The Magi Visit Jesus

Have you ever heard the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas?” In some traditions, the celebration of Christmas begins on December 25 and continues for 12 days. After 12 days, on January 6th, some people celebrate the arrival of the Magi–the three wise men who followed a star to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus. This day is called Epiphany or Three Kings Day.

Let’s look at the story of the three kings, or the three wise men. You can read the story in the Bible here in Matthew 2:1-15, and then follow along with the slideshow below.

Story: The Magi Visit Jesus

Here is baby Jesus, sometimes called the Christ child, who is the mystery of Christmas.

Here are the three kings, the wise men.  They were so wise that people thought they had magic.  In their language, they were called the Magi, and that word is the word from which we get our word magic.  

They knew so much that people thought they were magic.  Of all the things they knew, they knew the most about the stars.

One day they saw the wild star.  The magi knew where all the stars were supposed to be in the sky, but this star was new, and it moved.  This star was not on their maps of the sky.  So when it moved, they were curious, and followed it. 

The star they had seen in the east went ahead of them.  They followed it all the way to Bethlehem where it stopped over the place where Jesus was.  

 On 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, frankincense, and myrrh. 

The gold was a traditional gift for a king.  

But Jesus is a different kind of king, so they also brought frankincense.

Frankincense is something that comes from a tree and is really smelly when you burn it.  The smell of frankincense has been used when worshipping God for thousands of years and it is still used by some people today.  It was a special and expensive gift when Jesus was born.

This is myrrh.  Myrrh also comes from a plant, and is also smelly.  This is not a gift for an ordinary king.  This is what is burned at funerals.  It is also placed with the dead for their burial.  This is for someone whose death is important.

Prayer

Let’s pray together as we think about this story. You can say the words below or think of your own.

Activities

Epiphany can be a day full of celebration and feasting! We are thankful that Jesus was born, that he is a special kind of King, and that the Magi followed the star to find him and bring him gifts. Here are some ways that you can join in the celebration!

• Make Your Own Crown - Celebrate like a King or Queen! This link offers printable templates and instructions for making your own paper crown.

• Rosca de Reyes cake recipe - Feel like baking? The traditional food of Epiphany is a Three Kings Cake, or Rosca de Reyes! The cake is shaped like a crown and decorated with dried fruit “jewels” or all kinds of edible decorations.

• Star Coloring Page - Imagine what it would be like to see the wild star in the sky as you color the image below. What would you bring to give to the baby Jesus?

As the Christmas season comes to an end, I hope that you have hearts full of joy for all the magic, mystery, and love that Jesus brought to us!