TEXT: Matthew 2:1-11
IN a land far across the ocean there were some men who must have loved God. They were called Wise men because they were very smart and knew many things. These men would sit and look at the sky at night. They watched the stars twinkle. They liked the tiny lights that God had put in the sky.
Did you ever go out at night and look up at the stars? When the sky is dark and the stars are sparkling like little windows in Heaven, you will see that some stars shine brighter than others.
One night these men saw a really bright star. It was a very big star and it made a brighter light than any of the others. This star seemed to tell them that a King had come to earth from Heaven. That was the star God sent to shine right over the stable where little Baby Jesus was sleeping in the hay. He was a special Baby from Heaven and this was a special star.
God must have talked to their hearts, because they wanted to go and find Jesus and take Him a present.
These men didn’t have a car. No one knew what a car was when Jesus was born. They had to go across lots and lots of sand, too. Horses cannot walk in sand very well, so they could not ride horses. There was only one animal that did not mind walking in sand and that was a camel. Camels were made special by God to go across the sandy desert and they do not care if they do not have a drink of water for a long, long time. They do not care if it gets hot in the sand. The men would ride on some camels. That is what they would do and they would find Baby Jesus and take Him something to show how glad they were that God had sent His Son as a little Baby.
How would they find the way? Why, they would follow that star that God put in the sky that night. It would help them know where to go. They would start right now.
The camel’s feet went step, step, step, softly over the sandy road. Look, that star looks like it is moving along slowly in front of them. That star seemed to say, “Follow me.”
On and on they went. They came nearer, and nearer to where Jesus, the little Christ Child, was sleeping. At last they stopped in front of the great gates to the big city of Jerusalem. “Where is Baby Jesus, the King that God sent?” they asked the people.
The people of Jerusalem had not heard about Jesus being born and they were excited. The King called the Wise men to visit him. He asked what time they had seen the star. He told them to go on and find the Baby and to come back and tell him where Jesus was. He told them the Baby would be somewhere in the town of Bethlehem, to go and look there.
The Wise men would probably rest in the day time because they could not ride without rest. They liked the night time because the star would shine so brightly they could always look up and see it helping them find their way.
Every night the great big star would shine. Every night the Wise men followed it. “Come,” the big star seemed to say, “come this way.”
Into the little city of Bethlehem, down a little narrow street, and the star stopped over the house where Baby Jesus lay. The star began to shine and shine real bright now. It had stopped. It did not have to move anymore because God had made His star to guide the Wise men and now they had found what they wanted.
The Wise men got down off the camels and went in to see the Baby — little Baby Jesus, the new King from Heaven. Oh, how happy they were! They knelt down and prayed by the Baby. They must have thanked God for sending His Son. They put their presents by the Baby.
The Wise men had come such a long way to see the Baby. They had brought Him wonderful gifts because they loved Him. They knelt down to worship Him, just as we kneel down today when we pray. We do it to show Jesus we love Him more than anyone else. We must love Jesus the best.
The Wise men brought presents that cost a lot of money. They wanted Jesus to have the very best that they could give.
Each one of us can give Jesus a Christmas-birthday gift that is even better than what the Wise men brought. We can give a present so good that there is no money that can buy it. You cannot buy it anywhere in the world. What is it? You, yourself, alone are the only one who can give this gift. It is the one present that Jesus wants so much that He asks everyone in the world for it.
What is this gift that no money can buy and only you can give? It is your own heart, your love, your life.
%402x.svg){kind=icon}
%402x.svg){kind=icon}
