3 January 2021

Bible Reading

Matthew 2:1-12

Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterward, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard about this, he was very upset, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the teachers of the Law and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”

“In the town of Bethlehem in Judea,” they answered. “For this is what the prophet wrote: ‘Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah; for from you will come a leader who will guide my people Israel.’”

So Herod called the visitors from the East to a secret meeting and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions: “Go and make a careful search for the child; and when you find him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him.”

And so they left, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the East. When they saw it, how happy they were, what joy was theirs! It went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshiped him. They brought out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to him.

Then they returned to their country by another road, since God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod.

Explanation

This week we are thinking about the wise men and how they were searching for Jesus. To begin with they were looking in the wrong place for the newborn King. They expected him to be born in a palace. Eventually they followed the star to Bethlehem and found Jesus. God then told them in a dream not to go home the same way and not to return to Herod as he had asked. Instead God told them to go home a different way. The wise men were looking for and listening to Gods guidance, even though they weren’t sure where the star was leading them to or why they should return home a different way and not go back to Herod as he had asked. 

They also demonstrate how important it is to follow Christ at any cost. The Wise men left their homes and travelled long distances at great expenses to find and worship Jesus. This is what this part of the story is asking us to do, to follow God and look to Him for help and to seek His guidance. The wise men didn’t know why they should not go back to Herod but they listened to the dream and did as they were asked. 

Looking for the direction God has for us is not always as easy as following a star or hearing from God in a dream. When have you experienced God guiding you or helping you to make decisions?

Prayer

We thank you, loving God, that when we search for you in the world, we find you in beauty, kindness and love. When we search for you are there.  We find you in the Bible, through activities and in music. When we search for you in our lives, we find you in our hearts. Help us to follow you and to know when you are guiding us and helping us to make decisions. Amen.

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