The Epiphany
This is the last post in a four-part series of recordings from Bible passages about the first Christmas. Part one was posted on December 22, 2014, part two on Christmas Day, and part three on January 2, 2015. Readers are encouraged to share the full Christmas story from the Bible with their families. I have recorded these passages from the New Living Translation.
The Epiphany is the celebration of the wise men who came to see Jesus. We remember that these men were not Jewish yet they worshiped and honored Jesus who came to earth that ALL – Gentile and Jew alike – might become children of God. The Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th around the world.
Note: Today’s recordings are divided up in such a way that families with small children can omit the gruesome sections about King Herod having the young boys killed. There are no pictures to go with those sections as these details were also omitted from my book, The First Christmas.
Wise men follow the star to find the Messiah
The wise men came from a far off country in the east. Somehow they knew the bright star meant the birth of the Messiah who had been promised to the Jewish people hundreds of years earlier. So they set off on their long journey to find the new baby king so they could give him gifts and worship him.
Matthew 2:1-6 Choose your translation and read the passage yourself by clicking this link, or click the link below and listen to the passage as read by Janice D. Green from the New Living Translation.
King Herod meets secretly with the wise men
King Herod was a viciously jealous man who would allow no person to live who might become a threat to his position as king. He foolishly thought the Messiah would try to take his kingdom from him.
The wise men find Christ Jesus and worship him
The star leads the wise men to a house, not a stable. This is because many weeks – probably months had passed since Jesus was born. It took the wise men a long time to travel the distance after they discovered the star. Mary and Joseph had apparently chosen to make their home in Bethlehem instead of trying to travel back to Nazareth with a tiny baby.
Joseph is warned in a dream to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus
Again God speaks to Joseph through a dream to guide him to leave Bethlehem in the middle of the night.
King Herod tries to kill Jesus
Satan tries in vain to use King Herod to kill the Christ child.
Mary and Joseph return to Nazareth with young Jesus.
If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy Janice D. Green’s timeless treasure The First Christmas which is appropriate for children ages four through one hundred and four.
