Unbelievable: The Boundless Love Of God - The River | January 7, 2024

Devotional

Day 1: Seek Jesus beyond familiar boundaries

The Magi traveled from distant lands asking, “Where is the child?” Their journey calls the reader to return to the nativity with fresh eyes and an open heart, challenging assumptions about who can come to Christ. This story reminds the congregation that God’s light reaches beyond familiar walls and invites surprising worshipers into the same presence. [08:51]

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: Who is one person, group, or place you have assumed God is not at work in; what is one concrete step you will take this week to look with fresh eyes and welcome the possibility of God moving there?

Day 2: Worship overcomes fear; gifts sustain new life

When the star stopped, the Magi were overwhelmed with joy, entered the house, and bowed before the child, presenting their treasures. Their act models worship that displaces fear and offers tangible care to new life, showing how material gifts and spiritual homage can sustain a vulnerable family. The story encourages the congregation both to receive unexpected blessing when they welcome the stranger and to extend practical love to those in need. [17:55]

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:10-11, ESV)

Reflection: What is one practical, humble gift or act of hospitality you can offer this week to someone who feels sidelined or weary, and when will you do it?

Day 3: Comprehend the immeasurable breadth of God's love

Paul prays that the church be strengthened so that Christ may dwell in their hearts and that they might grasp the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ’s love. This is an invitation to pursue a deeper, even mysterious, experience of God’s love in 2024—one that reshapes inner life and overcomes spiritual weariness. The congregation is encouraged to seek practices (scripture, prayer, silence) that widen their capacity to be rooted and grounded in that love. [16:05]

that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19, ESV)

Reflection: Which dimension of God’s love (height, depth, breadth, length) do you find hardest to believe right now, and what single daily practice will you commit to this week to dwell on that particular dimension?

Day 4: False systems cannot contain God's pursuing love

Though the Magi were associated with astrology—condemned in the prophets—their longing drove them toward the light God was revealing; ancient enmities and false counsels did not stop God’s pursuit. The narrative, echoed by Jonah’s story, exposes how human systems of power and superstition fail to hold back God’s compassion for those regarded as enemies. The call is to let God’s love reorder hearts so that outsiders become objects of welcome rather than scorn. [11:28]

You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. (Isaiah 47:13, ESV)

Reflection: Is there a person or group you silently dismiss as outside God’s favor; what one small step (a prayer, a conversation, a message) will you take this week to become a vessel of welcome toward them?

Day 5: You are known and crowned by God

The Psalm reminds that God is mindful of each person and crowns them with glory and honor; this is the heart beat at the center of the concentric circles the congregation imagined. Whether ministry feels hidden or public, small acts done “with great love” are never insignificant in God’s sight—Therese’s little way affirms that. The invitation is to tend the fire of God’s love within, trusting that God notices and will enable seeds of joy and peace to spread from your life. [24:51]

what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:4-5, ESV)

Reflection: Name one hidden or small task you carry (caregiving, prayer, listening, unseen leadership); how will you do it this week “with great love,” and who will you ask to pray for you as you do it?

Sermon Summary

When the Christmas lights are boxed up and the tree goes to the curb, the work of Christmas begins. I invited us to hear Howard Thurman’s call and to ask whether we’ve metabolized the feast of God’s love in Christ so that it shapes our instincts, habits, and purpose. We returned to the Magi with fresh eyes—astrologers from the East, people Israel would have called enemies—drawn by an ache they could not name to a light they could not ignore. Their presence in the story reveals something crucial: God’s love moves toward those we are least likely to choose, and it is larger than we imagine.

We heard again how Herod grasped for control while the Magi bowed in joy. That contrast exposes our own hearts. Do we align with the momentum of God’s love, or resist it when it carries us toward people and places that unsettle us? Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3 led us to ask for power to comprehend a love that is ultimately beyond comprehension, and to encounter it personally this year.

T.S. Eliot’s “Journey of the Magi” helped us name the reality that spiritual pilgrimage is costly—desert winds, winter cold, and letting go. Yet on the other side of lament is a deeper joy. Joseph and Mary’s welcome of strange visitors shows how opening our lives to the “other” often becomes the doorway to gifts we didn’t know we needed—both practical and spiritual.

