Family Worship Guide Week 50 READ Read Matthew 2:1-12. Matthew tells us that wise men from the east came looking for Jesus. These were probably astrologers (people who study prophecies related to the stars) from Persia or Babylon. What is so interesting is that these men were not Jews, and yet, they wanted to come and pay tribute to the king of the Jews. What we see here is that Jesus is not merely the King of the Jews. He will be worshiped by people of all nations. When the wise men get to Jerusalem, they go to the obvious place where one would look for a king to the palace. But the current king, Herod, is not happy when he hears about another king. Herod wanted to be king forever. He didn t want Jesus to be king. He told the wise men that he wanted to worship Jesus, but he really wanted to kill Jesus. The chief priests and scribes knew the Messiah (Christ) was going to be born in Bethlehem, but they didn t care about going to worship him. They knew all about the coming king and the glorious kingdom that he would bring, but they didn t seek out Jesus and submit to him as King. PRAY But the wise men followed the star and when they found Jesus, they fell down and worshiped him. That is the only proper response to Jesus. Jesus is the great King. He deserves our worship and he deserves all worship. We must give our lives to worship him and to ensure that he is worshiped by people of all nations. Questions: In Matthew 2:1-12, we see three responses to Jesus. Herod was hostile toward Jesus. He hated Jesus because he wanted to be king. The chief priests and scribes were indifferent toward Jesus. They knew about the King of the Jews. They had all the head knowledge of the prophecies and the coming kingdom. But they were too busy with their own activities to pay attention to the King. In the end, it doesn t matter whether your response to Jesus is outright hostility or mere indifference. You will still miss Jesus, and if you miss Jesus, you will miss the only hope of salvation. The wise men, by contrast, came and worshiped Jesus. This is the only appropriate response. What about you? How did or how will you respond to Jesus? Will you reject him outright as Herod did? Will you ignore him as the priests and scribes did? Or will you worship him as the wise men did? The visit of the wise men is a clear demonstration that Jesus is the rightful King of all the peoples and nations of the earth. How does this reality change the way you live? How will you as a family spend your lives to see Jesus worshiped by all nations? Bottom Line: Jesus is the King who deserves our worship and the worship of all nations. This week we are praying for Shepherds Fold, a Christian ministry located in the West End area of Birmingham. They provide a safe haven and mentorships for men making transitions from jail, prison, and correctional centers back into society. SING Like the wise men spoken of in Mathew 2, we have the opportunity to offer gifts of worship to our King. As we continue in worship let s sing together O Come All Ye Faithful. Just as the song says, we are able to Come and behold Him, born the King of angels. So, as we sing, we recognizing that Jesus Christ is King and he alone is worthy of all worship. Copyright 2011 The Church at Brook Hills www.brookhills.org 1
MEMORIZE Matthew 2:11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. SUGGESTIONS These suggestions were created by the age- group ministry leaders as a way to help parents better communicate the biblical truths discussed in the Family Worship Guide. These suggestions are intended to help parents facilitate God- centered discussions with their children. Parents should prayerfully use these suggestions, and any other means necessary, to help their children discover the truths of God s word and worship Him together. Preschool Before your begin gather wrapping paper, tape, three small boxes and your Bible. Read Matthew 2:9-11 with your preschooler. Now explain to your preschooler that after Jesus was born, some special visitors came to see him. These visitors were called wise men. Without a doubt they were wise, because they were searching for Jesus in order to worship him and give him gifts. Help your preschooler wrap the boxes while talking about what the wise men brought to Jesus (gold, frankincense and myrrh). Now act out the story using the wrapped gifts. Review the story with your child. Questions: How did the wise men find Jesus? Who made the star shine in the sky? God made the star. God is in control of everything. Remember last week we talked about God s special plan. God s special plan was to send Jesus to earth, born as a baby just like you and I. This baby would grow up and die for us. God made a way for us to know him, to have our sins forgiven and to live forever in heaven. The wise men brought gifts to show Jesus how much they loved him. God loves us so much that he gave us the greatest gift of all by sending his son, Jesus, to earth. Let s pray and thank God for Jesus! Children In Matthew 2 we see the next part of the story in God s exciting plan to rescue sinners and raise up worshippers from all the nations. At this time of year Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus and give thanks to God for sending a rescuer when we had no help of saving ourselves. The best news of Christmas, however, is that baby Jesus did not stay as a baby forever. He grew to be a man, living the perfect life, died the death that we deserved to die because of our sin, and rose again. God s Word promises that Jesus will return to set up his Kingdom and peoples from all nations will worship him forever. When we think of the baby in the manger, we are thinking of the one who deserves to be worshiped by all people for all time. Jesus is