More times than most of us want to believe, the churches get the story wrong, at least the part where the wise men show up at the Nativity scene. Look at Matthew 2:1-12. The Magi traveled a great distance from the east following the star to the place where the child was. First, the Magi had traveled to Jerusalem from a location recorded only as the far east, which would take time; however, the six miles on to Bethlehem should have taken no more than a day travel time. These Magi were led to Jerusalem by a star they had interpreted to be a sign of the birth of the Messiah. Most believe the star to be a miraculous sign; many have attempted to define the star by scientific means. This star like all natural objects had traveled in an east to west direction until it reached Bethlehem where it turned south and stopped over the child Jesus. I believe the star was special, placed in the sky by God to guide the Magi who were the only ones to see it.

            Why did God call the Magi to see Jesus? Matthew sees this as an important event and does not mention the visit by the shepherds. Luke places importance on the visit of the shepherds (Luke 2:8-14) and does not mention the Magi. I believe God chose these two groups, the lowness of the shepherds and the royalty of the Magi to show that Jesus came for the entire world. These Magi recognized this birth to be that of the promised Messiah and recognized him as king with the royal gifts they presented Jesus.

            Why did the Magi take a different way home? Occasionally you talk to someone and put your foot-in-the-mouth number. Innocent conversation with King Herod in Jerusalem nearly caused big problems. King Herod asked the Magi to return so that he too could go and worship this King of the Jews. Had the Magi know how ruthless Herod was I do not think they would have honored him with a visit. It was God who told the Magi to go home a different way, that Herod only wanted to harm Jesus. Herod the Great as he was known became quite disturbed with the news of a new king of the Jews. He was not the rightful ruler, many Jews did not like him, and he felt threatened. When the Magi did not return Herod issued an order that all male children two and under would be killed in the Bethlehem area. Herod, who had members of his own family killed, had no problem with the slaughter of probably less than two dozen young male children.

            What happened to Jesus during the slaughter? Joseph warned in a dream, as were the Magi, to escape to Egypt since Herod would try to destroy the child, Jesus. Alexandria in Egypt is the most likely place for them to have settled because there were about one million Jews living there at the time. Herod died a year or two later and his son Archelaus began ruling. Archelaus like his father, another cruel man, sent troops into Jerusalem slaughtering many Jews. Joseph was on his way back to resettle in Bethlehem, however upon hearing the news from Jerusalem, changed his mind and settled in Nazareth.

            A different way home began with the Magi when Jesus was only one or two years old. People who are exposed to Jesus take a different route when they meet Jesus. The mere birth of Jesus disturbed Herod the Great as well as most of Jerusalem. Jesus' birth did not rescue people in a way they could accept. They were promised a king, not a child born in a stable. Some were startled and some confused. The priest and teachers expected a leader that would conquer the world in a military fashion similar to those who had earlier invaded Judah. Herod felt threatened and many of the Jews felt disappointment. Jesus came to save the world in an unexpected way. He would save the world from eternal damnation by giving the world eternal life.

            The wise men were exposed to Jesus and went home another way. John recorded the best explanation for Jesus' birth. "For God so loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save it through him." (John 3:16&17) Jesus came to defeat death with eternal life. Some view the thought of living forever as horrible since they have not been exposed to Jesus. Contact and believing in Jesus always provides another way home. Jesus is God's guarantee of eternal life. Have you found another way home?

            The Christmas Story has been told repeatedly regarding Jesus's birth. Let us read Luke 1:28-38. I wonder what the story would sound like if Mary were telling it.  This story may have sounded this way if Mary were telling it.

            "We lived in Nazareth, one of those small Galilean communities where everyone knows everyone and everything that is going on. For some reason that I do not totally understand, the Romans spent a lot of time harassing the town folk. Nazareth was a beautiful place before the Romans came, but they have left the town a mess. I now live in this little town since I became engaged to Joseph. He is a little older than I am; however, when you are a teenager everyone is older than you are. Joseph and were engaged shorty after I became a woman. Joseph's father was teaching him the carpenters' trade so he was not making a lot of money and like all young couples; we have many plans for our future together.