With Therese of Lisieux, we confessed that our vocation is love. Nothing is small in the eyes of God. Hidden work—caring for a struggling friend, praying when no one sees, steady faithfulness at home or work—is not wasted. To make this concrete, I invited us into three concentric circles: at the center, receive God’s love afresh and tend the inner fire; in the next ring, embody love to those closest to you; in the outer ring, hold before God someone outside the family of faith and pray for them daily. God is already shining his light on every searching heart. Let’s align with that light, and let love be the sail that carries us into 2024.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s love moves beyond our lines. God’s heart moves toward outsiders, even those we’re tempted to label as enemies or unclean. The Magi’s inclusion confronts our boundaries and invites us to align our lives with the wideness of God’s mercy. When we move with that mercy, we discover God already at work ahead of us. [24:51]
2. The way includes wilderness surrender. The journey to Christ is not pain-free; it often requires relinquishing control and passing through seasons that feel cold and exposed. Yet the wilderness is where our desires are clarified and our trust deepens. On the far side of surrender, joy becomes more substantial than comfort. [16:05]
3. Welcome outsiders to receive blessing. Opening our lives to those who are different can feel inconvenient or risky, especially when our resources are thin. But hospitality often becomes the channel through which God provides what we could not supply for ourselves. Unexpected visitors may carry gifts that sustain our next chapter. [17:55]
4. Love is your daily vocation. You don’t need a grand platform to be faithful; love dignifies the smallest act and makes hidden work holy. God notices the prayers, the caregiving, the quiet endurance, and uses them to heal hearts. Let love define how you lead, teach, parent, study, and search this year. [22:54]
5. Tend the fire; love in circles. Begin with receiving—let God warm the center of your soul. Then discern one person in your inner circle to pursue with patient, concrete kindness, and finally intercede for someone outside the faith. This rhythm keeps love from becoming theory and turns it into a way of life. [27:29]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:00] - Howard Thurman and the Work of Christmas
[06:19] - Opening Prayer for the New Year
[08:51] - Returning to the Magi with Fresh Eyes
[10:30] - Herod’s Fear and the Star’s Joy
[11:28] - From the East: Enemies and Outsiders
[13:10] - Jonah’s Resistance and God’s Pursuit
[15:20] - God’s Love Bigger Than We Imagine (Ephesians 3)
[16:05] - The Journey of the Magi: Costly Pilgrimage
[17:55] - Welcoming Strangers and Receiving Gifts
[20:19] - “My Vocation Is Love”: Everyday Callings
[22:54] - Small Things, Hidden Work, Lasting Fruit
[24:51] - Practicing Love: Three Concentric Circles
[27:29] - Loving Your Inner Circle with Kindness
[37:45] - Blessing and Sending for 2024

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading (ESV)
Matthew 2:1–2
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Observation questions (3–4)

What details about the Magi’s origin and motive stand out in these verses, and why might their being “from the east” matter for the story? [08:51]
What does the Magi’s action of coming to “worship” and offering gifts tell us about their spiritual posture and intention? [08:51]
How does the reaction of the political power (Herod’s fear) contrast with the Magi’s response of joy and homage, and what does that contrast reveal about competing instincts in human hearts? [11:28]
Why would the presence of astrologers—people often viewed as outsiders or unclean—be a surprising and significant detail in the nativity story? [11:28]

Interpretation questions (3–4)

What does the inclusion of outsiders (the Magi) indicate about the scope of God’s love and mission beyond traditional boundaries? [11:28]
Paul prays for power to “comprehend the height and breadth and depth and length of Christ’s love.” How should that prayer shape expectations about trying to fully understand God’s love? [24:51]
The Magi’s journey is described as costly and winter-worn (T. S. Eliot’s image of a hard pilgrimage). How does the theme of wilderness surrender help make sense of the sacrifices involved in following the star? [16:05]
Joseph and Mary’s willingness to welcome strange visitors resulted in practical and spiritual gifts. What does this suggest about the relationship between hospitality and receiving unexpected blessing? [17:55]

Application questions (4–7)