alive today and he is worthy of the worship of you, your family, every kid on your sports team and school, and every boy and girl, man and woman on the earth. In fact, there is no person you will ever meet in your entire life that Jesus doesn t deserve their worship. Pray as a family and thank God for sending the rescuer Jesus and ask that God would help you to live in a way that others will see that Jesus is worthy to be worshiped and trusted in. Students Begin your time by rereading the memory verse of the day, Matthew 2:11 Just imagine what it must have been like for the wise men when they saw Jesus. Here they were visiting this obscure newborn baby, and instantly they realized there was something different about this child. Their response was immediate and accurate. They fell on their faces to worship him. Notice what happened next. They presented him with gifts as part of their worship. While these gifts may seem odd, they remind us of Jesus character and mission. Discuss these gifts as a family. o Gold: This carries obvious significance. It's precious and is of great worth across all cultures and times. It's a gift fit for royalty. It says to the Christ child, you will be a King. o Frankincense: This is a resin that comes from a tree. In Biblical times people believed burning frankincense during worship carried their prayers to Heaven. It says to the Christ child, you will be a High Priest. www.brookhills.org 2
o Myrrh: This is perhaps the oddest of the gifts. Myrrh is also a resin from trees, but it was used to treat wounds and was also a burial spice. Remember, it was later used when Jesus body was prepared after his death on the cross. It says to the Christ child, you will die as a sacrifice for the World. Why might it be important for us to see Christ as King, Priest, and our Sacrifice? What is the proper response to a King? What was the role of the High Priest? (Discuss: The Priest s work was to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. Christ offered up his own body, as a sacrifice for our sins. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many. (Heb. 9:26-28) What part of Jesus life does myrrh remind you of? (Discuss: It symbolized Jesus eventual death on the cross for our sins.) Why was Christ s death so important? Copyright 2011 The Church at Brook Hills www.brookhills.org 3
Prayer Week 50 Lives/Church The visit of the wise men to worship Jesus, which we have been studying this week, reminds us that Jesus is the King who is worthy of our worship and the worship of all nations. Spend some time this week thanking God for sending Jesus to save us from our sins. Thank Him for giving us the privilege of worshiping this great King and pray that He would use us to bring all nations to worship him. O Come All Ye Faithful by John F. Wade Arrg. by Codie Gibbons Local Local Church: First Baptist Fairfield - Robert Twyman Focus: Shepherd s Fold - a Christian ministry located in the West End area of Birmingham. They provide a safe haven and mentorships for men making transitions from jail, prison, and correctional centers back into society. Monday: Please pray for the leadership at Shepherds Fold as they continue to provide leadership and work to get the coaching center set up and running for the men in their program. Tuesday: Pray for the men at Shepherds Fold that they might fully understand the gospel and put their trust totally in Jesus for their salvation and their daily direction. Wednesday: Pray for wisdom for the leadership at Shepherds Fold, as they work to establish a survival job fund and coordinate employment opportunities for the men they assist. Thursday: Pray for Shepherds Fold as they seek to establish their women s facility to begin serving women coming out of prison. Friday: Pray for Shepherds Fold as they close on 2 duplex apartments to provide men additional transitional housing. Saturday: Pray that God will raise up men from Brook Hills to serve and disciple men who are being ministered to by Shepherds Fold (shepherdsfoldinc.org). Global Short Term Teams: There are no short term trips this week. Partner: Brook Hills Long-Term Missionaries, Greg and Kathy Brown, serving in Guatemala Monday: Pray for God to give wisdom to Greg as he prepares for the 2012 year. Pray for God to give him a clear vision as they strategize on how best to meet the needs around them and ultimately make disciples in Guatemala. Tuesday: The Brown family works in a difficult area of Guatemala. Pray for Christ to be made known among the people Greg and Kathy engage with the gospel. Wednesday: Living in Guatemala has been a challenge for the Browns. Pray for God to sustain them as they continue to integrate into the culture, learn language and build relationships there. Thursday: Greg and Kathy s youngest daughter Haleigh is having corrective jaw surgery on Dec. 23rd. Please pray for success in surgery and a speedy recovery. Friday: There is great need for more workers to come alongside Greg and Kathy in Guatemala. Pray for God to call out individuals from our church to go and serve alongside them. Saturday: Pray for God to continue to mold Greg, Kathy and their girls into his image, so many may see the example of their lives, hear the gospel clearly and know Christ. O come all ye faithful Joyful and triumphant O come ye O come ye to Bethlehem Come and behold him Born the King of Angels Christ the Lord Sing choirs of angels Sing in exultation Sing all ye citizens of Heaven above Glory to God In the highest Yea Lord we greet thee Born this happy morning Jesus to thee be glory given Word of the Father Now in flesh appearing Arrg. Copyright 2011 Codie Gibbons Scripture Memory And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11 Copyright 2011 The Church at Brook Hills