans, social media posts, ads, shows, and print pieces all attempting to get people to show up somewhere - it causes me to wonder.
What caused you to make the journey to Christ? What signaled to your heart that it was time to seek Him? What did you see or feel that drew you to Him? The fact is that we are all LOOKING FOR SOMETHING. We are all searching and there is no length to which we’ll go to find what our heart's desire. It is my experience that we mostly find what we are looking for. So, it is important that we consider deeply what we go in search of.
The wise men were coming for the sole purpose of WORSHIPING. So often, what we find in this life, is what we end up worshiping. We tend to spend our lives bowing to things that in the end cannot help or heal, and in the long run they turn around and enslave us. We often spend our best on things that tend to make us feel worse. We thought we had found what we wanted, only to find it wasn’t what we needed.
This Christmas season, I want to invite you to seek Him, to find Him, and to WORSHIP Him! No matter what it is you need. No matter what it is you are looking for - it is found in Him! He is the way, the truth, and the life. Those that find Him, find life, and life more abundantly. On Sunday, December 21st we are going to gather as a family to worship and lay our gifts at the Savior's feet. I want to encourage you to make the journey no matter how far and daunting it may feel. Push through the feelings that would keep you away, and know that if you make the journey, you will find Him! When you find Him, there’s nothing left to do but worship.
Let me be the first to say “Merry Christmas” to you and your family! From Steph and I and our family, I pray that this season is one where you experience the PEACE and JOY that Jesus came to give.
I have been thinking a lot about the journey that the wise men took in search of the newborn baby Jesus. It makes me chuckle to think about the excuses that people make for not being able to be in church, especially when I think about the 1,000 miles on camel back that the men made just so they could worship the King. Oh, how that kind of desire to worship would be born in our hearts this Christmas.
Matthew 2:11 records the moment that they arrived at the place where Jesus had been born. It says, “when they saw the child, they fell down, and worshiped Him, and they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” I want to focus on the phrase “when they saw him.” They had been anticipating this moment for months! I’m quite sure they had considered how they might feel, or what they might do.
We all have a story about how we felt and how we reacted the first time that we came in contact with Jesus. The Gospels are filled with the responses of people coming in contact with Jesus for the first time. Though the responses differ, the ultimate results are quite the same. No one comes in contact with Jesus and remains the same! Change is the result of every encounter; and the wise men were certainly no different.
What they saw gave birth to what they did. When you see Jesus there must be a response! Their response is well documented - they fell down, they worshiped, and they gave Him gifts. They bowed, they worshiped, and they gave. The Bible says that they went home “another way.” No doubt changed by their encounter with Him. This is what I am believing for you and your family this Christmas - that you would encounter Him in such a way that you bow, worship, and give! On Sunday, December 21 we are going to gather to do just that. I invite you and your family to come and encounter the Majesty in a Manger!
As we draw nearer to this beautiful Christmas season, my heart is full. It has been a joy to walk with you through the story of the wise men — their seeing, their seeking, their journey, and their worship. Now, just days away from gathering together on Sunday, December 21st, I keep coming back to one final thought; they returned home another way.
Matthew 2:12 says that after the wise men worshiped and laid their gifts before the newborn King, “they departed for their own country another way.” That single phrase captures the heart of Christmas, because no one truly encounters Jesus and leaves the same.
Their journey to Him changed them.
Their journey with Him marked them.
Think for a moment about everything they carried on that long road — expectations, anticipation, questions, weariness, wonder. Now, think about what they carried home — revelation, joy, direction, and the deep knowing that they had seen the King. This is my prayer for you as we come to the end of this series. That you would not simply make the journey to Christmas, but that Christmas would make a journey INTO YOU!
That His nearness would quiet every fear.
That His presence would steady your steps.
That His love would rewrite your path.
That when you rise from worship, heaven would open a “new way” before your feet.
We have talked about seeking Him, finding Him, and worshiping Him, but this is about what happens after the encounter. It’s about the new direction, the fresh clarity, the holy shift that takes place when Christ becomes not just the Savior we celebrate, but the King we follow. As we gather on Sunday, we’re not just coming to observe a holiday. We’re coming to experience a holy moment — a moment where like the wise men, we bow, we worship, we give and we rise changed.
My invitation to you and your family is simple. Come ready to leave another way. Come ready to lay down what you’ve carried, to offer your best gift, and to step into the direction God has prepared for you. Come ready for the encounter that changes everything. Stephanie and I are praying for you, covering you, and believing that this Christmas you will not only find Him, but that you will follow Him into “another way” He has already made. We can’t wait to worship with you!
Merry Christmas!
Stephanie and I, along with our whole family, wish you the merriest of the holiday season. I pray that as you gather with friends and family that you would experience the JOY of His presence. I want to say thank you for your love and support all year long; and specifically for the way you worshiped in your giving this Christmas season. My prayer for you and your family is that you would experience His nearness and love, and that in the midst of all the presents that you find Him to be the greatest GIFT! I look forward to worshiping with you again soon.
God bless you and again, MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Love,
Pastor Ronnie Harrison