What Does It Mean to Truly Worship God? Lessons from the Wise Men
As we enter the Advent season, many churches focus on themes of hope, joy, peace, and love. But this year, we're taking a different approach by examining how the people in Jesus' birth story responded in worship. Today, we begin with the Wise Men - a group often misunderstood but whose response to meeting Jesus teaches us profound truths about authentic worship.
Who Were the Wise Men Really?
Before diving into their worship response, let's clear up some common misconceptions about the Magi. First, we don't actually know there were three of them - that assumption comes from the three gifts they brought. There could have been two, or even twenty.
Second, they weren't present at the manger. Despite what your nativity scene shows, the Magi arrived anywhere from a couple weeks to two years after Jesus' birth. They had to travel about a thousand miles to reach Him.
Third, they weren't kings, though they were people of prominent status - likely astrologers or dream interpreters who worked directly with royalty in their homeland. What's remarkable is that they picked up their entire lives and traveled this vast distance simply because they saw a star rise in the sky.
How Did the Wise Men Find Jesus?
When the Magi arrived in Jerusalem looking for the "king of the Jews," nobody knew what they were talking about. This news disturbed King Herod, who called his advisors to investigate. They discovered the prophecy pointing to Bethlehem as the birthplace of the promised king.
Herod, being ruthless and power-hungry, secretly met with the Magi and directed them to Bethlehem, asking them to report back so he could "worship" the new king too. Of course, Herod had no intention of worshiping - he planned to eliminate any threat to his throne.
What Happened When They Found Jesus?
Matthew 2:9-12 tells us what happened next: "After they had heard the king, they went on their way. And the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh."
The Magi's expectations were likely shattered. Instead of finding a wealthy, influential family in a palace, they discovered a vulnerable child in a humble home. Yet despite their unmet expectations, they chose to recognize this child as the king they had traveled so far to find.
What Does It Mean to "Bow Down and Worship"?
The key to understanding their response lies in the original Greek word for worship: "proskineo." The Hebrew equivalent is "shecha," which means to prostrate oneself completely - dropping to your knees and placing your head on the ground.
This isn't just a polite bow or taking a knee. This is complete prostration, putting yourself in an entirely vulnerable position. When you prostrate yourself before someone, you're communicating not just respect and honor, but complete trust that they won't take advantage of your vulnerability.
Why Is This Kind of Worship So Difficult?
Worshiping through complete surrender doesn't come naturally to us. We're independent people who often disguise our stubbornness and pride as self-reliance and strength. The idea of being vulnerable before anyone - even God - feels weak and un-American.
But this perspective misses something crucial: choosing to prostrate yourself before God is actually an act of strength, not weakness. You're not being forced into this position - you're choosing it as you recognize who Jesus truly is.
What Does Biblical Strength in Worship Look Like?
Consider King David, one of history's greatest warriors. He killed a giant with a slingshot, protected sheep from bears and lions, and led armies to victory. Yet this same man worshiped God by dancing naked through the streets and wrote many of the Psalms - songs and poems of worship.
When it came to worshiping God, David chose to submit his own strength and power to God's strength. That decision represents true strength, not weakness.
Why Can We Trust God Enough to Be Vulnerable?
Scripture gives us many reasons to trust God with our complete surrender. In Exodus 4:31, when Moses performed signs before the Israelites, "they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped."
God sees you in your struggles and has concern for you - not pity, but love that moves Him to action. As David wrote in Psalm 31: "I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul."
Furthermore, when you follow Jesus, you become part of God's family. Psalm 95:6-7 says, "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care."
Peter reinforces this in 1 Peter 2:9-10: "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
How Does This Look Practically in Our Lives?
Prostrating ourselves before God doesn't necessarily mean throwing ourselves on the floor everywhere we go (though it might sometimes). More often, it means choosing to willingly put ourselves in vulnerable positions before God in our daily decisions.
This might look like surrendering our plans when God calls us in a different direction, serving in ways that don't match our preferences, or simply being vulnerable during worship services by actually engaging rather than standing with hands in pockets, critiquing the music.
Why Sunday Worship Is Training Ground
Our weekly worship gatherings serve as training grounds for vulnerability before God. Is there any safer place to practice being vulnerable than surrounded by people on the same spiritual journey?
Nobody's watching to judge your singing voice or whether you raise your hands. Everyone is there for the same reason - to encounter Jesus, to be challenged in following Him, and to learn what worship looks like.
This is especially important because God will inevitably ask you to surrender something precious to you at some point in your life. If you haven't learned to be vulnerable before Him in the small things, how will you be able to surrender in those larger, life-altering moments?
Following Jesus' Example
Jesus Himself modeled this kind of worship. He laid everything down at the feet of the Father - His very life - so that we could have life. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, when He prayed "take this cup from me," He ultimately submitted to God's will.
Every week when we celebrate communion, we remember this ultimate act of surrender and worship.
Life Application
This week, practice vulnerability in your worship of God. Start small - during your personal prayer time or when singing worship songs, focus less on your comfort and more on encountering Jesus. Ask yourself: What am I holding onto that prevents me from fully surrendering to God? Is it fear, pride, or personal preferences?
Challenge yourself to approach worship not as a consumer asking "What's in it for me?" but as someone ready to prostrate themselves before the King of Kings. Remember, this isn't about weakness - it's about choosing to decrease so that He may increase in your life.
Consider these questions: Where in your life are you unwilling to be vulnerable before God? What plans, dreams, or desires are you gripping so tightly that you can't hold them with open hands before Him? How might God be calling you to practice this kind of surrendered worship in your daily life this week?
Like the Magi who traveled thousands of miles and then chose to prostrate themselves before a child in humble circumstances, may we learn to recognize Jesus as King regardless of how He appears in our lives, and may we respond with the same wholehearted, vulnerable worship.