The Wise Men Worshipped Jesus

Matthew 2:1-11

Our story comes from the Bible. It is found in the book, or part, of the Bible called Matthew. Matthew was one of the special helpers of Jesus.

The Bible tells us about some wise men. They lived far away from Bethlehem where Jesus had been born. The wise men knew many things—especially about stars. These wise men lived far away from Bethlehem, where Jesus had been born.

One night the wise men saw a special star in the sky. They knew a king had been born. The men wanted to see the new king. So, they packed the food and clothes they would need for a long trip. They also packed gifts for the king. The wise men put everything on their camels and started their journey.

Ga-loomp, ga-loomp went the camels as they traveled. Ga-loomp, ga-loomp.The trip lasted several days. The wise men bumped up and down on their camels. Ga-loomp, ga-loomp.

Finally, the wise men came to a city called Jerusalem. "Where is the new king?" they asked the people who lived there. "We have come a long way to worship Him."

The people of Jerusalem didn't know what the wise men were talking about. The only king they knew was King Herod, the king of Judea.

King Herod was upset when he heard that the wise men were looking for a new king. He was the only king! But King Herod asked the teachers of that day where a new king could be born.

The teachers told Herod that God's Word said the new king would be born in Bethlehem.

So, King Herod met with the wise men. "Go look for the new king in Bethlehem." The wise men left Jerusalem.

The star that had guided them to Jerusalem appeared again. It guided them to Bethlehem. It stopped over the house where Mary, Joseph, and little Jesus were living.

The wise men went into the house. They worshiped Jesus. The wise men bowed down to Jesus to show their love for Him. Then they gave Him the gifts they had packed. They were a precious metal called gold, special perfume called frankincense, and an oil called myrrh. The wise men were glad God sent a special star to lead them to Jesus, the new King. The wise men gave gifts of gold, perfume, and oil. Their worship was also a gift they gave Jesus. Our worship is a gift we give God, too.

Bible Paraphrase: God send his Son. (But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law. Galatians 4:4 NIV)

Text Truth: Our worship is a gift we give God.

Family Devotional

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. — Matthew 2:11

Spend a few minutes in solitary worship, reflecting on how great God is, and how He has been good to you and shown His presence and power in your life.

After reflecting, read Psalm 136. Insert your own reasons for worshipping and adoring God into the verses. Give the gift of worship to the Lord today. 

Help your child understand that God loves their worship of Him. Teach them that worship is a gift they give to God.

Activities You Can Do at Home

God Sent His Son

Sing the words of the Bible phrase to the tune of "O Christmas Tree." 

God sent His Son. God sent His Son.

(Point up.)

The Bible tells us this verse.

(Hold hands open like a book.)

God sent His Son. God sent His Son.

(Point up.)

The Bible tells us this verse.

(Hold hands open like a book.)

Galatians chapter four verse four.

(Hold hands like a book.)

Galatians chapter four verse four.

(Hold hands like a book.)

God sent His Son. God sent His Son.

(Point up.)

The Bible tells us this verse.

(Hold hands open like a book.)

Bible Rhyme

Practice the Bible phrase with your child by saying this rhyme.

God sent His Son

(Point up.)

For all the world to see.

(Place hands over eyes and look around.)

We shout out loud and cheer for God

(Shout and cheer.)

And praise Him joyfully.

(Spread arms wide to heaven.)

Sing and Worship

Sing songs of worship with your family anytime this week. Let your kids teach you favorite songs from Sunday school. If you had favorite worship songs as a child, teach them to your family. 

Make Wise Men 

Use paper cups, construction paper, small polystyrene balls, and chenille wires to make the wise men. Let them take a journey to worship Jesus. 

Read About Worship 

Read books about worship, our gift to God for who He is and what He does. We can worship God through obedience, telling the truth, being kind, and more. Talk about how we give to God by doing what He wants.

Story in Boxes 

Using small boxes to represent gifts, place items that represent the story in each box. Items you might use are: a play crown for the wise men, sand paper for the desert they crossed, a star sticker for the star they saw in the sky, etc. As your child opens each box, talk about how the object relates and retell the Bible story. 

Pray and Worship

Prayer is part of our worship gift to God. Vary the way you pray this week by using different prayer postures such as kneeling or looking up to God in heaven.

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Story illustrations are the copyright of Sweet Publishing and licensed by FreeBibleimages (http://freebibleimages.org) for free download under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike 3.0 unported licence.

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