Wise Men
"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.' " Matthew 2:1-2 Every December, in my second grade curriculum, we complete a unit on Christ's birth. The objective is for the students to discover the real reason for the CHRISTmas season. We read, discuss and compare the passages found in the books of Matthew and Luke. We also create art projects that integrate with our math unit on geometry. Students learn that the magi were known for studying the stars. We talk about how God had a special star appear, and the magi would have wanted to discover more about this unusual star. The Bible tells us they followed the star to search for Jesus. Some of the students also discover for the first time that the wise men or magi did not find Jesus at the stable, but they came to the house. This year my class appears to be applying my objective. I have a nativity set in my classroom. The wise men are a part of the set, but I distanced them from the rest of the nativity scene. Apparently, some of my students did not think the wise men were far enough away from the stable. I came into my classroom the other day and found the wise men on the opposite side of the classroom from the nativity set. My heart just smiled as I recognized that these young children were learning God's Word and seeking Him. As we get caught up in the busyness of the season let's remember, like the wise men, to seek Him and be overcome with JOY. "When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 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 and of incense and of myrrh." Matthew 2:10-11
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