“We’re on a pilgrimage to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:2 MSG)
I know it’s not Christmas yet and I won’t even begin playing Christmas music until the day after thanksgiving but I was beginning again in the Gospels today and this verse caught my heart in it’s truth.
See, we’ve been talking to our new-to-us youth group about story. We’ve handed them this idea that every individual is created in God’s image (and therefore valuable) and has a story. We’ve spent considerable time these past few weeks discovering each other’s stories. This will be an ongoing endeavor because our stories are always changing. This is especially true of junior and senior high students because they are still physically growing and discovering who they are.
We’ve talked about how our story will inevitably have ups and downs: peaks and troughs. We’ve reinforced the fact that elevation changes are fine as long as we keep moving toward Jesus. We aren’t as concerned with altitude as we are proximity.
Not shockingly, the wise men got it. Their goal is clearly stated in scripture: “We’re on a pilgrimage to worship Him.” What a worthy endeavor! I’m guessing this began as a trip-specific goal but I doubt their hearts turned away when they set out back toward home. In fact, the Word tells us that they did not return the same way they arrived.
“So they worked out another route, let the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country. (Matthew 2:12 MSG)
I suspect that though the wise men returned to their country of origin, they never relented on their pilgrimage of worship.
What a powerful reminder for us still mid-story! The purpose of our pilgrimage is worship. We wander through the ups and downs of life with singular focus: adoration of the baby King who single-handedly redeemed our story.
Lord, we recognize the journey we are on. We are headed Home. The days will have ups and downs, our story will take twists and turns, but through it all we move toward You. Worship pulls us close to You and proximity is our overarching desire. Inhabit our praises and therefore our private world today. Amen.