When we had family members living far away, it was always a comfort to know that they were seeing the same sun, moon, and stars as we were. Looking up into the same heavens made us feel closer, somehow.

For 400 years, the chosen people held on to hope that God would send them a Savior.  King Herod was well aware of this predicted Messiah.  When foreign dignitaries rode into Jerusalem with talk about a star and a king, Herod got nervous.  He called on the synagogue leaders to bring him the information he was after.  The priests pulled out Micah’s scroll and found the exact location of the Messiah’s predicted birthplace — Bethlehem.

They had all the information.  Who.  What.  When.  Where.

If the religious folks had just looked up, they might have even noticed the same star.

But they didn’t. 

They didn’t even go over to Bethlehem to see the fulfilled prophecy for themselves.

People can know all the right stuff, but if they don’t show up, they aren’t really a part of the story.