Opportunities abound to serve our neighbor. Whether live or in the realms of the dead serving our fellow beings is an eternal commandment. There is service to be had in funerals. There is service to be had in holy temples. There is service while working among your peers. There is service even on the very streets on which you walk. One of the plainest evidences of the living Christ in our lives is the very fact that we can still exercise our conscience and choose to serve others.
Our eyes are opened in the book of Matthew 2:2 when the wise men approached king Herod concerning the Christ:
Our eyes are opened in the book of Matthew 2:2 when the wise men approached king Herod concerning the Christ:
"Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him."
When Jesus Christ was born one of the first lessons we are given is the principle of action. These men accommodated their belief in the stars, and exercised faith which laid the foundation of their taking action to travel far to see the King of the Jews. They traveled far and followed a star which served as a beacon, a clarion call to the world that the Christ is born. We fall short if we fail to ask ourselves if we would take the trek to follow a brilliant star in search of a king.
Yet, one of the greatest lesson from the birth of the Savior is found in Luke 2:12:
"And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."
Why? Why were the angels so articulate and careful in their words of the environment of the Savior? A king is normally assumed to be born of temporal signs of nobility with gold, silver, fine linen and concourses of servants standing guard. Instead, these shepherds in the field had revealed to their senses the humbled circumstances of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this, there is a great lesson to be learned.
Because each of us inherently received the Light of Christ at our commencement into this world we are also given a great promise. Great blessings are to be received and enjoyed if we but search out the Christ through service to others. The angels gave us the blueprint for happiness in service and in finding Christ. They gave us the means by which to search for happiness. It is in the humbled environment of the world around us that we may find the living Christ in our lives.
When we donate to our local food pantry with no thought of reward do we not receive Christ in our hearts? When we visit the widow and fatherless do we not share and receive the light of His spirit? If we go out of our way to find the homeless and destitute that their needs may be succored, should we not assume that the edified feelings in our hearts are the reassurance of the embrace of our eternal Father in Heaven? Just as the shepherds, when we hear of the babe in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger are not our hearts drawn low yet lifted in rejoice that even the King is born below all men? God loves all men of all faiths. His beloved son in the flesh, His firstborn in the Spirit, teaches us even from the birth of Jesus that we are our brother's keeper. Salvation comes from the efforts to uplift one another in service.
Gold, frankincense and myrrh were offered to the King though only a babe in a lowly manger. Undoubtedly, even the shepherds who came from their fields offered something as well. In the eyes of God is the offering of gold any more qualifying for salvation than perhaps the presentation of old sheep's hide which a shepherd may have used to keep warm at night? I dare say not.
Our service to others need not be planned in a spectacle of great array. It is in the small things here and there that make the greatest impact on the hearts and minds of men. It is in the giving of even a sock. It is in giving a can of soup to the hungry. It is in visiting the lonely in the rest homes. Among the greatest modes of service is in the word of mouth. It is in consoling and reassuring through the spoken word. It is in true sincerity of conversation.
In essence we are called and commanded to be ministering angels to each other in our neighbor's time of need. We are His tools for succoring the poor and downtrodden. Let this be among the greatest lessons taught by our Lord Jesus Christ even from his humbled birth. Let us follow the star of Christ by serving our fellow brethren and sisters of the world.
