Prayer – Lord, I celebrate You. No matter when gifts are given…You are worthy of gold, frankincense, myrrh—and my heart. You sent the wise men home another way. Likewise, show me what You want me to do and where You want me to go.
Then
Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them
the time when the star first appeared. ... After this interview the wise men
went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to
Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child
was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house
and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.
Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold,
frankincense, and myrrh. When it was time to leave, they returned to their own
country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to
Herod. Matthew
2:7, 9-12
Camel Crossing
The Judean Desert in Israel
On the way to Bethlehem.
Meditate.
Consider God’s guidance in scripture.
The wise
men were filled with joy! When was the last time you were filled with joy?
These wise men may have traveled for
a couple of years from the time they saw the star until they arrived in
Bethlehem where they saw the child and presented Him with gifts. This day--Epiphany—is
the celebration of the Three Kings Day. A couple of the customs of this day are
star singing—sort of like our Christmas caroling—focusing on walking from house-to-house
singing songs that tell about the Christmas story. Another tradition is
to eat a special Kings Cake that is round, crown-like and typically has a hidden object
like a bean, small toy, or almond, that represents who will be the king or
queen of the festivity’s celebration. Part of the celebration may include
giving sweets, money or other gifts to children, just as the wise men did. Joy
to the world!
In
some countries around the world Epiphany besides noting the kings’ visit, they also
celebrate Jesus’ baptism and the wedding at Cana. Often in some religions, they
observe this as the gift giving time rather than at Christmas. For many this is
the twelfth day of Christmas—the end of Christmas. For me…it is time to put
away the Christmas decorations around the house…and get on with the New Year. What
does Epiphany mean to you…and what do you do to continue to celebrate the birth
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Can you go and tell others?
Verse
of Salvation ~ You, O God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation to
the earth. Psalm 74:12
© 2025 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories
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