Did you know that stewardship can lead you to know true joy? For those who have been in the church for any length of time, this might sound really surprising. But the Wise Men show us this joy.

The Wise Men did not know joy because of what they had done. They knew the joy of receiving the gift of God! The creation, through the star, had caused them to set out on a journey. It brought them to an unwitting and unwilling Herod. But what finally pointed them to their ultimate goal, the King of the Jews? It was the Word. The Word of God that the scribes had quoted to Herod proved to be true. They had found the palace of the king!

But it was no palace. It was a place. It was a simple home. The Lord had come to dwell among His people in the simplest of ways. Through stewardship of creation and Word, they were led to find this place. Pointed to the truth by the management of Word and world, the Wise Men found joy. This joy is more than a feeling. It is a person. The joy comes from meeting Jesus.

Your stewardship of God’s simple gifts is used by Him to guide others to Jesus. Most times that is your faithful financial support of our work together in the church. Other times it is found in the simple acts of generosity that show the people around you that you have the joy of knowing Jesus. This takes money, time, and a willingness to be in the Word and at the Lord’s Table. You can only steward the joy of God’s presence when you are present with Him. That is where you find the joy the Wise Men know. It is that joy, as steward, that you are called to give to others!

Yes, you too can be a steward of the Wise Men’s joy. The simple gift of God’s Word will show this to you. In the coming year, make it a priority to be in God’s house and at His Table weekly. Then you will know the contagious joy of being a steward of God’s simple gifts!

_{©2019 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used with permission.}