Matthew 2:1-2,11

"Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,....."

Let's imitate the magi in 2015 The wise men came seeking Jesus, to worship him and bring him gifts. Modern society has turned this event. Instead of giving gifts to Jesus, we give them to one another. Instead of looking for a king to worship, we focus our attention on one another.

Have you seen His star? Patrick Odum reflects on a Matthews who is a scientist who determined the star when Jesus was born and reminds us that it is not the star, but the one to whom it pointed, that is important.

Is this really the Christmas star? Patrick Odum talks about the Christmas star and how it may have been identified, but how that doesn't nearly as much as the One who was born being the One who made the stars.

"Dear Precious Follower, David spoke the truth and We — Father, Son, and Spirit — wanted it emphasized, so you will find it included twice..."

Christian Christmas e-card: 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 2:2

"Dear Beloved, The story of My first two years speaks of vulnerability. I was born to a young woman far from home and without friends and family with...."

What difference does one twinkling star really make? Phil Ware reflects upon the star the Magi saw and puts it in its context of astrologers from Iran who recognized Jesus as King of the Jews and the religious leaders among the Jews who tried to kill him.

Why make such a long and costly trip to see a baby? Why would anyone want to seek Jesus? Just to worship him!

Whatever happened to the reason for the season? Rick Brown talks about Jesus not just missing from the nativity, but also from Christmas and from our lives and yet we can use this time to restore him to his rightful place in our lives.

"Dear Precious One, Christmas is close! What are you feeling? Is it fear? ...pressure? ...stress? ...worry? ...sadness? Please don't lose Me in the....."

"[The Magi] could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time! They entered the house and saw the child..."

"[The wise men] entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure..."

It's not the road you think, but it's the destination you seek! Phil Ware goes over a number of inaccuracies that have crept in to our telling of the story of Jesus at Christmas, but reminds us that the main thing is that Jesus came for everyone and the more we know the story, the more we know it is true.

We sometimes forget that Jesus' birth, so wrapped in sentimentality at Christmas, was a real event when the Immortal God chose to wrap himself in the fragile face of a newborn child. Phil Ware continues his Christmas series, entitled "Give Me Jesus", focusing this week on the specific time, the then, of Jesus' coming.

"Dear Partner in the Kingdom, People can speak in "God talk" and live in anti-God ways. Unfortunately, Christmas is a time when a lot of that happens...."

What have you come to offer Jesus? The wise men brought gifts to Jesus that reflect their respect, time, thoughtfulness, and generosity -- but what kind of gifts do we give to Jesus?

What gift at Christmas can get you in the most trouble? Rick Brown reminds us about dangerous Christmas gifts for kids and the most dangerous Christmas gift of all, Jesus.

Am I more like the wise men who passionately sought to find Jesus or the religious leaders who chose their traditions, positions, and power over Jesus? Phil Ware reminds us that in the familiar story of the wise men is a challenging and life-changing question we must all answer with our choices and with our lives.

There's still a lot of telling to do Like the Magi of old, people today will follow the signs that lead them to Jesus.

God came to us in a way that all of us could find him, know him, and find our way home! This is part of a 4 part series on Jesus' birth called, "Give Me Jesus," and this one focuses on finding him now.

Have you wondered how long Mary remembered the aroma of myrrh? Stacy Voss is trying to prepare our hearts for advent and the coming of Jesus by asking us to gather in pungent and hard to smell things.

When God chose to come into our world through a child, he chose a family line that was every bit as messed up as our world. Phil Ware is using December to remind us how to welcome Jesus during this special time and what Jesus' coming means for each of us.

12 days of Christmas are not about calling birds and lords a leaping, but about an extended celebration of Christmas. Phillip Morrison reminds us that the Magi, the Wise Men, came later on after Jesus was older; but rather than this putting a damper on our Christmas, we need to use this truth to extend our Christmas past the first of the year.

Now that the Christmas lights are put away, aren't you ready to meet the real Jesus? The coming of Christ is a violent grace that heads to a violent end and if we listen to the birth stories of Jesus we can find there a real Savior who lived in our all too real world.

With the birth of Jesus, we enter a gritty world that we know is our own. Phil Ware continues his series called When Spirit Becomes Flesh and he focuses on the grit and real world feel of the birth stories and also the joy that comes from Jesus' birth.

"Dear Friend of God, Today, I AM asking you to do something important. I know you are busy with all your Christmas plans, but there is one important....."

"Dear Friend, Can you remember your Christmas gifts from last year? ... five years ago? ... ten years ago? You probably don't remember most of your..."

Moses brought down God's Law from his mountain. Jesus demonstrated God's love on his mountain. James Nored and Phil Ware move from Abraham and Moses to Jesus in God's great story of redemption.

Moses brought down God's Law from his mountain. Jesus demonstrated God's love on a hill outside Jerusalem! James Nored and Phil Ware move from Abraham and Moses to Jesus in God's great story of redemption and show how Jesus becomes the fulfillment

Come on! The New Year is coming, don't we need to move on and get ready for it! Phil Ware and James Nored introduce Heartlight.org readers to the grit of grace and the coming video series called, "My Story in God's Story."