January 6, 2019 Epiphany of the Lord Isa. 60:1 6 Ps. 72:1 7, 10 14 Eph. 3:1 12 Matt. 2:1 12 Goal for the Session Children will follow the story of the wise men and practice ways to share the light of Christ with others. n PREPARING FOR THE SESSION Focus on Matthew 2:1 12 WHAT is important to know? From Exegetical Perspective, Paul J. Achtemeier The account of the magi announces at the beginning of Matthew s story of Jesus that he is the king of the Jews (v. 2), the Christ (v. 4), and the promised ruler of Israel (v. 6). The assembling of the Sanhedrin here anticipates such action on the part of Jesus enemies at the time of his passion (26:3, 57; 27:17, 27, 62) and serves with the Great Commission (28:16 20) to bracket the story of Jesus with the acknowledgment of his universal import. Astrologers from a foreign land are the first to acknowledge Jesus as God s anointed king, and the final command of the risen Jesus is to carry the gospel to all nations, including them via baptism into God s new chosen people. WHERE is God in these words? From Theological Perspective, William J. Danaher Jr. In the Gospel of Matthew discipleship is often likened to a kind of shining, which recalls the light from the star that shined on the Christ child. Jesus tells his disciples, You are the light of the world.... Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven (5:14, 16). That disciples are called to shine is important to remember in the season of Epiphany, for now that Christ has ascended and the Spirit has been given, we are the ones through whom this light shines forth. SO WHAT does this mean for our lives? From Pastoral Perspective, Stephen Bauman Everyone who happens to worship on Epiphany has their own idiosyncratic story to tell concerning their pathway to the manger. Some may have no idea who lies there. Others have mistaken ideas about the swaddled child. Nevertheless, all are present due to the prompting of God, who initiates our asking, our seeking, and our finding. The magi s journey to Bethlehem exposes God s intention to welcome everyone into the joy of [God s] home not made with hands, but eternal in the heavens, and, remarkably, on earth as well. NOW WHAT is God s word calling us to do? From Homiletical Perspective, Barbara Brown Taylor Preachers will ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten them, helping them recall the ordinary and extraordinary ways in which the light of Christ has appeared to them in their own lives and the lives of those they love. They might also think of four or five people they would like to ask the same question: by what light do you see God? The church has a word for this. When we tell the stories of our encounters with God in community, in nature, in relationship, in the chambers of our own hearts we give testimony to the ongoing revelation of the Word made flesh. 1
FOCUS SCRIPTURE Matthew 2:1 12 Focus on Your Teaching It has been twelve days since children celebrated the birth of Jesus. They likely feel that the celebration is finished. Stores have moved on to discounts and families are putting away their Christmas decorations. Today s Bible story, however, adds more light to the Christmas story through the visit of the wise men. Make this a day of celebration as the Christ child is rightly honored by the wise and great of the world. If your church has special traditions around the day of Epiphany, prepare to tell learners about them. God of Light, renew my joy at the birth of Jesus. Inspire me to help these young disciples imagine how they might carry the light of Christ to others. Amen. YOU WILL NEED appliance box or bed sheet and table small table or large box white cloth battery-operated white candle Christmas ribbons Singing the Feast, 2018 2019; CD player markers, scissors copy of Resource Sheet 1 Color Pack 10, 11, 12, 31 card stock, glue sticks stapler or clear tape craft sticks flashlight For Responding option 2: copies of Resource Sheet 2 on card stock, supplies listed on sheet option 3: apples, cutting board, knife, napkins n LEADING THE SESSION GATHERING Before the session, make a puppet stage from an appliance box or bed sheet draped over a table tipped on its side, following the diagram in the sidebar on page 3. Cut the figures from Color Pack 10 and 11, gluing each one to card stock to stiffen it. Staple or tape a craft stick to the back of each figure to make a stick puppet. If you are using option 2 in Responding, preview the instructions on Resource Sheet 2 (Star for the Car) and gather the supplies needed. If using option 3, wash apples thoroughly. Before children arrive, create a worship table by placing a white cloth on a small table or overturned box and decorating it with Christmas ribbons. Place a white candle on the cloth. Play We Three Kings (Color Pack 31; track 19 on Singing the Feast, 2018 2019) as children arrive. Invite them to use their fingers to trace a path through the maze on Color Pack 12, helping one another find the way. Gather around the worship table. Explain that today is the last day of the Christmas season. Light the candle, saying that it reminds us of Jesus love. Review the response, Tell the children that you will hold up your hand when it is time for them to speak their response. When we are young, When we grow up, When we re together today, 2
