WALKING THE NEW WAY IN 2018 (MATTHEW 2:12)
The Very. Rev. Michael Mukhwana
Dear Saints, Happy New Year! As we wind up 2017, with just a couple of hours to enter the new year, we can look back on all our accomplishments with a lot of gratitude to the Lord, who has carried us this far amid various personal, family and national challenges- Ebenezer! The excellent work on our new Cathedral and in particular the giving towards this projects is a case in point. You are all much appreciated for passionately supporting the work of ministry in 2017. I hope that you people had a great Christmas celebration.
At the start of every new year, many of us make fresh resolutions, having taken stock of how we managed our lives in the previous year. I am sure that many of you have already resolved on a number of issues. I pray that one of the resolutions will have to do with intentionally walking in a new direction with regard to our Christian walk, having had a fresh encounter with the ‘New born’ King, during this Christmas season. This may require that we walk away from ungodly attitudes / mindsets, habits, relationships, and wicked indulgences of all kinds, such as witchcraft, idolatry, divination, occultism, the list goes on; picking a leaf from the Wise men (Magi) from the East.
The Magi traveled thousands of miles to see the King of the Jews. When they finally found him,they responded with joy, worship and gifts. This is so different from the approach people often take today. We expect God to come looking for us, to explain himself, prove who he is, and give us gifts! But those who are wise still seek and worship Jesus today, not for what they can get, but for who He is. How seriously do you take your worship? How much do you let your hunger for God and worship influence your life? Consider the Wise men mentioned in these verses. They sacrificed the comfort their position afforded and risked their lives at the hands of bandits and, not the least, King Herod. And what was their goal? Simply to worship Jesus. Are you easily dissuaded from finding a good church or quiet moment to worship God? It’s always worth the effort to find a way to worship Jesus the King.
The Magi brought gifts and worshiped Jesus for who He was. This is the essence of true worship – honoring Christ for who He is and being willing to give him what is valuable to you. We worship God because He is the perfect, just, and Almighty Creator of the universe,
worthy of the best you have to give.
In Matt. 2:12; the Bible records, that after finding Jesus and worshiping him, the Magi were warned by God not to return through Jerusalem as they had intended. This implies that finding Jesus may mean that your life must take a different direction, one that is responsive
and obedient to God’s Word. Are you willing to be led a different way by the Holy Spirit in 2018, after worshiping our Saviour this festive season? May the Lord God bless you and establish you in that new way in this coming year (Isaiah 30:19-21), as you step out by faith into the new way. A blessed and prosperous 2018!
The Very Rev. Canon Michael Mukhwana
PROVOST