After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, something wonderful happened in the sky. A very special star appeared!

Far away, in the East, there were very wise men who studied the stars. They were called magi.

These magi saw the new and bright star. They knew this was not an ordinary star. It was a sign from God! A new king had been born!

The magi decided to make a long journey to find this king and worship him. They prepared special gifts and began to follow the star.

The journey was very long. The magi traveled by camel through the desert, under the hot sun during the day and the cold of night.

But they did not give up! The star guided them, and they followed it with joy.

Finally, after many days of travel, they arrived in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. They thought, "A king must have been born in the royal palace!"

The magi began to ask, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him!"

When King Herod heard about this, he was greatly troubled. Herod was the king at that time, and he did not like hearing about another king at all!

Herod was a wicked and selfish man. He was afraid of losing his throne.

Herod called the priests and scribes and asked, "Where is the Christ to be born?"

They answered, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod secretly called the magi. He asked them exactly when the star had appeared. Then he said:

"Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him."

But Herod was lying! He did not want to worship Jesus - he wanted to kill him!

The magi left Jerusalem. And look what a marvel! The star they had seen in the East went before them!

The star moved across the sky, guiding them! The magi followed it with great joy.

The star guided them to Bethlehem, that small town the prophets had mentioned. And the star stopped! It stopped right over the place where baby Jesus was!

When the magi saw that the star had stopped, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy!

The magi entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother.

When they saw Jesus, they fell down and worshiped him! Those wise and important men bowed before a little baby.

They recognized that this small child was the King of kings, the Son of God!

Then they opened their treasures and offered gifts to the child: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

What special gifts! Each one had a meaning:

GOLD was a gift for kings. Jesus is the King of kings!

FRANKINCENSE was used in worshiping God. Jesus is God!

MYRRH was used to embalm bodies. Jesus would die one day to save us.

The magi were very happy to have found the new King. They planned to return to Jerusalem to tell King Herod where Jesus was, as Herod had asked.

But that night, God sent the magi a dream. In the dream, God warned them not to return to Herod!

God knew that Herod wanted to harm Jesus. So the magi obeyed God and returned to their country by another way, without going through Jerusalem.

God protected baby Jesus from Herod's evil plans!

The story of the magi teaches us important things:

First, it teaches us that people from all parts of the world can seek Jesus. The magi came from distant lands. They were not Jews, but they came to worship the King of the Jews. Jesus came for everyone!

Second, it teaches us that we should seek Jesus with dedication. The magi made a long and difficult journey. They did not give up when it was hard. They continued until they found him!

Third, it teaches us that we should give our best gifts to Jesus. The magi did not give just anything - they gave gold, frankincense, and myrrh, the most precious gifts they had.

And fourth, it teaches us that we should obey God, not wicked men. The magi obeyed God's warning, even though it meant disobeying King Herod.

The Feast of Epiphany (or Three Kings' Day) celebrates the visit of the magi to Jesus. "Epiphany" means "manifestation" - it was when Jesus was manifested, shown, to the nations of the world.

The magi represent all people who seek Jesus. They followed the light of the star and found the Light of the world!

We too can seek Jesus. We can give Him the most precious gift: our heart and our life!