Today and every day, Encourage learners to tell about times when they were going someplace new with their families. Ask: P What helped you find your way? sheet door table table legs EXPLORING Gather near the puppet stage. Tell learners that they will put on a puppet play to tell the Bible story. One of the main characters is a star! Show the eight puppets and identify each character. Ask for four volunteers and give two puppets to each child. Give a flashlight to another child. Ask the rest of the group to sit in front of the Star Theater but not too close in case the stage tips over. (If your group is small, divide puppets among two or three learners. Be sure to pause in your reading when they need to switch puppets. Hold the flashlight yourself.) The gifts brought by the wise men were precious, but they may seem strange to young children. Gold is a precious metal and was used in making crowns and jewelry for kings and queens; frankincense comes from a plant and was used in making perfumes and the incense used in worship; myrrh comes from a plant and was used for making perfumes. If you used an appliance box for the Star Theater, save it to use again January 20. EASY PREP Read aloud Matthew 2:1 12, following the script on Resource Sheet 1 (). Ask children with puppets to crouch behind the stage and raise their puppets in the opening of the appliance box or above the table as they hear their characters mentioned. Repeat the play a few times so that children can play different parts and also be audience members. Comment that while the star is important in this story, Jesus is the real star of the show. The wise men knew that even though they were important people, they needed to give honor to Jesus. They knelt down to worship Jesus. Have children kneel, pretending to be the wise men. Explain that kneeling is a way to show honor and respect to someone important. Sometimes people kneel when they pray to show respect and honor to God. After a moment, ask children to stop kneeling and be seated. Recall that the wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus. Explain what these gifts were, referring to the sidebar as necessary. Discuss: P How do Christians in our day honor Jesus? (Answers may include: help others in the name of Jesus; give offerings to our church; use Jesus name only in ways that honor him; celebrate his birth and resurrection.) Invite volunteers to recall the role of the star in the Bible story. Ask: P How did the star help the wise men find Jesus? How can you help people learn about Jesus? RESPONDING Mark the options you will use: 1. Game Play a game to review the Bible story in an active way. Have children sit in a circle. Choose a volunteer to be the Wise One. The Wise One walks around the outside of the circle and taps another child on the shoulder. The two 3
children then walk in opposite directions around the circle until they meet. When they meet, they exchange greetings: Child: Who are you? Wise One: I m a wise one. Child: Glad to meet you. (The two shake hands.) Wise One: I ve come very far. I followed God s star. We Three Kings Chorus (Repeat after each verse) O star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright; Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to the perfect light! We three kings of Orient are, Bearing gifts we traverse afar, Field and fountain, moor and mountain, Following yonder star. Born a King on Bethlehem s plain, Gold I bring to crown Him again, King forever, ceasing never Over us all to reign. Frankincense to offer have I: Incense owns a Deity nigh; Prayer and praising, voices raising, Worshiping God Most High. Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume Breathes a life of gathering gloom; Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying Sealed in the stone-cold tomb. Repeat first verse When the word star is said, both children run in opposite directions for the open space in the circle. The first one to get there sits down, while the other child becomes the Wise One. After each child has had a turn, wonder about what made the wise men know to follow the star. 2. Star for the Car Create reminders of God s guiding and protecting love to put in a family vehicle or give to a traveler. Invite children to tell what they know about GPS units and about times when a GPS unit guided their families. Explain that GPS stands for global positioning system and that satellites are used to help people find the locations they re looking for. Say that the wise men didn t have GPS, but they had God s star to guide them. Distribute copies of Resource Sheet 2 (Star for the Car) and invite learners to read the verse aloud with you. Follow the directions on the sheet to make stars. 