Episode 166: January 7, 2024 - Behold The King

Eternity Church PodCast

A Sunday sermon by Pastor Brett Deal. I don’t think it would be shocking to anyone if I said we live in an age of distraction. Some distractions fly at us, outside of our control, leaving us harried and bewildered. Others we invite in and give special places of honor in our lives. These diversions can serve us like pressure valve releases, allowing built up stress and strain to burn away. Surely some distractions are valid, important even. We all need a break when the weight of the world feels like it's crashing down on us: a call from a loved one, a movie with friends, an afternoon nap. Some distractions, however, spread and expand and seemingly take over our lives! What once was a passing fancy can leave us sidelined in our own lives. For example, Amy Herman once observed, “Portable technology is not just a sensory distraction; we allow it to be a sensory substitute.” Technology and innovation can be such a blessing! Through it, we see the faces of family thousands of miles away and warm ourselves in the cold of winter. But innovation and technology can just as easily distract us from what we truly need to see. Two thousand years ago in Jerusalem, the city of David, the capital of God’s people Israel, should have been the epicenter of ecstatic rejoicing when the strange wisemen from the East showed up proclaiming the birth of the Messiah (Matthew 2.1-12). Instead, we find the governmental and spiritual authorities distracted, as if the promised Messiah was an unwanted intrusion! Herod and the religious leaders were so distracted by their self-serving supremacy and ancient scrolls they missed God’s invitation—through a most unlikely source, strange foreign prophets from Persia—to worship the Christ! Because of their unbridled distractions of self-preservation and maintaining power, they missed seeing the Savior of the world a short three-hour walk away! There are times to take full advantage of healthy diversions, pouring energy into hobbies and recreation. But, dear friend, it is important that we not miss the Evangelist directing us to “behold” what is taking place right in from of us, distracted by the glow of a cellphone or the anxieties of this life. Beloved, as we come together to celebrate the Feast of Epiphany this weekend, let’s not miss the prophetic voice from unlikely places, and worship Jesus the Christ, our Messiah King!