The caption makes you think. I'm guessing that the atheists who sponsored the visual plunked down some big bucks since nothing in NYC is cheap. They should get credit for putting their money where their mouth is. But atheists have always mythtified me.
The word atheist ("a" meaning "without"....and "theos" meaning "god") is a declaration. Someone without God is someone who has decided he can do just fine, thankyouverymuch, on his own. So, here's the puzzle. What is there is about aloneness that makes them want to get up a busload? If independence is blissful, why do they need to attract company to be alone?
Check out the billboard again and see the charge on Line Two. It says "celebrate REASON". So now I'm saying to myself...is it REASONABLE to think the earth created itself in intricate detail? Is it REASONABLE to assume the miracle of the human body evolved? Frankly, my faith isn't large enough to believe "random explosion" over "divine intention". Believing God seems reasonable to my brain.
Even still, what I like about the Lord is that He left a lot of empirical evidence to aid in our discovery/verification process. And He left the evidence right out in the open in His book. Still, it takes some digging to put it together. You don't usually find diamonds lying above ground.
THE STAR. Last week astronomers had a big announcement about what's new "out there" in the skies. Their Hubble is showing them things they never knew existed. Astronomers are smart, but tomorrow may bring totally new information because they only know what they've seen. Back in Isaiah's day, the scientists thought the world was flat and held up by three elephants. I mention that not to injure science, but to say that reason without data is futile. I smile when I think of the Spirit moving Isaiah to write 40.22 "it is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and it's inhabitants are like grasshoppers". Wonder what was going through Isaiah's head as he wrote those words? "Well, Lord I'll write what you say, but you know how crazy that is 'cuz the earth is flat!"
THE WISE MEN. Here's another thing that is reasonable to me. God began dealing with people long before watches or phones. So He taught them to mark time by the sky (moon phase calendar) and He also told them He would communicate with them from those same skies. In fact, the sky was God's billboard and He didn't even have to pay through the nose like the atheists did. Ever wonder about those wise men who followed the star? As Butch Cassidy and Sundance might ponder..."who ARE those guys?"
God has a reputation for working things together for good to those who love Him. In 605BC, when Babylon gave Israel a whoopin' and the Israelites were carried off to captivity in the wicked city south of Baghdad...that was the bad news. But the good news was that now one of God's people (Daniel) was inside a pagan land which was the capital of the known world. Opportunity! Babylonians were a scientifically advanced culture and the Chaldeans had a particular interest in astronomy. (Now at this point I always have to stop and say "astronomy"..."astrology" to remember which I'm talking about. Astrology says if you are born when the stars are aligned a special way, you are born with certain "bents". Wouldn't that would fly in the face of God's individual design of each of us?)
But back to the Chaldean astronomers. When Daniel's circumstances elevated him to national prominence, Daniel's God became famous. That led King Nebuchadnezzar to bend his knee to the King of Kings. We have no idea how many Babylonians followed suit, but it's still not surprising that even hundreds of years later Chaldean astronomy would include an understanding of the Jewish prophecy of the Messiah. They knew what Scripture said, so they watched the skies and God led them by starlight to just the right spot.
And the gifts they brought? They were worshipping and honoring the Anticipated One. You know about gold, but do you know about frankincense and myrrh? A cut is made in a tree grown one place in the Middle East (Somalia). As the tree oozes, the sap dries in a lump and is later popped off. The frankincense can be made into incense and the myrrh is ground into powder and oil is added to make a potion that was used to prepare a body for burial. Both the frankincense and myrrh were fragrant and very expensive.
So when the Wise Man brought GOLD to Jesus, he might have bowed and said "You are the King of all kings!" His gift of the most valuable metal declared the King's worth.
The Wise Man who brought MYRRH might have said, "You are the Sacrifice!" His worship gift was a foreshadowing of Jesus' purpose for coming to earth. Thank you, Spirit, for giving Jesus strength to accomplish His work.
Christians through the ages have looked at the star and wise men and the truth found in the Book. Their conclusion is "Jesus" while others conclude "myth". When the dust is all settled, it comes down to each heart. We arrive in life with many choices already made for us. I got brown eyes and a little brother and I was born in the USA. I'm grateful, but I had no say over those things. Here's what we do get a "say" about...whether or not we come to know our Maker.
If you haven't met Him, grab your pick ax and get to digging in His Word. You might be totally surprised at all Jesus has to say. I was.
"For God, who said, 'Let there be light in the darkness', has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 4.6 NLT
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