Receive first: How warm is the fire of God’s love at the center of your life right now? What one concrete step would help you tend that inner fire this week (time with Scripture, a prayer practice, asking someone to pray with you)? [27:29]
Love those close to you: Who is one person in your inner circle (household, roommate, colleague, or friend) that God might be calling you to love more patiently and practically? What specific act of kindness will you do for them in the next seven days? [27:29]
Pray for an outsider daily: Who is one person outside the family of faith that you can hold before God and pray for every day this week? Write their initials and one concrete way you will remember to pray for them. [27:29]
Reframe hidden work as vocation: What small, unseen tasks or caregiving that you already do could be offered as acts of love before God (childcare, quiet prayer, tending a sick friend)? How can you remind yourself that “nothing is small in the eyes of God” as you do them? [20:19]
Practice welcome: What is one concrete, low-risk way you can open your life to someone different or inconvenient (invite a neighbor for coffee, welcome a new person into a group, listen to a coworker’s story)? What might keep you from doing it, and how will you move past that? [17:55]
Embrace the cost: Where in your life are you resisting a direction that feels risky or uncomfortable because it might lead you toward people or places you’d rather avoid? What is one small step of surrender you can take toward that direction this month? [16:05]

(Spend time reading Matthew 2:1–2 together, then use the questions to guide prayerful conversation and concrete commitments.)

Sermon Clips

Maybe you've assumed that as well So I love this image Because it challenges our assumptions This image portrays the Magi as women And who knows, maybe they were Christian tradition names these Magi as men But that's just the tradition The story is ambiguous It's possible that some of them Or all of them were women Let's return to this story With fresh eyes [00:08:24] (32 seconds) #SeeStoriesAnew

Now we'll skip ahead in a moment But what you see in the in-between verses Is that Herod, the king at the time He is a paranoid person So he's threatened by the idea That there is a king that's arising He wants to use these Magi To find out where this rival king is So that he can crush the rebellion Sounds like Star Wars, doesn't it? [00:09:30] (21 seconds) #FearDrivesControl

Well I want to jump straight to it And simply say that the presence of the Magi In the story of salvation Is a surprising presence These Magi are thought to be astrologers And astrology is forbidden in the Jewish religion They would be viewed in some ways Sort of how some of us might view fortune tellers Palm readers Tarot card readers People who might be out to manipulate others At very worst [00:10:26] (31 seconds) #UnexpectedWitnesses

In Isaiah chapter 47 In verse 13 The prophet make it clear That this is a form of idolatry It's a form of resisting the call to trust God And to place fate in our own hands So the astrologers are dangerous people In the Old Testament And these astrologers are from the East The text doesn't say exactly where in the East They come from But if you look at a map What is east of Israel Are countries like Babylon And Assyria And Persia And Nineveh [00:10:58] (41 seconds) #ChooseTrustNotIdols

As Israel's ancient enemies For centuries and centuries and centuries People with whom they were at war People who violently oppressed them And dragged them away And dragged them away Into exile So You know America's always been Sort of a stronger nation But on the lighter side We might think You know If you're into college sports And you're from Northern California This is like USC The hated rival If you're a San Francisco Giants fan This is like the Los Angeles Dodgers The hated rival [00:11:44] (36 seconds) #EnemiesAcrossHistory

Or to personalize it If you're a reader of the Bible again You might remember the story Of a man named Jonah Whom God called to preach to the Ninevites People of the East And in that story Jonah receives this clear call And his inner response is There's no way There's no way I'm going to do that I'm going the other way Of course God sends a messenger In the form of a great fish To swallow Jonah up And delivers him to the Ninevites It says something about God's intention To bring good news To people who we resist [00:12:57] (39 seconds) #GoodNewsForAll

You might remember in that story That Jonah does his task But he just sort of goes through the motion He mails it in It's the lousiest speech ever And when it works Because when God is at work It doesn't matter how lousy our work is Jonah pouts Jonah's heart Is so hard Toward these people Who are his enemies It puts a question to us This whole story does Both Jonah and the story of the Magi Are we in line Are our hearts in line With the momentum With the energy and direction Of the love of God In the world [00:13:38] (42 seconds) #AlignWithGodsLove