3. Star Snack God s creation offers everyday reminders of the star that the wise men followed to find Jesus. Have children watch as you cut apples in half crosswise through the center, revealing a star shape in the seed area of the core. Ask a volunteer to pray a prayer of thanks for food before eating the apples. Talk about ways to shine like a star by helping others learn about Jesus. Encourage children to show their families the star inside an apple and tell the story of the wise men visiting Jesus. CLOSING Gather the children around the worship table and light the candle. Invite learners to tell their favorite part of the story about the wise men visiting Jesus. Play We Three Kings (Color Pack 31; track 19 on Singing the Feast, 2018 2019), leading the children in singing along with the chorus each time it is repeated. (You may need to explain that the kings mentioned in the song are the wise men and that the Bible does not say how many wise men visited Jesus the song writer imagined three. Some people call the wise men the magi. ) Read aloud the following prayer, asking children to repeat each line after you: Whether we travel near or far, God will guide us like a big, bright star. Lead us and guide us, O Lord, we pray: Stay with us always to light our way. Amen. Invite children to shake hands with each person, saying: Shine with the light of God s love! 4
January 6, 2019 Grades (K)1 2 Resource Sheet 1 Characters: Mary, Joseph, Young Jesus, Wise Men, King Herod, Star A little while after Jesus was born, wise men who lived in another country saw a bright star in the sky. (The child with the flashlight shines it out of the round hole cut in the box or from the side of the table stage. Wise men puppets appear.) The wise men followed the star across the desert. They followed the star all the way to Jerusalem. They traveled a long way. It took months! The wise men were strangers in Jerusalem, so they asked, Where is the child who has been born to be king of the Jews? We have been following the bright star and know that he s nearby. (King Herod appears.) King Herod was afraid that a new king might take his place. King Herod s advisers told him the child would be found in the town of Bethlehem. So King Herod told the wise men to look for the child in Bethlehem. The king said he also wanted to worship this new king, but he was lying. He really wanted to keep this newborn king from taking over his kingdom. The star appeared again! The wise men followed it all the way to Bethlehem. There they found Mary, Joseph, and young Jesus. (Mary, Joseph, and Jesus appear near the star, and the wise men move toward them.) The wise men knelt before Jesus to honor him. They gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The star in the heavens led the wise men to the young child, Jesus. But the wise men did not tell King Herod where to find Jesus. They went home a different way. 2018 Westminster John Knox Press
January 6, 2019 Grades (K)1 2 Resource Sheet 2 Star for the Car Whether we travel near or far, God will guide us like a big, bright star. Lead us and guide us, O Lord, we pray: Stay with us always to light our way. Amen. For each star, you will need: copy of this resource sheet made on card stock 2 squares (each 4½" x 4½") of clear, self-adhesive plastic with peel-off backing colored pencils gold glitter scissors large rubber band duct tape Directions: Color the star with colored pencils. Cut out the circle, following the dotted line. Take the backing paper off one square of self-adhesive plastic. Place it on a table, sticky side up. Sprinkle a small amount of gold glitter onto the sticky side of the self-adhesive plastic. Place the cutout circle facedown on the glitter and sticky self-adhesive plastic. Take the backing paper off the other square of self-adhesive plastic. Place it on the back of the star, trying to line up the edges with the first square. Smooth out any big bubbles with your fingers. Trim the plastic to the edge of the circle. Attach a large rubber band to the back of the star with duct tape. The rubber band will fit over a car visor so that the star becomes an Epiphany reminder to everyone in the vehicle. 2018 Westminster John Knox Press