Day 16 | Christian, Kimberlee, Elsa, Emmett, & Bowen
Brown
Matthew 2: 7-12
Celebrating and Rejoicing
When the wise men saw the star rest over the King for
whom they sought, they rejoiced exceedingly with great
joy.
“Rejoice exceedingly with great joy…” this phrase catches
our attention. What does it mean to rejoice exceedingly
with great joy? Celebration comes to mind as having a
similar definition. Celebration means to acknowledge (a
significant or happy day or event) with a social gathering
or enjoyable activity, while rejoice means to feel or show
great joy or delight.
During the holiday season, our family does take time to
celebrate. We acknowledge the significance of the
coming of God in the flesh as a baby and reread the story
in Scripture. We take a few days off work and school and
spend time doing sentimental activities with our loved
ones.
Do we take the time to rejoice as we see the wisemen
doing when they meet Jesus? What does it look like to feel
great joy as we spend time with Jesus?
As we contemplate what this might look like in our family
this year, we remember that the wisemen came from afar,
and they were not Israelites. When they met Jesus, they
worshipped him. Their worship may have looked different
than typical Jewish worship and customs. Jesus ushers in
the worship of the Gentiles.
Our prayer is that we all will not only celebrate Jesus but
rejoice in him with great joy. May we be free to show our
delight in him in true personal expression and find unity with
those who share our joy in Jesus and express it differently.
