Matthew 2
The Visit of the Magi
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magie from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east[b] and have come to worship him."
3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
6" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel."
7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east[e] went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
there is so much in this passage, so many things that pop out and could become prayer stations.
themes:
searching for the king...following the star
pilgrimage/journey...willing to leave your comfort zone
light to the gentiles...who needs the light now?
gifts...gifts for the king
worship..
since epiphany is the season of celebrating the mission of the church and light in the darkness
one of my favorite things to do during epiphany is use glow in the dark stars(world market/cost plus carries these). using a map of the world, have folks place a glow in the dark star on a country or countries that need the light of jesus. spend time praying for that country, for peace, for god's presence to be there and for missionaries in that area of the world. you could also have a list of missionaries that your church or community support or know and have folks pray for them specifically. then have a basket of additional glow in the darks stars so each person can take home a star to remind them to continue to pray for this country and to remind them to be light in the darkness wherever they live, work, interact this week.
so just what does it take to follow a star? what does it take to be aware that something special is happening in the heavens that declares god's glory? have folks make a list of these qualities on a large poster sized star...
then flip the question...what prevents us from following the star? what things keep up from watching for signs of god? run off some stars on yellow paper and cut them out. have folks write the things that block them or keep them from following the star, keep them from seeking king jesus on these stars and then place these stars in a manger or in a manger scene and let king jesus have these...let him remove these things for you.
another stary idea is to have folks go outside and actually stare at the sky, or if it's too cold, wet or not the right time of day, have a video or photograph of stars and have folks consider the majesty of the heavens and the creator of the stars..you might even have a sound track on a cd with backdrop music to inspire contemplation and/or worship. have paper or art supplies so folks can write or create their worship for their creator.
hope these ideas will inspire you a little and encourage you to continue the celebration of epiphany in the days to come...
lord jesus thank you for entering our world and for allowing us to come and worship. help us to bring your light and help us to be willing each day to look for your glory and to follow your star. amen.
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