Jesus
was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time
some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, "Where is
the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to
worship him." King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was
everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers
of religious law and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be
born?" "In Bethlehem in Judea," they said, "for this is what
the prophet wrote.... 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 2:1-5, 9-12
Camel Crossing
Judean Desert - Israel
Where is this baby? Are we almost there?
Meditate
on God’s plan and protection.
The
sixth of January is typically celebrated in many homes around the world as Kings’
Day commemorating the arrival of the Kings in Bethlehem. I only know a of a
couple of families that actually celebrate this here in the United States, but
it is a time when these families actually exchange presents and celebrate as
many people do on Christmas Day. Around the world people celebrate with
parades, parties, gifts of toys and candies in the children’s shoes, putting
out treats or just hay for the camels, and a special kings’ bread. The kings
gave baby Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, symbolizing Jesus’
kingship, divinity, and future suffering, respectively. These gifts brought
significant wealth to Joseph and Mary and must have sustained them for some
time in Egypt, as that is where they went immediately after the Wise Men left.
It
is also significant to note that since the Wise Men were not Jewish, this is
the first appearance of Jesus to have come for the Gentiles, as well as the
Jews. What gift would you give to our Savior—King Jesus? Our gift can always be
our heart and life, continually devoted to Him. That is a daily gift of worship—not
just at Christmas or Epiphany.
Prayer
– Lord Jesus, please accept this gift of my heart—my life—to You. You are so
worthy of worship and praise—not just by a group of kings from the east, but
from people around the world daily. I’m in that group. I praise You—even if I
don’t have gold, frankincense, and myrrh to offer You. Gold may seem like it is
worth a lot here on earth now—but in heaven it is paving and building material.
Awesome! Thanks for creating such a glorious material. You created such
elements that are used to worship You. Ironic. You created the gold that was
given by the Wise Men, and the tree on which You were crucified. I am looking
forward to seeing Your creation in Heaven.
Verse
of Salvation ~ But the time is coming—indeed it's here now—when true worshipers
will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those
who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must
worship in spirit and in truth." John
4:23-24
© 2026 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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