What is Epiphany? What about those Magi? Epiphany is celebrated 12 days after Christmas on the Sunday closest to that date.
The “Twelve Days of Christmas” refers to the days from December 25th through January 6th. On Epiphany, we remembered the wise men who followed a star to find the baby Jesus. Let’s listen to a story from one of the wise men, and try out some of the traditions associated with “Three Kings Day.
Use a piece of chalk to mark the doors of your home as a blessing for the coming year.
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- The Christmas Star
By Jolene Roehlkepartain from Vibrant Faith at Home
During the Christmas season, notice the mention of stars in your favorite Christmas hymns, in worship, and in daily life. Encourage family members to be on the lookout for stars.
Needed
Dark blue construction paper, small star stickers or cut some from paper and put tape on the back, Bible
Prepare in Advance
• Mark your Bible at Matthew 2:1-11.
• Find one piece of dark blue construction paper and one sheet of small star stickers for each family
member.
Activity Plan1. Say this prayer aloud to begin.
"O God, remind us of the importance of the star in the story of Christmas. Amen."
2. Give each family member one piece of dark blue construction paper and a sheet of star stickers.
3. Explain that you will listen to a Bible story about something that happened after Jesus was born. Whenever family members hear the word star, they should put one star sticker on their pieces of blue paper.
4. Ask one family member to read aloud Matthew 2:1-11 from your Bible or from the text at the end of this activity. Have family members add stickers to their blue papers as they listen. After the story, compare notes about how many times the word star was heard. (Most Bible versions use star four times.) Discuss why the star is so important in this story.
5. Sing “We Three Kings” and a few other familiar Christmas carols. If you need help recalling the words, type the title of the carol followed by the word lyrics in an Internet search engine. (For example, “We Three Kings lyrics.”) Add star stickers to your blue papers every time you sing the word star.
