Message: Pastor Jung Myeong Seok
Scripture: Luke 19:38
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Hallelujah! May the love of God, the Father, and the peace of the Holy Son be with you.
Today is Christmas, when we commemorate the birth of Jesus. I bless that, as you give glory to God, who sent the savior to the world, and celebrate the birth of Jesus, it will be glory to Heaven and abundant peace on Earth.
At the time of the first coming, according to the words in the Bible, ‘Jesus, the Messiah’, was born in Bethlehem by the working of the Holy Spirit through the ‘body of Mary’.
At the time Jesus was born, a ‘star’ shone in the sky, emitting a strong light. Three magi from the east came to Israel with gifts in their hands after seeing the light of that star.
First, they stopped to see ‘King Herod’, who was the king of Israel at that time, and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We came from the east after seeing his star and have come to worship him.”
Upon hearing their words, King Herod summoned the religious leaders and asked them, “What is happening? I am the king, but has another king been born?”
At that, the religious leaders answered, “It is written through the prophets that the one who will rule over Israel will come from Bethlehem.”
Upon hearing that, King Herod called the magi, closely inquired of them about the ‘time when the star had appeared’, and told them, “Go to Bethlehem. When you find the child, worship him, and tell me [about it] on your way back because I, myself, wish to go and worship the child.” Then the magi travelled following the starlight, went to the place over which the star had stopped, and saw an ‘infant’ lying in a manger inside a stable in Bethlehem. That infant was ‘Jesus’.
The magi bowed before the ‘baby Jesus’, worshipped him, and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
That night, when the magi were sleeping, an angel appeared in a dream and gave them a revelation, telling them not to return to King Herod. Accordingly, the magi returned to their country by another route and did not visit Herod.
Furthermore, an angel appeared to ‘Joseph, Jesus’ father,’ in a dream, and told him, “Herod is trying to find the child to kill him, so quickly arise and escape to Egypt, taking the child and his mother, and stay in Egypt until I tell you.”
Taking action according to that revelation, Joseph took the ‘baby Jesus’ and immediately escaped to Egypt.
King Herod waited for the magi.
King Herod waited for the magi from the east to return to him and inform him of the location of the ‘baby Jesus’. Then, in accordance with the time he had learnt from the magi he gave orders for all the boys two years old or under in Bethlehem and its vicinity to be killed.
Ultimately, King Herod was judged according to the evil he had done, and he died a tragic death.
It was not only King Herod [who did this], even the Jewish religious people who believed in God and waited for the Messiah did not believe in ‘Jesus’, who had come to save the world.
To bring glory to Heaven and fulfil peace on Earth, God sent ‘Jesus’. He sent the Messiah to this Earth to show love and carry out a history of love and peace through Jesus. However, neither the world, nor the believers, recognized the ‘King Of Peace’.
Even though the world was being saved through love and peace, the ignorant people pursued Jesus and persecuted him, and went around to kill him. As a result the world was not peaceful.
Peace is love. Unless you love, there is no peace.
Even if others have done wrong, you must love them no matter what and then see.
Loving a person who is doing well and treating them with love is only to be expected.
You have to treat people with love and peace, even those who are doing poorly and even those who do not qualify. Then it is a ‘miracle’.
All of us in every church and family absolutely must be peaceful. You have to set the standard of peace. Then God will carry out a new history in the place where the standard was set.
It is only ‘love’. I hope all of you will love the Holy Trinity and love your brothers. Then there will be glory in Heaven and peace on Earth.
Ultimately, I hope that you will celebrate the birth of Jesus and give glory to the Holy Trinity.
