Our Response to Jesus' Birth | The Christmas Story in 5 Verses

It is almost 2026, my friends! That is absolutely insane to think about, but our Christmas series isn't over. We've been going through the Christmas story in 5 verses, highlighting just a few verses that capture some of the most important parts of Jesus' arrival here on earth and how it applies to us. I've loved diving deep into Scripture with you, learning more of the Hebrew meanings, and just growing in adoration of how loving and intentional our God is. Today, we're going to finish off the series with one more verse, and talk about how we can move forward from this Christmas season without leaving the message and meaning behind us by reading about the wise men and how they responded to meeting Jesus.

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, a they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” - Matthew 2:11

There's so much to unpack with the wise men. They went on an incredibly long journey following a star in search of the Messiah - what committment and dedication! But my favorite part of their story, and what we're going to focus on today, is their joy and giving when they encountered Jesus. The verse before this one says that they were overjoyed when they stopped at the house that the star led them to, and it makes me wonder if we meet Jesus with the same enthusiasm and excitement.

Are we searching for Jesus as long and hard as they did, relentlessly longing for the truth and His presence? Do we worshipfully anticipate an encounter with Him? When I meet with Jesus, I want my heart to be overflowing with delight and desire - so much more than routine or mundane, but genuine delight. It's easy to show up every day going through the motions, but then we forget how significant it is that we are meeting and spending time with Jesus, the Lord Almighty, who came down from heaven in passion pursuit of our hearts.

Not only were their heart postures in a place of joy and excitement to meet with Jesus, they sacrifically brought the best they had in surrender and offering to Him. The gifts they brought (gold, frankincense, and myrrh) were symbolic but also very expensive. It cost something for the wise men to bring such lavish gifts to a baby, but it reflected their worship and acknowledgement that Jesus is the Messiah, the King of the world.

Are we bringing Jesus gifts that cost us? The actual amount doesn't matter; Jesus honored the woman who gave one coin because that was all she had. But what does matter is if we are cheerfully and generously giving Jesus our very best because He deserves it. When we love Jesus with all that we are, we also love Him with everything we have, and we give it all back to Him in humble surrender and worship. This does include our money, but it also includes our time, our resources, and our attention.

As we head into the new year, I pray that we are reflecting on what we can bring to Jesus and how we can lavishly love Him. I don't want to settle for a surface level, comfortable worship; I want to give my Savior everything because He has given everything for me. I don't want to get lost in the routine of Bible studies and church, but to genuinely be filled with excitement when I get to encounter Christ. I want to pour out my heart to my Abba and give Him the best of what I have, even if it doesn't feel like much, because He is too good to not give my all. He is too faithful for me not to be extraordinarily faithful in return. He is too generous for me not to be generous in return.

It can be hard to know exactly what to bring Jesus, because He is worthy of so much more than what we have here on earth. Sometimes I feel like my little isn't worth very much, but I'm reminded that God desires me to give Him what I have, and He can do so very much with that little. He loves and appreciates my sacrifice, and He recognizes my humble gift to Him. It's sweet to imagine Abba smiling from above and giddily accepting my small gift, but I do believe that is His heart towards us.

Before we close out today, I want to leave you with a few questions to guide your reflection on what you can bring the Lord and pray over us and our heart posture towards our Heavenly Father. Spend time talking to the Lord about what He wants you to give to Him in worship and areas that you may have been holding back - even if it's uncomfortable or challenging, listen and surrender. I believe that we find the most joy in being all in for Jesus, even if it takes us out of our comfort zone and requires us to deny our flesh, because when we're all in for Him, we get to experience His grace and presence like never before.

• What is your most prized possession? What in your life is most special to you?

  • Are you holding it tightly or continually giving it up to the Lord? Are you thanking Him for this thing and using it to glorify Him?

• Where is your money going? Where is your time going? Where is your attention going?

  • Are there any areas where you can give more to God? Do you need to re-evaluate your priorities?

• How is your heart posture towards giving and worship? Is it out of a cheerful, thankful heart, or simply out of obligation?

• When was the last time you told God thank you?

Father, thank You for this series and for the people who came alongside me this Christmas season. Thank You for the gift of Your Word and the Scripture that we have the priviledge to dive into. Thank You for how Scripture reveals Your heart, Your character, and an outline for how You are calling us to live. I pray that as we begin to transition to 2026, that we would be set on fire for You, Father. May we burn with a passion for You and Your kingdom. May we give generously and love boldly, Jesus. Please convict us of any area where we haven't give You our best or complete surrender, and guide us on to how to honor You more. Please forgive us for how easy we fall back into prioritizing our flesh and what's comfortable. I pray that we would stop settling for half-hearted, routine worship of You in this next year, but that we would go all in. Thank You Jesus for the honor that we have to love and serve You. I love You and I praise You, amen.