Millennials love to travel more than older generations do. According to an analyst, this is because millennials prefer to have lots of unique experiences rather than buy consumer goods, especially now that many of us are closer to midlife. This has been verified by the 2023 Global Travel Trends Report, which states that Gen Y and Gen Z prefer to immerse themselves in foreign cultures rather than purchase expensive items. Traveling is one of our top priorities because we were exposed to more international content with the rise of social media.
I became interested in travel when I was around 7 years old. Being a third culture kid gave me the curiosity to learn about foreign cultures. Then before college, I attended a church which emphasized that Christians must aim for cultural competence and global competitiveness. It’s too bad that I had to give up my Canadian immigrant status as well as job offers to work as an occupational therapist (OT) in Australia and the United Kingdom. When I was a junior clinician, I had many expenses which made me unable to pay for the fees needed to take the US board exams. Since becoming a licensed OT in the US was merely a personal dream, I didn’t want to financially burden my family with it.
Now, instead of having a strong second passport, I need to go through the hassles of visa processing that will ensure that I’m not a suicide bomber. It’s honestly quite humiliating. Still, I’m saving for travel opportunities! But even the desire to see the world should be sanctified by God’s Word. The story of the birth of Jesus actually has a lot to say about it.
The Wise Men’s Journey
Matthew 2 tells us of the Magi’s search for the Messiah. These wise men were some of the most privileged and most highly educated scholars of that era. They most likely hailed from the surrounding Arab countries. Yet they traveled to a humble place called Bethlehem seeking neither wealth nor pleasure. Rather, they came to the town of David to worship Jesus Christ, the King of the Jews.
This Biblical passage is not a prescription for us to always go on religious pilgrimages. Nevertheless, it points out that glorifying God is to be our first priority in everything that we do, even in our foreign travels. As Matthew Henry wrote, our understanding of the world becomes complete only when we discover Christ in what we’re studying or in the cultures in which we’re immersing ourselves.
The Magi were also the people whom you least expect to worship the King of the Jews for they were Gentiles. Yet they accepted Jesus as the Messiah long before His Jewish followers did. In fact, most Jews still reject Him. This is a sweet reminder that the people we meet in our journeys may not fit our preconceived notions of who’s good or bad. Though their cultural practices may be different from ours, we are to welcome people as our religious brethren if they love the Lord because Jesus Christ Himself accepted them.
Finally, the wise men’s gifts to Jesus remind us that our resources belong to God. When traveling, it’s tempting to splurge on things that we don’t need or purchase more than what we can afford. We should discipline ourselves into buying only those that help us enjoy God’s blessings without compromising our spiritual priorities. Our greatest investments should be on what advances God’s Kingdom, whether in our secular jobs or our church ministries — not on what increases likes on Instagram.
Shepherds vs Social Climbing
Now many of you may be thinking to yourselves, I’m poor and I can’t support the ministry and travel for leisure at the same time. This isn’t for me. Remember that God first revealed the birth of the Messiah to shepherds. During Biblical times, shepherds were blue collar workers. While raising sheep was a decent way to earn a living, they were still way below the social ladder compared to the Pharisees. If you had a burning theological question back then, you were not going to ask a shepherd about it. You would go to those well-dressed, refined scholars from the best learning institutions. Yet the angel went directly to the poor shepherds to tell them where Jesus was. Even the wise men did not have that privilege!
If Matthew 2 was about how highly esteemed men came to know Christ, Luke 2 shows us that God doesn’t seek out people based on their status. Jesus is not a social climber. Rather, He looks for the lowly because they need Him the most, then He changes them for the better. So if you ever feel unworthy, keep this in mind: yes, you are absolutely right, you're unworthy. Actually, you're probably worse than what you make yourself out to be.
But that's not what matters the most. You don’t need to be a well-traveled alumnus of a Top Five university for God to do wondrous deeds in your life. If the Lord wants you to be part of advancing His Kingdom, then He Himself will bring you into His family. He will equip you with what you need to serve Him. Neither your low social status nor your sins will thwart His plans. The Five Eyes alliance may see you only as a potential terrorist because you’re a poor citizen of a third world country. But God sees far more than that because of what Jesus has done. Merry Christmas!