And so often Throughout biblical history God's people Have had hearts That were sorely out of tune With the momentum With the force With the energy With the direction Of God's love And so it is That these Magi Play a starring role In the story of God In the story of God's Saving of his people And these Magi Are remembered Throughout the centuries Not with scorn But with warmth And wonder [00:14:21] (33 seconds) #RememberTheMagi

Not with scorn But with warmth And wonder These unclean souls Long for an object Worthy of their worship There is an ache In their heart And God Will satisfy that ache And he is pursuing them And revealing his light And love To them That is the story Of the Magi [00:14:51] (21 seconds) #GodSeeksEveryHeart

These Magi There is an ache In their heart There is a longing In every human heart We are like them The great poet T.S. Eliot Wrote a poem About them Called The Journey Of the Magi And you should go read it I won't put the Language to the Poem on the screen Because it's too long But he imagined The Magi Going through This arduous journey The journey Would have been difficult [00:16:22] (25 seconds) #JourneyOfLonging

Friends The spiritual journey For us all Involves letting go It involves A journey Through the wilderness It involves loss It involves suffering And the affirmation Of the story Of the Magi Is that if we Embark on that journey He will lead us Into a deeper experience Of his love And beyond that If we participate In his love For others We are the ones Who will experience Blessing as well [00:16:58] (37 seconds) #JourneyThroughLove

But the Magi Come close And because Joseph and Mary And whoever else Was with them Welcomed these Magi To come close Because they opened Their hearts To these strange figures Joseph and Mary Receive extraordinary gifts Material gifts And spiritual gifts Gifts that sustain them [00:17:56] (23 seconds) #OpenHeartsReceiveGifts

Or we feel awkward If we're not articulate In prayer And life Even though There are good things About setting high hopes There's a sense Of inner striving That leaves us weary In the world And the good news That Therese is bringing us Is that you are not forgotten That the God of the Magi Has his eye upon you [00:19:38] (23 seconds) #YouAreNotForgotten

For Therese For her vocation to love It meant that she understood Herself to be The spouse of Christ The object of his love And the mother of souls A mentor to others I wonder what it might mean For you to fill Your daily occupation As you embark upon 2024 With the energy Of God's love [00:20:17] (31 seconds) #WorkFilledWithLove

If you are a parent And you are tired And your energy Is all over the place Or it is a great season What would it mean for you To parent With greater love If you are looking For a job What would it mean For you to search With love In your heart If you are a student What would it mean For you to study With love In your heart [00:21:10] (19 seconds) #DoEverythingWithLove

Like I said earlier Therese died at age 24 She never built An organization She never built A movement Yet the fruit Of her labor Endures Because she did Small things With great love There is a charming story About how in the convent In which Therese lived There was one sister One of the nuns That was irritating To everyone And Therese felt drawn By the Holy Spirit To bear the love Of Christ in her heart For this other woman And it was transformative For her Because [00:21:46] (34 seconds) #SmallActsGreatLove

Many of us In our church community In this season Are called to Hidden work Work that is so small That you wonder Maybe no one Even notices it So it could be Care for a sick relative Or care for a friend Who's having mental Health challenges Or maybe you yourself Are the person Who's hurting And the call Is towards self-care And that feels hidden [00:22:24] (29 seconds) #HiddenActsOfLove

But what Therese Is telling us What the saint Is saying To us struggling Sinners Is that if You allow The love of God To fill your heart You will always know In your inner being That you are not alone That you are Companioned That you are Carried That you are In the sailboat Of Christ And with him You can spread Seeds of joy And peace Into hearts Wherever you go And this is A blessing Of extraordinary measure [00:24:20] (34 seconds) #FilledByGodsLove

Let's set an intention That in this new year We remember The story of God's love In the presence Of these magi It tells us That God's love Is larger than we know It's unbelievably great It tells us That he is ever Shining the light Of his love Upon every Searching heart It tells us That we The church Are the embodiment Of his love To an unbelieving world That his love Is our vocation [00:24:59] (33 seconds) #LoveIsOurVocation

Apart from the fire Of God's love Nothing else matters Everything else Will go astray We will tend towards Legalism And striving And resentfulness What would it mean For you To tend to the fire Of God's love In your life In this season Maybe you need help Maybe you need somebody To pray for you Whatever it is Prioritize that [00:26:41] (28 seconds) #PrioritizeGodsLove

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