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Teaching Text: Matthew 2: 1-12
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magifrom the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Themes
Consider these themes and ask your group what else they see in the passage:
Magi visits Jesus
Formation
Thoughts and notes you can use for discussion:
What are you most excited about for 2024?
Where can I trust you more this year?
One relationship I want to work on specifically this year is:
Epiphany: Moment of great revelation. Particularly, as it relates to the church calendar, it is a realization of what life is like in light of the appearance of Jesus.
The Magi show us worship as:
An Ongoing Pursuit
Honoring with Presence
Offering Gifts
Gold (a gift for a King) Frankincense (priestly worship offering) and Myrrh (an honoring fragrance with a prophetic edge to Jesus burial)
What is the impression you had of the Magi growing up?
These Magi are very unexpected additions to this Jewish story. Israel’s Messiah. And here come these - sorcerer, magicians, soothsayers, star gazers from old Babylon. Persia.
The Magi
An Ancient Priesthood of the Medes
The Supreme Priestly Caste of the Persian Empire - grown up from old Babylon
Prophet Daniel was given the Title of Chief Magi by King Darius
Matthew is letting his Jewish readers know right away that this Jesus’ impact will go beyond anything they could have imagined.
You and I worship something. Look at what has your affection, devotion, attention, delight, your gifts
“Because here's something else that's true. In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And an outstanding reason for choosing some sort of God or spiritual-type thing to worship… -is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things-if they are where you tap real meaning in life-then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It's the truth. Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly, and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally plant you. On one level, we all know this stuff already-it's been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, bromides, epigrams, parables: the skeleton of every great story. The trick is keeping the truth up-front in daily consciousness. Worship power-you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart-you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. And so on.”
– DAVID FOSTER WALLACE
HOW SHOULD WE LIVE IN LIGHT OF THIS JESUS BEING BORN?
Seek His Face
Honor God with Your Presence
Offer Your Gifts
How could you endeavor to seek Gods face this year?
What Gifts is God asking you to use in his Kingdom’s advace?
This is really important to realize in our current context of immediacy:
Your story has more than you can see - God is the storyteller
Your obedience can radiate out to generations
Prayer sustains the life of creative minority in God's Kingdom (see Daniel and Elijah)
We often measure our current moment only by immediate results
This undermines patience, perseverance, and faithfulness
How you live today, in light of eternity, will impact generations ahead that you cannot imagine right now.
The way to connect our now with eternity is to remain connected to God in prayer.
What everyday, un-sensational things are you tempted to neglect, but know they have a compounding effect of your history and generations to come?
Here are some basic commitments that make a big difference:
How can you commit to pray for God’s kingdom in your life, NYC, and the world with us?
What smaller group participation could help you grow in community?
What Gifts can you bring in worship to God this year?
