Children’s Sermon

Matthew 2:1-12

Star Bright, Star Light

By Lois Parker Edstrom

OBJECTS SUGGESTED: Cut-out of a star or a simple drawing of the Big Dipper

Have you ever sat outside with a friend or your family and watched as the sky begins to darken, to see who could spot the first star? You must watch closely to be the one to see the first star appear. Soon after, many stars are twinkling in the sky. In fact, there are billions of stars in our galaxy.

Have you ever thought about what makes a star twinkle? A star sends out a straight beam of light, but movement in the air changes the path of the light, and causes the star to twinkle.

It is a special treat to sit outside at night and look at stars. Stars appear to be white, but if you look closely you will see that some stars are blue, yellow and red. And, some stars are very bright.There is one very bright star, the North Star, which guides travelers and sailors so they will always know in what direction they are going.Perhaps your parents or a friend can help you find the Big Dipper in the night sky. It looks like a large pan with a handle. The two stars at the front of the pan, opposite of the handle, point directly to the North Star.

At the time Jesus was born there was also a guiding star. It was said to be very bright and it marked the place of Jesus’ birth. Wise men or Magi from the east watched and followed the star ahead of them until they came to the place where the child, Jesus, and his mother, Mary were staying. They opened up treasure chests, giving Jesus gifts and worshiping him.

As we enjoy the stars in a night sky we can think about guiding stars and how following the teachings of Jesus guides our lives in the right direction.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible