Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2 ESV

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Did you eat too much Christmas dinner? Did you enjoy your time off from school and getting to spend that time with your family? Did you get a gift you loved? I hope your Christmas was all of these!

But our best Christmas gift is Jesus! Our verses this week tell us about wise men who came from the east because they saw a special and new star in the night sky. They saw the star as a sign that a great king was born. The wise men were seeking the baby that was born the “king of the Jews,” Jesus.

Have you played hide and seek? Would you rather be a hider or the seeker? Seek means to look for, to search for, or to find something. The wise men were seekers! They wanted to find the baby who was born to be “the king of the Jews.” So, they followed the star until the star shone over the home of Joseph and Mary.

And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11

These may seem like strange gifts, but they all stand for something in Jesus’ life. The gold meant He was a king. Frankincense, which was burned in the temple for God, meant that He was holy, the Son of God. Myrrh was an oil with spices in it. It was used to anoint someone, like a king, or used to bury a dead body. The myrrh meant that He would die on the cross for all of us. But He would arise from death to save us!

We are getting ready to start a new year. I want to encourage everyone to become like the wise men and seek Jesus for yourself. You don’t have a star to follow, but you do have God’s Word, the Bible. Search your Bible for stories about Jesus, seek words that He spoke, find things He told us to do. You can also talk to others about Jesus. You can pray and talk to Jesus. Your parents can help you. Maybe your family can seek Jesus together this year!

I will help you get started. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 Jesus tells us that if we seek Him, we will find Him!

Blessings and joy as you become a “wise man” or a “wise woman” who seeks and finds Jesus!