A Light for the Wise Men

TEXT: Matthew 2:1-12

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
Leading Wise Men from afar,
To the place where Jesus lay,
On that first glad Christmas day,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
Leading Wise Men from afar."

When Jerry, Neal, and Robby finished singing their song, Teacher Edna clapped her hands. "That was really good, boys," she said. "I think you are ready for the program tomorrow night." The boys laughed excitedly as they left the platform.

The rehearsal was soon over and Jerry hurried home. His Uncle Adam and Aunt Bonnie had promised to come to the Sunday school program tomorrow night. They lived in another city and had to travel a long way.

Jerry ran into his house and called to his mother. "Are they here, Mommy? I didn't see their car."

His mother told him his aunt and uncle wouldn't arrive until the next evening. They now planned to drive straight to the church and meet the family there.

"But, Mommy, they have never been to the church," said Jerry. "What if they get lost?"

"Don't worry, Son," replied his mother. "I gave them directions, so they should be able to find the church easily."

The next evening, as the boys sang their song, Jerry looked for his uncle and aunt. He saw them sitting with his mother and father in the third row. He smiled, and sang even louder.

As soon as the program was over Jerry ran to greet them. "Uncle Adam, Aunt Bonnie, did you like the program? Did you see me?"

''Yes, we saw you. You sang so well," answered his uncle. "I'm glad you were one of the Wise Men. We found out tonight how they must have felt. From you, and from our trip too."

"What do you mean? Did you see a bright star?" Jerry asked.

"No, we didn't see a bright star," laughed Uncle Adam. "We tried to follow your mother's directions but at one time we couldn't remember which way to turn. It was when we saw the light shining in the church steeple that we knew we were going the right way. It was very nice to see a light we could follow."

"It really was like the Wise Men," said Aunt Bonnie. "They followed the Star to find the Baby King, Jesus. They wanted to see Him and give Him gifts. And tonight, we were happy to see the lighted steeple. We didn't want to miss hearing you and the other children tell the story of God's Greatest Gift - Jesus."

PARENT'S CORNER

"Wise Men Visit Jesus" is the theme for this Bible lesson. Your child will learn about how a special star led the Wise Men on their long journey to the place where the Christ Child was.

Emphasize to your child that these Wise Men were very brave to have journeyed such a long distance in search of the infant King. Very likely they had some exciting adventures! Start a group story with your family about an adventure they might have had during their travels. Use a bell or timer to signal the next person's turn to take up the story where the last person left off.

If you have several children in your family, it might also be fun to pantomime the actions of the Wise Men. Encourage them to act out following the star, talking to King Herod, finding the Christ Child, presenting their gifts, and receiving their dream of warning.