Scripture: Matthew 2:7-8
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”
Thought for the Day: I know there is always need for confidentiality and privacy, but in the life of faith, we need to be aware of when “confidentiality” is cover for gossip and talk that will undermine the faith community. In the last 50 years, this has often been called parking lot talk, and that’s what Herod appears to do in this story. He covers the conversation with words like “diligently” and “homage” but there is nothing in his heart that wants the wise men to move rapidly for the purpose of humble worship. He wants them to move fast so that he can knock off the new King of Kings. As compared to most congregations in the United States, Cypress Creek Christian Church is a pretty healthy congregation. It has known its moments, but it finds itself in a pretty good place right now. Christianity as a whole needs to get its act together. Pastors and church leaders talk about how more than 50% of their time and energy is used to put out little fires that never should have been started in the first place. As a body of faith, we too often look outward to find reasons for the decline and loss of moral authority, but that’s a symptom of the problem. Getting our house (Christianity in general) in order is where we need to focus…because we need to deal with some Herods in the church who have the best intentions but are spending a lot of time doing things that are not Kingdom driven.
Prayer: With humility and love, O Spirit who beckons us along the journey, we move toward the one who deserves both our diligence and our homage. Amen.
…don’t forget to bring canned vegetables
to church on Sunday for the Stone Soup.
