The Journey of the Magi… {Day 1}

Tonight–we begin our traditional after Christmas journey…

The Journey of the Magi…

After the King was born–the day we celebrate on Christmas…the journey begins…

Will you join us?

For many families–this is the time they start putting their Christmas decorations up. But for us–some will slowly go up…but not our Magi or our manger scene. For next couple of weeks–our Magi will journey through our home getting a little closer to the manger scene each day. Each day will represent almost a months time…as we remember the almost year long journey it took for the magi to finally arrive to worship the king.

Each morning, the children will run down the stairs to find the Magi…to see how far they have come from their last resting place. And each morning we will sit with them as we reflect on their journey and what led them to continue toward the King no matter what.

This journey will inspire us in the year ahead–to continue to draw closer to Jesus.

This journey will remind us that the year ahead will not always be easy–but to trust in the One who is calling us.

This journey will bring us to our knees to worship…and remind us to bring our own gifts to Jesus…to bring glory to Him.

In our after Christmas craziness–putting things “back together”, I don’t want to forget there is something to be learned with the magi’s journey to Christ. Yet, because their journey began after the birth of Christ–ours, too, would begin the day after Christmas–just after we celebrated the birth of Christ in our home.

And we begin our journey with the magi today…

Day 1

Read aloud:

Matthew 2:1-2 “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

For the next 2 weeks, our family devotionals will be centered around the wisemen and their journey to Jesus. We will explore the Journey of the Magi–where they were from, who they were, the star they followed…we will dream about what their journey must have been like together…and twists and turns they had to take to help protect Jesus from King Herod. We begin tonight with Matthew’s account of their story in Matthew 2.

Our goal throughout the day EACH day: Throughout the day–like the wisemen…we will look for Jesus. We will look for His majesty in creation. We will look for him in kindness and acts of love in others. And we will even look for Him in ourselves. Each night for the next 2 weeks, we will learn something new about the wisemen and their journey, and we will end by sharing ways we saw Jesus that day.

(I am hopeful this will help foster the habit of looking for Him throughout the new year–and what a GREAT way to start the new year with our children!!! Of course introducing to your children “how you look for Jesus in others” will be different depending on their ages. Because my children are young–I use this book to help them see how they can see Jesus in others and be the hands of Jesus to others…This sweet little book is about what it would be like if Jesus was one of their friends and came to their house–what they might do–and later in the book the little boy realizes that he can do little and big things that Jesus would probably do for others and show others Jesus by his actions. This was perfect for my kids ages–and they are excited to look for Him. You do NOT need to use THIS book. You can simply give your children examples how they can see Jesus in others OR how they can even see Jesus work through THEM by doing what He would have them to do in different situations. The point is–simply guide them in how to look for Him each day so they are looking for Him and are able to come confidently to share how they saw Him that day. This is amazing at they develop a habit in looking for Jesus in the days ahead!)

Read aloud:

After we learn something about the wisemen and their journey to see Jesus each day, we will each have a chance to share and write down a way you saw Jesus that day. We will put our “Jesus sightings” in a treasure box (similar to what we are imagining the wisemen to carry)…and at the end of our journey we’ll share them ALL over again at once and rejoice in all the ways we have seen Him during our journey!

Then, each night–after you go to bed–while you are sleeping…we will move the wise men a little bit closer to the manger scene! In the morning, you can run to find them to see how much closer they are to the manger scene. Some days it may seem they are off course–some days much too far away…and others–back on track…probably much like their journey often seemed throughout that year long journey to bring gifts to Jesus and worship Him. (We have also done this a different way by allowing the children to take turns getting the honor of moving the wise men closer each night. We took turns moving the wisemen to a new place chosen in our home to remind us when we see them of their journey and our purpose here…to always look to Him and for Him.)

We can confidently guess the journey of the Magi was between 1-2 years–so each of our days will represent a MONTH in our devotional time the next couple of weeks. Can you imagine traveling that LONG to deliver gifts and see baby Jesus?! Can you imagine not knowing how long the journey would be but leaving your home country to follow a STAR of all things into the desert?! Can you imagine leaving to see a baby that you have been told is the Son of God?! They left everything they knew and left believing in faith that God had called them to go despite what the world would say about them! Their journey is amazing—it is full of faith, wonder–and even adventure as they are tricked by King Herod yet because they have learned to listen to God they are redirected and Jesus’s life is saved. They are redirected in the end a more difficult route—but for His sake it would be worth it.

Has God ever asked you to do something that required a big step of faith like the Magi? Although they might have felt alone and unsure at different points in the journey, God never left them–and they always had a bright star to lead them and remind them God was with them. Today is where our journey begins with the Magi. Can you think of ONE way you have seen God today? Let’s share that with one another, write it down and put it in our treasure box to mark the beginning of our journey…

Dear God,

Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to us. Like the Magi, we want to follow your guidance–and today we come to worship You for loving us and sending your Son for us. Open our eyes so we may see You on our journey this year ahead. Lead and guide us–and use our gifts for Your glory.

Amen.

[I would LOVE to hear from those of you journeying with us throughout the week how your children see Jesus throughout the day! What a way to encourage one another and even to be able to share with our children how other children are seeing our Savior work! Can't wait to hear the joy this journey brings...]