December 21st- O Holy Night (verse 2)

O Holy Night

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend! 

This verse is talking about the Wisemen….in a few days we’ll look more closely at that account and the star “sweetly gleaming” showing them the way to the newly born Messiah.  Men from the east….Gentile men.  I just love the fact that Gentiles are a part of the birth story of Jesus!  This is so significant it isn’t even funny, so today we'll focus on that! 

“He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger”….our need is the same as any other and weakness is no stranger.  Sin kills, destroys and weakens us and as we see this fact we start to see our greatest need for a Savior!  Jew-Gentile-slave-free-male-female…all need and all our weak.  Jesus the Messiah was born to meet that need and be our strength. Again- I love, love that the Gentiles were invited to the spectacular opening scene of the birth of Jesus. Take a look at what the work of Jesus did for the Jew and the Gentile;

Ephesians 2:11-20

^"11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— ¹² remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, ^[i]excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, ¹⁵ by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, ¹⁶ and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; ¹⁸ for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."

Let us remember that “O Holy night” and “Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!”….He is our King, our Head, our Husband, our Lord….for the Jew and the Gentile....anyone who trusts in Him, may He be praised!