Lisa Sheffler, author

Day 5 | Reflect, Connect, Respond

This week we followed the star along with the Magi to worship Jesus. Spend some time with your Father today. Reflect on the gift of Jesus.

Reflect

Matthew sets up a contrast between the Magi, Herod, and the religious leaders Explain how each respond to the news of the Messiah’s arrival.

Connect

If you ask kids what they want for Christmas, young children might talk about dolls or Legos. Teens may want something trendy or electronic. Some, moved by conscience and compassion, might ask for good health for a loved one, or for peace on earth.

This week we journeyed with the Magi to give gifts to the newborn King. They brought their best, but nothing can compare to what they received in return. The gift God gives to us at Christmas is so much bigger than anything our limited imaginations would ever conjure. What humanity received on the very first Christmas day is literally without equal. It is the greatest gift in history.

God protected this gift. He sent a star to lead the magi and dreams to guide Joseph. Jesus would grow and thrive and prepare to become the Savior the world needed. The revolution that would change the very order of the cosmos would happen because our great God desired fellowship with his creation. The plans of God cannot be thwarted. Human power structures may believe they’re in control, but in God’s perfect timing, his will becomes reality.

God desired relationship with people he’d created in his own image and with whom he wanted to share his love. Our Father has gone to extraordinary lengths to provide a way for us to come home and rest in him. At Christmas, we rejoice that God became a child so that sinners could receive an incomparable gift from the King.

How can you find joy in God’s greatest gift today?

Respond

What is your next step?

How are you motivated by the story of the Magi to worship and give to Christ?

How should Christ’s defeat of death and evil impact the way we live today?