Wise Men Find Jesus – Matthew 2:9-12

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IMG_3903 Wisemen & JesusWise Men Find Jesus  

The wise men looked up in the sky
And saw their star again
It led them to where Jesus stayed,
A house in Bethlehem.
They bowed down and worshiped Him
And opened treasure chests
Of gold and frankincense and myrrh –
The first Christmas gifts.

Read this account for yourself in Matthew 2:9-12

When the wise men left Jerusalem to go to Bethlehem they were overjoyed to see the star reappear. This time the star led them to the very house where they found Mary and Jesus who was now a toddler. We are able to estimate Jesus’ age based on King Herod’s actions in Matthew 2:16-18.

The wise men bowed down and worshiped Christ Jesus and gave him expensive gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

In my Bible storybook, The First Christmas, I omitted the following parts of the story. I left them out because young children have such tender hearts. I don’t want to burden them with King Herod’s deeds until they are old enough to grasp the intensity of evil in our world as well as Jesus’ sacrifice of his own life to pay for our sins. Parents should share this information with them when they are able to handle it.

God warned the wise men in a dream not to return to King Herod, so they returned home by a different route. Meanwhile an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him to take Mary and Jesus immediately out of Bethlehem and to escape to Egypt until King Herod was dead.

When King Herod realized that the wise men weren’t coming back to him, he ordered the death of all boys in the Bethlehem area who were under two years of age. King Herod acted out of fear that the new king would be a threat to his throne, but behind the scenes is Satan’s attempt to put an end to God’s eternal plan to conquer sin and death through Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. May we be reminded that when things seem all out of control, that God is always in control and able to see the bigger picture.

 

Front cover e (600)This devotional message corresponds to the thirteenth mini-story in The First Christmas by Janice D. Green. The First Christmas is available here.

Wise Men Discover the Star – Matthew 2:1-8

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IMG_3902 Wisemen follow starWise men Discover the Star 

Astronomers in a distant land
Saw Jesus’ star so bright.
They knew it was a sign from God.
The Messiah was born that night.
They planned their trip and traveled far
To Judea and Jerusalem
‘Twas there they learned the prophets said
The Christ would be born in Bethlehem

Read this account for yourself in Matthew 2:1-8

Christmas was more than a week ago. Why am I posting about the wise men now? Because the wise men didn’t come to the manger the night of Jesus’ birth. That’s when they saw the star from a distant country in the east. They had many miles to travel to see the baby king.

The wise men expected to find the Christ child in Jerusalem, but when they inquired about where they might find the young king, they upset many people who were unaware that the Messiah had been born. After the chief priests searched the scriptures they determined that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. King Herod was disturbed to learn of a new king who might become a threat to his throne. He secretly sought a visit with the wise men to learn when the star appeared and asked the wise men to return to him and let him know where the child was “so he could come and worship him.” But his intentions were far removed from worship.

Who were the wise men? The New International Version called them magi. Christmas carols call them kings. We know that they studied the stars or the new star wouldn’t have captured their attention. And we believe that they had some knowledge of the Israelites’ expectation of a coming Messiah. Some Bible scholars speculate that these men were influenced by Daniel’s writings and teachings from the time when he was among the captives in Babylon.

These wise men were not Israelites, yet God spoke to and through them to confirm Jesus as the Messiah. They also had the desire in their hearts to search for Jesus and to worship him – a searching that far surpasses the way the typical Christian searches for Jesus today. Would that we were so determined and diligent to seek Jesus.

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This devotional message corresponds to the twelfth mini-story in The First Christmas by Janice D. Green. The First Christmas is available here.

Shepherds See Jesus – Luke 2:15-20

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IMG_3822 Nativity w shepherdsShepherds See Jesus

The shepherds hurried on their way
This child they wanted to see.
Where was this stall in Bethlehem,
A manger with baby?
They found him wrapped in swaddling cloths
Just like the angel said.
They gazed in awe at the little child
And then the news they spread.

Read this account for yourself in Luke 2:15-20

The shepherds wasted no time in seeking the newborn king. The angels gave them a sign, “you will find the babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” How many manger stalls might have been in Bethlehem? How long did it take them to find the baby Jesus? We can only guess. Bethlehem was a very small town.

Imagine Mary and Joseph’s surprise when the shepherds came and told them why they had come. How many shepherds had heard the angels and had come to see the Christ Child? What did Mary and Joseph think when these unkempt smelly shepherds came to see her baby?

When the shepherds left Mary and Joseph they hurried on their way to share the news, the Messiah was born. How many people listened and believed the shepherds? And how many simply dismissed their story as foolish ramblings of men who had been away with the sheep too long?

But Mary pondered all these things in her heart.

Front cover e (600)This devotional message corresponds to the eleventh mini-story in The First Christmas by Janice D. Green. The First Christmas is available here.

Angels Appear to the Shepherds – Luke 2:8-14

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IMG_3820 Shepherds & AngelAngels Appear to the Shepherds

The shepherds were the first to know
About the holy sight.
Their fields and flocks were all aglow
From the angel’s glorious light.
The angel brought good news for all
Of peace on earth and joy
The Savior of the world was born
In a manger, a baby boy.

Read this account for yourself in Luke 2:8-14

Of all the people God could have chosen to bless with the good news of the Savior’s birth, he chose the shepherds. And bless he did. He sent one angel to the shepherds with his glorious message, and followed that by filling the sky with angels surrounded by God’s heavenly light and praising God. No fireworks display could hold a candle to God’s heavenly display of his glory.

What else do we know about the shepherds? They stayed with their sheep day and night with little or no opportunity for bathing. They were looked down upon by society as the lowest class of people. Their testimony carried no weight in court.

When God chose the shepherds to carry the good news of Christ’s birth to the world, he conveyed as well the message that he cared about all people beginning with the least in the sight of the world. Perhaps the reality that the details of the birth of Jesus are so few in the Bible has much to do with the probability that few people listened to the shepherds or believed them.

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This devotional message corresponds to the tenth mini-story in The First Christmas by Janice D. Green. The First Christmas is available here.

Jesus Birth – Luke 2:6-7

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IMG_3639 NativityJesus Birth 

Who was there that sacred night
When Jesus Christ was born?
Who heard the baby’s tiny cry
Or comforted Mary’s moans?
Did animals know that God was there?
Or did they wonder why
A baby slept upon their hay
With mother and father nearby?

Read this account for yourself in Luke 2:6-7

The glory of the moment is that God came to earth to live with man. Jesus gave up his home in glory to become one of us, to walk in our shoes, to experience what we experience – beginning in the most meager of circumstances. Did Mary cuddle and snuggle with baby Jesus? Surely she did. But what if the awesomeness of the moment crept in and she realized she was holding God himself? Any new mother feels the awkwardness of the moment holding her firstborn infant child. What kind of emotions must have swept over both Mary and Joseph as they held the infant God?

Front cover e (600)This devotional message corresponds to the ninth mini-story in The First Christmas by Janice D. Green. The First Christmas is available here.