Happy New Year!
The Christmas story isn’t quite finished yet… we still have to welcome the wisemen. This time of year is called Epiphany.
You can read the story of the wisemen in Matthew 2: 1-12
Some questions for you to think about together:
- In this story, the Wise men discover the new king is baby Jesus. What did you discover as you listened to the story?
- The Wisemen and Herod react differently to the news of the new king. What feeling do they share? What feelings are different?
- The Magi noticed something in nature (the star) that led them to Jesus. What beautiful or amazing parts of nature make you think of God?
Activities
Chalking the Doors
To celebrate the visit of the wisemen to Mary, Joseph and Jesus, some people like to ask God to bless their homes.
They mark the front door with chalk, with the letters and numbers below.
Here is a prayer you can say together:
As we remember the visit of the wisemen to the home of Jesus. God please bless our home this year. Protect each person who lives and stays here and may each of us know your hope, peace, joy and love. Amen.
Out and about ideas
How many of you enjoy getting outdoors. Here is a resource that you can use while you’re out an about to think about the story of the wisemen. Download the pages to your phone and off you go.. There are lots of things to look for, listen out for, find and think about.
Prayer idea
The wisemen encountered many unexpected twists and turns on their journey following the star. Sometimes the journey following Jesus can be filled with twists and turns too. But God has the big picture and sometimes we can catch a glimpse and see how it all comes together to create something beautiful.
As we pray we’re going to think about the twisting and turning journey of the wisemen.
You will need a plain piece of paper and some colouring pencils/pens. Draw an outline of a star.. or you could print off this one.
Draw lines connecting points inside the star to create different sections within the shape. Then colour each section with different designs and patterns until the whole star is filled in.
Here are some topics to pray about as you colour:
- Pray for someone as you colour each new section
- When you choose a new colour say ‘Thankyou God for_______’
- How are you feeling today? Use the shapes and colours that express how you feel. You can even use the different sections to express more than one feeling!
- Can you add names, words or pictures into your star patterns? Think about the people you love and the words you want to say as you colour.
When you’re finished, look at the entire picture and take a deep breath. Where do you see God in your colours, patterns and shapes?