January 5, 2026

TWO days to Bethlehem…

…journeying as magi.

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Then they prayed, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.^‘ Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles” (Acts 1.23-26)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

The reality is this, that in even good stories, the best of stories, there is always a tragedy of significant weight. Jesus knew this better than any other human being on the face of the earth. Only God, His heavenly Father and ours, knew it better. Sadly, it is a piece of knowledge that Lucifer (his heavenly name) or Satan (his non-heavenly name) refused and refuses to understand. He will sadly never understand it. It is a sadness I pray the rich young ruler would overcome and find such truth for himself instead of forever walking away from a life with Jesus simply because he had so much money and riches that he wouldn’t part with them for all the world and all the kingdom. On the other end of that spectrum, we find Judas of Kerioth who surrendered everything he had to follow Jesus except for one thing. It was that one thing which stopped him from “coming into paradise” which even the penitent thief on the cross was able to receive. What was that one thing? It was his own agenda for Jesus to validate his belief for himself about God’s will. He gave up his own life for his own life. That is the real tragedy. The scripture declares “For what does it profit a person to gain the wealth of this world at the sacrifice of their own soul? How can one purchase life for the soul?” (Mark 8.36) This is not the gospel according to Jesus who gave up His own life for all of us whether we were to accept Him as Lord and Savior or not. The greatest tragedy of all, you see, is not that Jesus died a horrible death beyond what any human being had or will have suffered. It is not a tragedy. It is not because the truth is Jesus was raised from the grave so that resurrection will become our legacy of faith. The tragedy is the great number of people in the history of the world who will not share in that same legacy because they put themselves first before everything else. They fail and failed to understand the simplest of teachings where Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and pursue all righteousness believing God will provide what is needed that rises up to eternal life.” (Matthew 6.33)

In the discipleship song we have been using as a map to Bethlehem alongside the magi, we reach the next to the last stop in the journey. As Stop 11 comes into view, if follows the reminder of the sacrifice of the one for the love of us all- the partridge in a pear tree. As the sound of that greatest gift of all echoes, we hear the rising sound of “eleven pipers piping.” Their symbolism points to, for most, the eleven of the original twelve disciples called to serve in the ministry of Jesus on earth. We know of the tragic story of Judas of Kerioth. It is a tragic story which sadly had to be told. In a way, Judas faithfully served in the ministry of Jesus on earth. If it were not for Judas’ faithfulness to his own assigned calling, to make Jesus known before all the world for better or worse, then someone else’s tragic story would have taken its place. The fate of Jesus’ ministry depended, for our sake, on the empty manger leading to the cross and the empty cross leading to the tomb where the empty tomb would lead to the “house of the Lord forever.” We dare not forget that the number twelve has always been significant in our faith history. Apart from the twelve disciples, our minds quicklly associate the number with the twelve tribes of Israel. Those tribes of Israel were headed by the twelve sons of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham who is the Father of Faith for the people of God set aside from God’s people. In that story there was a tragedy as well. Eleven of the sons turned against one, Joseph, out of jealousy. The jealousy arose out of the misunderstanding of the visions given to Joseph who was not the eldest son. They paradigm of leadership according to birth order has always been a challenge in the Judeo-Christian traditions from the beginning. Regardless, Joseph was set upon by his brothers and sold into slavery to Egypt. Their father was told of his tragic death and provided the blood-stained coat of many colors as evidence. Year later, when drought came over the land the Jacob’s family was sent to Egypt to purchase food, Joseph had become a ruler in Egypt. It was according to God’s favor and prophesied legacy “using the evil which others intended for the good which God had always decided to offer.”

In today’s journey to Bethlehem as magi, being wise people of God, we are reminded of this “11 and 1” dynamic. For many, it is a way to honor the 11 disciples who remained faithful to the calling as followers of Christ. For me, it is about what God did with the “twelfth.” How God deals with Judas of Kerioth is God’s business. He most certainly used what others meant for evil to be purposed for good. Matthias was chosen out of 120 followers who were disciples by choice to be chosen by God to complete the next step of ministry. That ministry was apostolic. It was under the leadership and authority of the Holy Spirit. It led to the fulfilling of the Great Commission left by the Resurrected Christ sharing the gospel with the entire world. That ministry reflected the extension of God’s mercy and grace to the entire world via the One who was born to be King of the Jews, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Mighty ones of God, we are called into that same ministry. We are the Matthias and Paul of the gospel’s next generation. Judas left that place open to us. May we fill that space not with our own ministry agenda but with that for which God Himself has made. As we journey to confirm our place with Him in Bethlehem, we continue a faith journey that has forever challenged and changed the world as we know it.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.