THINK TOGETHER
What is the true meaning of Christmas?
READ TOGETHER
Christmas is supposed to be all about worship. Worshiping the God who would leave Heaven and come down to Earth for us to save us. That is the lesson we learn from the story of the wise men who followed the star so that they could worship the newborn king. Here is their story from the book of Matthew:
Matthew 2:7-12. 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.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 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. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Honestly the wise men story can be a bit confusing and even strange. What is a wise man? Where did they come from? Were there only three of them? Why such strange gifts? And what is this star they are following? Is it really a star? A comet? An angel?
Many of these questions are really hard to answer. But there is one part of this strange story that we are not left wondering about at all. The magi’s motivation – we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.
The most important thing to do today (and every day) is to look at Jesus and worship him. Worship the one who would be born to die so that we might live.
You don’t need a star to guide you, you can look at Jesus himself. Let him remind you of how awesome God is. How awesome his love is. How awesome his kindness is. And then follow him to a place of worship. And may we all find our exceeding great joy there at the feet of Jesus.
Merry Christmas!
Because of Jesus we have been saved by God.
With Jesus we can worship God and praise him for all he’s done for us.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Give thanks to God together for all his great gifts and the great gifts under your tree.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus,
You deserve all my worship. Thank you for all your best gifts, especially the gift of your love no matter what.
Amen.
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