Matthew 2:1-12
Lead in: “The star they had seen at its rising proceeded them until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.” Mt. 2. A star shines in the dark of night not the light of the day. If we were to think of the star as the light of faith, then the light of our faith can be seen more clearly in times of darkness than in times when the sun shines bright and all seems well.
Prompt: Reflect on a time of darkness when the light of your faith seemed to shine all the more brightly in a time of darkness.
Lead in: The star that the Magi followed was like a GPS system in the sky. It guided them to the place they were looking for. And sure enough, there it was. Its light beamed down on an animal shelter in the hills outside of Bethlehem. So, the Magi went in and found a newborn child with his mother. In that moment they knew they were at the right place at just the right time.
Prompt: Can you think of a time when, following a hunch, you found yourself in a situation where you knew you were in the right place at just the right time?
Lead in: It’s said that the three kings from the Orient were not kings at all but servants of the king. It’s interesting that the child born as savior of the world would be visited not by the kings of that day,
Ceasar Augustus or Herod, but lowly servants of a king from a far-off land. It’s also interesting to note that the savior of the world was born not in a palace of the powerful, but in a barn with farm animals.
Prompt: What does that say about the kind of king that Jesus would be?
Prompt: In terms of the priorities we choose for our lives, what does that say about how we who follow Jesus are called to live our lives?
Lead in: When the Magi met with Herod, something didn’t feel right. So instead of reporting back to Herod to tell him where the child was, they followed the stirrings of their heart and went back to their country following an alternative route. By avoiding Herod’s duplicitous request to know where the child was, they likely saved the child’s life and gave time for Joseph and Mary to hastily make their escape as they made their way on the long trek to Egypt. In addition, had the Magi taken the route they’d come by, Herod’s troops would have ambushed and slaughtered them for defying the king. All this is part of the hidden drama and intrigue that surrounds the story of the Magi from the east. We might say that we all have a bit of hidden drama and intrigue woven into our stories. There may have been things that we weren’t aware of at the time but came to understand with the passage of time.
Prompt: As you look back at your life, if there were any bit of hidden drama or intrigue woven into your story, what might that be?