𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣

• Recall a time when you went out of your way for someone. How did it make you feel?

• Think of someone reputable you want to meet. What would you tell that person?

• What is the most valuable gift you’ve given to someone? What does that say about how you see this person?

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗

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. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘰𝘺. 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. 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟮:𝟵-𝟭𝟭

(Read also 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟮:𝟭-𝟴.)

We celebrate Christmas because our greatest miracle has come! This season reminds us of God’s invitation for us to be restored to a right relationship with Him and to worship Him as He revealed Himself through Jesus, our Savior and King. Even during the first Christmas, there was much anticipation: the Jews waited for the Messiah, God’s promise, to come and 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 studied the movement of the stars—which miraculously pointed to Jesus—having heard about this promise. This just shows that God also had Gentiles in mind—for the salvation of the whole world. Let’s learn from the example of these wise men about how we can respond to God’s invitation to seek Him, worship Him, and make Him known.

𝟭. 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗲 𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗚𝗼𝗱?

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, 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.” 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟮:𝟭-𝟮

Scholars believe that these wise men came from Babylon, over a thousand kilometers from Bethlehem. The journey was long, yet they braved vast deserts and wilderness. It wasn’t even guaranteed that they would find what they were looking for, yet they went anyway in faith that they would see the King of kings. Their tenacity is something we can aspire for. As we seek God and trust Him, may we realize that encountering Him is worth the challenges and inconveniences of life. Recall a challenging thing you have done to honor God. How did that experience help grow your faith?

𝟮. 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗚𝗼𝗱?

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. 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟮:𝟭𝟭

When the wise men finally arrived, they were excited and 𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘰𝘺 (Matthew 2:10)! As soon as they saw Jesus, they humbled themselves and worshiped Him. They were men of wisdom and stature, yet at the feet of the baby Jesus, they selflessly bowed in worship upon seeing God’s promise fulfilled. The King of kings is here! Today, in the midst of uncertainties, we can come to God in humility and reverence, trusting that He is King over everything. Recall a truth God has revealed about Himself that causes you to worship Him. How does it help you in your challenges?

𝟯. 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀? 

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. 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟮:𝟭𝟭

From the beginning, the wise men knew that the person they would meet was no ordinary man. So they brought gifts that were fit for Jesus—gold for His kingship, frankincense as a priestly offering, and myrrh for His humanity. Whether they knew it or not, these gifts were prophetic gestures of what kind of person Jesus would be. Their generosity showed that they were willing to give the best they had to worship Him. When we honor God, may we have the same attitude as the wise men—to give our best in everything we say and do. What is the greatest thing you offered to God? How did it reflect who God is to you?

Miracles are signs that point to something greater, something even God’s creation understands. The star that the wise men followed was timed and placed exactly to point to Jesus and make Him known even to the Gentiles. As we continue to experience God’s miracles every day, may we always have a heart to worship Him with everything we have and make Him known to the world.

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

• Are you willing to go out of your way to seek God? Share one or two things you are willing to do starting today. 

• How do you express your worship to God? What do you think humble worship looks like in your life? 

• What gift will you give Jesus this Christmas? What do you think would be a befitting gift for the King of kings?

𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥

• Thank God for His love that reaches people, even those who are far away from Him. Thank Him for making His Son, Jesus, known and allowing us to experience His love.

• Ask God to give you a heart of humility that seeks to worship Him always. Pray that God would continually remind you of who He is and show His goodness in your life.

• Pray that you would choose to trust and obey God as you continue to experience His miracles. May He use your life as His miracle and blessing to others today and every day.