Wise Men Still Seek Him

Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains

Advent - Day 24

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.                                     Matthew 2:11

With Wondering Awe

Advent - Day 23

. . . And lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
                                                                          Matthew 2:9,10

Gifts and Change

From Daily Guideposts, 1985

by Fred Bauer

The Wise Men, having laid their gifts before the Christ Child, returned home. But not by the same route. According to St. Matthew, "Being warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country by another way."

Whatever road they took to Bethlehem, one thing is for sure: they would have journeyed home a different way. That is because no one ever travels the same path after coming to Jesus.

Once we have found Bethlehem, bowed down before the Master and surrendered our lives in service to Him, He tops our offering with an incomparable gift of His own. The Wise Men brought Him the world's riches--gold, frankincense and myrrh. He gave them in exchange something priceless: a vision of life more abundant--one which they could claim that very day. He will do the same for you and me right now.

We Three Kings of Orient Are

Advent - Day 22

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the eats, and are come to worship him.
                                                           Matthew 2:1,2

Christmas is for Sharing

by Richard Warner

     I knew that Homer had wanted canyon boots for as long as I could remember. He was eleven, and I ten, and we had spent many nights under the blue quilts at the cabin talking about how great it would be to have some real boots--boots that would climb through thorny bushes; that would ward off rattlesnakes; that would nudge the ribs of the pony. We had planned the kind of leather they should be and what kind of decoration they should have. But we both knew it was just talk. The depression had been hard on Father's business, and even shoes for school were usually half-soled hand-me-downs.

     Christmas that year had promised, as always, to be exciting, though mainly because of the handmade things we'd worked on in school for our parents. We never had money to spend on each other, but we had caught early in our lives a sort of contagion from our mother. She loved to give, and her anticipation of the joy that a just right gift would bring to someone, infected our whole household. We were swept up in breathless waiting to see how others would like what we had to give. Secrecy ruled--open exaggerated secrecy, as we made and hid our gifts. The only one whose hiding place we never discovered was my Grandmother's. Her gifts seemed to materialize by magic on Christmas morning and were always more expensive than they should have been.

     That Christmas I was glowing because Mother had been so happy with the parchment lamp shade I'd made in the fourth grade, and Father had raved over the clay jewelry case I had molded and baked for him. Gill and Emma Lou had been pleased with the figures I had whittled out of clothespins, and Homer had liked the Scout pin I had bargained for with my flint. Then Grandma started to pass out her presents.

     Mine was heavy and square. I had been in the hospital that year and then on crutches, and I had wondered how it would be to have an erector set to build with. Grandma had a knack at reading boy's minds, and I was sure that's what it was. But it wasn't. It was a pair of boots, brown tangy-smelling leather boots.

     I looked quickly to Homer's package. His was a sweater. He had needed one all fall. I wanted to cover my box before he saw what it was. I did not want the boots; they should have been his. He came toward me asking to see, and I started to say, "I'm sorry brother."

     But he was grinning and he shouted, "Hey everybody, look what Richard's got." He swooped the boots out of the box, fondled them like treasure, and then sat on the floor at my feet to take off my half-soled shoes and put on the brand new boots.

     I do not remember how the boots felt, not even how they looked. But Christmas rang in my soul because my brother was glad for me.

Away in a Manger

Advent - Day 21

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.                                               Luke 2:15,16

She Brought Light

by Muriel Robinson

     It has been many years since my husband, Ken, was released from the Air Force and we moved to Provo, Utah, so he could attend Brigham Young University. Prior to our move, Ken had traveled to Provo, purchased a mobile home, arranged to have it set up on a lot, and the utilities turned on when we moved in.

     We arrived in Provo on a cold December night. All our belongings were packed in the back of a rental truck. Our nerves were on edge from the tiring trip. Six months pregnant, I was feeling the effects of cleaning, packing, and traveling; our 15-month-old daughter, Shawna, was tired and crying.

    A blast of cold air greeted us as we opened the door to our home. The electricity and water had been turned on, but for some reason the natural gas had not. Too exhausted to do anything else, we put a mattress on the floor with an electric blanket to keep us warm and tried to sleep with our daughter between us. She ended up crying most of the night, so when morning came we were almost as tired as when we had gone to bed.

     After we unloaded the truck, Ken left to return it, check with the gas company, and arrange for a phone to be installed. I dressed Shawna in her snowsuit and placed her in her high chair with a few toys while I started to unpack the boxes.

     When I unpacked our electric frying pan, I decided to heat water in it to wash out the cupboards. As I turned on the faucet of the kitchen sink, the faucet came off and water shot up into the air. I tried to turn off the water valve under the sink but could not get it to turn. Frantically, I searched for the water shutoff valve for the house. By the time I found it, the kitchen and living room were flooded.

     As I desperately started moving boxes out of the water, Shawna sensed my panic and began to scream. Carrying her with one arm, I continued to try to lift boxes with the other. It was then that I started into premature labor. Now I was truly panicked. I didn't know anyone in the neighborhood, and I didn't even have a phone to call for help. Desperately I prayed, "Heavenly Father, please help me!"

     I'll never forget answering a knock that soon came at the door. The woman standing there was shivering, with soap suds up to her elbows. She introduced herself as Amalia Van Tassel, the branch Relief Society president; and told me the Spirit had sent her.

     I would later learn that Amalia had been standing at her sink washing dishes when she felt prompted to check on the new family who had just moved in. Sensing an urgency, she called to her oldest daughter to watch her other children, and without even stopping to dry her hands or grab her coat, ran to my door.

     Amalia made me lie down, comforted Shawna, cleaned up all she could, and invited our family to dinner. She brought light, safety, and comfort into that dark December day. Rest stopped my premature labor, Ken returned with the gas man, and fixed the sink, and portable electric heaters dried the soaked carpet.

     I have always been grateful to Heavenly Father for answering my prayer that day and for the loving sister who quickly followed the promptings of the Holy Spirit.