Chapel: The Story of Christmas, Part 2
Topic: The Three Wise Men
The third–grade class prepared Christmas presents to highlight certain virtues with accompanying Bible verses. They shared their packages and read the verses aloud!
Jian – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
Raven – “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Jairo – “But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6
Dallyce – “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” Proverbs 11: 25
Brice – “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7
Olivia – “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2
Remember why we are celebrating Jesus with love in our hearts!
Magi means something like a magician but is more closely related to wise men. They advised leaders and came from the far east, a place called Babylon. Travelling through the desert, they followed the crescent formed by a river so they had food and water along the way. The journey lasted about 800 miles or 10 days on a camel! And that’s if they traveled 15 hours a day at 5 miles per hour. Why did they come all that way? They were looking for the King!
Did you know the Bible doesn’t tell us how many wise men came? We do know they brought three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold to acknowledge royalty, frankincense to honor his priesthood, and myrrh for health.
The gifts were meant to christen Him as King. The wise men went to King Herod first. Herod asked that when they found the King, to come back and tell him so he could go worship, too. What did they do? When they found Jesus, they bowed down and worshipped him. They knew that’s what you do in the presence of the Lord. God is seeking worshippers.
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23.
Through their worship, they created the atmosphere around Jesus for the presence of the Lord to be there.
Christmas-it’s about presents, right? No! It’s about our love for Jesus and God. We give worship to him. Remember, it’s more blessed to give than receive! It’s about giving our hearts and devotion to Jesus who was born on this day. Give with a sense of love, reverence, kindness, and thinking about others. Shine as little lights in the world. We should be as wise men and women seeking the Lord.