            Now, this is where the story really gets interesting. This angel, Gabriel, appeared with a message from God. Imagine, the angel came to me, a nobody in a hick town with a message from God. I was very terrified and the angel must have notice since he said, "don't be afraid, Mary for you have found favor with God." I could hardly believe the next thing the angel told me. He told me that I was going to conceive and have a child and name him Jesus. Now this is a little freaky since I had never been with a man. Gabriel said that the Holy Spirit would come over me and I would be with child. Not only am I to be pregnant, but my ancient relative Elizabeth is six months pregnant the angel says.

            Now do not get me wrong, I am happy that God has chosen me to be the mother of His child, but how in the world am I going to explain being pregnant, especially to Joseph? Why me? I am just a poor, young teenager, a nobody special. Well I told the angel if that is what God wants, I'd do it after all I am his servant.

            My next thought was to go over to Elizabeth's. She lives up in the hill country of Judea where her husband Zechariah was a high Priest. God had already told her that I was going to mother the baby Jesus. We sure had a lot to talk about over the next few days. So many questions. What if Joseph refuses to marry me, I will remain unmarried for life. If my father rejects me, I will be forced into begging or prostitution. If I tell people the Holy Spirit got me pregnant, I will be called crazy for sure. Oh Elizabeth what will I do. She always has the best answers, "Just give yourself to God," she says.

             I found out that the angel told Joseph what happened and we are still getting married, God is great! Well not long after I got back from Elizabeth's, the Roman Emperor, Augustus, sent out a note that everyone was going to get taxed. (Luke 2:1-7) Oh great! Not only will we have to pay, we have to go back to Jerusalem where all Joseph's ancestors came from. Here I am, ready to have a child and I have to travel 68.37 miles, I goggled it, from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Well I told Joseph, there is no way that I can walk that far in my condition. Joseph is wonderful; he borrowed a donkey to carry me to Jerusalem. It seemed like the trip took a week, but may have only taken four days. I do not know how Joseph was so patient with me.

            Were we in for a disappointment? We traveled to the point of exhaustion across Samaria, some of the most hostile land around to find that "no vacancy" signs were up everywhere. One Inn keeper, bless his heart, let us stay in the stable out back. No more than we got in the stable my time came. All I had were some strips of cloth to wrap baby Jesus in to keep him warm and I laid him in a manger. I felt so good looking at a tiny, helpless baby knowing that one day he would one day died that we might live forever.

            I am so glad that I listened to Gabriel. It was not an easy thing to do. God strengthened Joseph so he could manage the bumpy road he had to travel. God did not promise us anything special, like a good place to stay. He did promise to look after us and that is just what he did. I am so glad he picked me to have His Son."

            Perhaps this story in Mary's words tells how she felt. She became mother of a king in very impoverished setting. The Jews expected much more in the way of royal surroundings for the birth of the promised Messiah. Our vision of Jesus should not dwell at the manger. The Bible uses the donkey as a sign of peace. A donkey probably carried Jesus to the manger and a donkey carried Him peacefully to the cross in Jerusalem. His next ride will be a ride of war on a horse at His second coming.

            What do Chevrolets, Dodges, and Fords all have in common? Of course, they are automobiles and no matter how good you think they are, there are still problems. Each of these automobiles breaks down leaving the owner less than impressed with the performance. No matter how bad these automobiles get, one owner stands by the automobile no matter what, while the other changes to find a better automobile. Backing myself up just a little, I suppose that there were a number of different breeds of horses: Quarter horses, Saddle Bred, and Thoroughbreds to name a few. Is it possible that horsemen had a similar problem with which horse is best?

             Now check this out; Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian. These churches have their problems just like any vehicle or horse or anything else for that matter. Yes, there are some looking for the right church. Some remain faithful to a denomination while others appear to shop at the used church lot. At Valley Cowboy Church, we tell folks "If the saddle doesn't fit, get another horse." As long as it is a Bible believing church, the brand makes no difference as long in getting you to heaven.

