- Men's Breakfast Saturday morning 8 AM. Coffee will be on at 6:30 so come early to visit and bring a friend.
- Sunday during morning worship we will be ordaining and installing elders for the class of 2021. Laurrie Allen, Paul Bierschwale and Arthur Leistikow.
- Following worship we will be undecorating the church bring a sack lunch if you would like to eat before taking down the decorations.
Scripture for Sunday
Matthew 2:1-12
Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, [2] "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose, and we have come to worship him." [3] Herod was deeply disturbed by their question, as was all of Jerusalem. [4] He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law. "Where did the prophets say the Messiah would be born?" he asked them. [5] "In Bethlehem," they said, "for this is what the prophet wrote: [6] 'O Bethlehem of Judah, you are not just a lowly village in Judah,for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.' "
[7] Then Herod sent a private message to the wise men, asking them to come see him. At this meeting he learned the exact time when they first saw the star. [8] Then he told them, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!" [9] After this interview the wise men went their way. Once again the star appeared to them, guiding them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. [10] When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! [11] They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. [12] But when it was time to leave, they went home another way, because God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
Questions for Reflection
1. Why do we give gifts at Christmas?
2. If you could give any gift to anyone, what would you give, to whom, and why?
3. What prompts people to make great sacrifices for others?
4. Why was a powerful king disturbed by the presence of a helpless baby? (2:3-6)
5. How did the Magi react upon seeing Jesus? (2:11)
6. How would you define worship?
7. What sort of activities does worship involve?
8. What are some various "presents" we might give to Christ?
