Where Are You?

Christ is born! Glorify Him! It is Christmas Day! Let us joyfully keep festival with the Angels and the Shepherds!

Christ is Born!

On that fateful day, after Adam and Eve had abandoned their relationship with God to satisfy their untamed desires, God walked into the Garden and called out to Adam, “Where are you?”

Our parents had eaten from the Tree God had warned them not to eat. When they did that, the Bible says their eyes were opened, and they saw they were naked. So they hid themselves when they heard God walking in the Garden.

Do you think God didn’t know where they were? Of course, He knew.

But the problem was Adam didn’t yet realize where he was in his sad rebellion against God’s wisdom. And God wanted Adam to know his condition after choosing rebellion rather than protect and grow his relationship with God.

Today, we will see Wise Men seeking Him and the dark heart of Herod seeking Him, but for very different reasons!

Look at our lesson today in Matthew 2:1-12:

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.’”

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

We know this story so well, but on this first day of Christmas, let’s revisit familiar words and see the marvel of God's Enfleshing for our sake with new eyes!

We see the three Wise Men from the East, more than likely followers of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia, who had discerned from watching the stars that the Jewish King had been born.

These Gentiles seemed to be more aware of the events in Bethlehem even more than the Jewish leaders who had been prepared for 6000 years to expect the Messiah’s coming. These Gentile pagans were looking for the King. So, naturally, they went to the king at the time, the Roman puppet King Herod, to ask about this momentous happening that they must have been convinced the whole city was focused on. But, alas, it was not so. The leaders in Jerusalem were still asleep to the coming of the Messiah. It took these pagan Gentiles to wake them up to the Event that would change the world.

Herod’s arrogance and fear were not enough to dissuade these seekers, so they continued following the Star to the place where He was born!

Their seeking paid off.

Now, let’s switch to another moment when Someone went looking for a missing child. Let’s return to the beginning when Adam and Eve hid from God in the Garden. The Voice echoed through paradise: “Adam, where are you?” God, the loving Father, knew where His disobedient children were, but He needed them to realize that they were the ones lost. So God came looking for His missing children!

On this Christmas day, God is still looking for all His lost children, including you and me. Do you want to be found?

Today, as the saying goes, wise men still seek Him. But, more importantly, He is still seeking you. He enfleshed Himself to come and find you. He lived, and lives, for you. Do you know that you are lost? Do you know you don’t have to be anymore? No, Christ is born, and now you can be found by learning to live a Normal Orthodox life!

P.S. Today, the Virgin bears Him who is transcendent, and the earth presents the cave to Him who is beyond reach. Angels, along with shepherds glorify Him. The Magi make their way to Him by a star. For a new child has been born for us, the God before all ages. Amen

Fr. Barnabas Powell is the parish priest at Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene Greek Orthodox Church in Cumming, GA. He is also the founder of Faith Encouraged Ministries and produces the Faith Encouraged Daily Devotional on Substack. Watch the Faith Encouraged YouTube Channel here - https://www.youtube.com/@FaithEncouragedTV

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