EXPLORE THE TEXT
We acknowledge Jesus as King through our worship.
9 After hearing the king, they went on their way.
And there it was-the star they had seen at its rising.
It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy.
11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary
his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him.
Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts:
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod,
they returned to their own country by another route.
To highlight the wise men’s response, summarize this content from page 37 of the PSG:
“The wise men were overwhelmed with joy.
The Greek text piles up superlatives here-
‘they gladly rejoiced exceedingly with abundant joy and delight.’
All the weeks and months of anticipation were complete;
they had reached their goal. The joy they experienced, no doubt, was brought about by the fact
that the star pinpointed the very house
in which Joseph, Mary, and the Christ child were living.”
Identify elements of worship.
Highlight the passion for reaching Jesus, as well as their willingness to bow down to Him and their gifts to Him.
Genuine worship involves bowing our hearts to Jesus and giving ourselves to Him.
Review these points from Apply the Text on page 39 of the Personal Study Guide.
The wise men’s reverence and passion provide us with a wonderful example of what it means to recognize and acknowledge the Christ-whether during the Christmas season or during any other season of the year.
Direct adults to the second set of questions on page 39 of the PSG. Encourage them to share things they consider worthy or valuable. List their responses on the board. Remind them that the true message of Christmas points us to the Savior, the One whose worth is beyond measure.
Encourage adults to respond to the first set of questions on page 39 of the PSG during the week. Challenge them to find ways to connect in worship with other adults as they prepare to celebrate Christmas this week and move toward the new year in the weeks to come.
Invite adults to offer sentence prayers, simple declarations to share their devotion to Jesus.
Text or email the group to encourage them to remember the gift of Jesus, as well as anything they need to present to Him in the days to come. Suggest that such an offering might include a special offering to the church, missions, or a needy family. Point out that physical and material offerings are meaningful acts of worship, just like bowing, praying, singing, and service.
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. (See Luke 1:35; Hebrews 1:1-3.)
Use a concordance and/or Bible dictionary to help understand a passage.
Use a concordance to find references in Scripture to “myrrh” and “frankincense.” (See Gen. 37:25;
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