            How do I know that it is a true Bible believing church? A friend gives an answer using the four math symbols; plus, minus, multiply, and subtract. First, do they insist on adding to the Bible? Second, do they subtract from the Bible's description of Jesus as the virgin born Son of God in the flesh? Third, do they divide loyalty to God by demanding unquestioning devotion to their "church" for salvation? Forth, do they multiply law-keeping requirements that must be obeyed to be saved? If the answer to any of these questions comes up "yes", find another church.

            Look at the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Different men write these books, at different times yet, they each tell the story of Jesus. Matthew wrote to the Jews and Mark wrote to the Romans. Luke wrote his gospel to the Greeks and John wrote to the world. What do they have in common? They tell the story of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus providing the building blocks for the church.

            What is the church? It is not the institution or the building. The church is the supernatural growth toward a world yet to come. All of the members are part of the body of Christ. One day the church will unite in one congregation before God. Paul even used the term church for some of the home gatherings of believers. It is not the number of gathered people, nor is it the building, but the body of Christ that makes up the church. God used the birth, death, and resurrection of His Son to establish the church.

            Revelation 3:20 says, "If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in. (NIV) There are a lot of choices to make before we breathe our last breath. Two men hung on either side of Jesus, both convicted of the same crimes. One rejected Jesus and the other asked to be remembered when Jesus came into His kingdom. Jesus replied, "…today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23: 43 NIV)

            Rick Warren says, "God has a purpose behind every problem." I believe that God uses problems as learning experiences. We learn things when we are in trouble that we otherwise would overlook. When I had employees, they would often "mess up" presenting an opportunity for me to ask if they learned from the experience. If they answered, yes, I learned something; I related it to a learned experience. You only "mess up" when you fail to learn from the experience.

            God uses the troubles that we have as learning experiences. Our troubles help us to depend more on God for the help we need. Unfortunately, we only turn to god when all else fails. You know what I mean, read the directions when there is no other way to do what we are trying to accomplish. Giving things to God means that we are relinquishing to God the control that we so desperately attempt to hang onto. Ways, means, and timing need to be turned over to God. God will fix things; however, we must be patient.

            Why do all these troubles come our way? I try to live right you say. Malachi 3:1-5 gives some answers. Verse 2 talks about a blazing fire that refines metal. Have you ever seen a piece of gold ore? I have a piece, looks like a rock to most people, yet to others it has priceless beauty. Processing ore takes a very hot fire. Ore is heated until it melts. In most cases the impurities float to the surface where they are skimmed off leaving only the pure gold. God refines us much in the same way. We go through fire which is, the trials. Next comes the melt down where we surrender all to Him. He then takes away our impurities. As we become purified, we begin to reflect God in our life.

            Does God's reflection in us stop all our troubles? No, we will never be immune to trouble. Look with me at three young men who followed God.  There were 3 men in the Bible that could have very easily felt the same way. Their story comes from the third chapter of Daniel. Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego trusted God so much that they were willing to lay down their lives for Him. These three would not bow down to the idol constructed by Nebuchadnezzar, even with the threat of death by fire over them; they were obeying the second commandment: “You shall have no other Gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3 NIV)  The penalty for disobeying the king’s order to bow down to idol was to be thrown into the fiery furnace. Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego, were tied and thrown into a furnace with fire so hot that it killed the soldiers delivering them to the furnace. The Bible says that the soldiers fell dead and the three fell into the furnace still tied.

            Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego were not alone in that furnace. Nebuchadnezzar looked into that furnace and saw four walking in the furnace, one that he thought, looked like the son of the gods. God allowed the ropes to be burned freeing their bondage. The king recognizing the presence of the true God, called the three from the furnace. Not only had they survived that fiery furnace but also they did not even smell as if they had been there. The king was so impressed that they would risk their lives rather than to worship another God that they were promoted in the province of Babylon.

            Lessons to learned are: (1) Obeying God’s word does not exempt you from trouble, (2) You are not alone, (3) Your trouble, will be your testimony, and (4) after trouble comes blessing. Obey God and turn what seems like trouble into blessings.