Matthew 2:3-13

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.

"King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard [about the newborn king of the Jews from the wise men], as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a..."

"[After learning that the king of the Jews was to be born in Bethlehem,] Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them..."

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.

"When King Herod had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in..."

Inspirational illustration of Matthew 2:4-6 -- ...for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.

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.

"[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..."

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.

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.

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.

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.

"[As the prophet Micah has written:] "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler..."

"After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother," the angel..."

"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...."

"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..."

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.

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."

"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...."

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

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?

"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....."

What do you do with your shattered dreams? Phil Ware talks about the recurring phrase in Matthew 1 and 2, in a dream, and how God fills the empty spaces left behind by our broken dreams.

How in the world do we use Scripture to build a culture of honor? Phil Ware finishes his series on building a culture of honor by focusing on Jesus and his birth and the awful way Herod misuses Scripture and worship.

"Dear Disciple, I love all people. That's why I came. At the same time, I have to tell you something — and yes, I'm sorry to have to do this..."

Who would want to be born here? Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a grimy, corrupt little town not known for anything important.

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, You just have to love the apostle Levi! You may know him better as Matthew since that is the name of the first gospel in your New..."

Jesus' real-to-life circumstances, along with his dangerous predicaments caused by his divine reality, are comforting to me. Phil Ware reminds us that as we clean up from Christmas and New Year, the mess left after the holidays should remind us of the hard times Jesus and his family faced after his birth.

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.

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.

"Dear Holy Child of God, Many folks pause this time of year to remember My birth. That is a good thing. They rejoice with the angels singing praises....."

"Dear Disciple, As your Christmas season comes to an end, you are left to clean up the messes — the leftovers in the fridge, the house after the..."

God didn't come to our world as a heavenly tourist with special arrangements to keep him safe and to give him special treatment in his journey through mortality with all its grit and danger. James Nored and Phil Ware remind us to push past the glittering lights of Christmas and see that God came to be one of us in the gritty and dangerous birth of Jesus of Nazareth to a virgin named Mary and her faithful to Torah husband to be, Joseph the car

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.

Christ Church takes the story of the flight to Egypt and uses it to make us think about what the “old, old story” of Jesus tells us about this very contemporary issue. Patrick Odum challenges us to think critically and lovingly in light of our new-found awareness of baby Jesus' status as a refugee from violence.

We desperately need to push past the glitz of the season and remember the gritty grace of the manger and the glory of God incarnate in a helpless baby who came to be one of us! James and Phil continue their series on The Story of Redemption by focusing on the birth of Jesus and what it means for us.

"Dear Child of the King, When you open your Bible and you see the appearance of angels, know that the Father is up to something special in your world...."

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.

The cycle of violence is heartbreaking — will it ever end? Phil Ware reminds us of the simple, yet powerful words found in the hard story of Jesus' birth and Herod's attempt to murder him at Bethlehem -- But Herod came to an end.

What can this old story powerfully say to our geopolitical messes of today? Phil Ware shares his series for December 2015 on welcoming Jesus and focuses on the Magi from the gospel of Matthew and lets that story remind us our need to reach out to the lost and foreigner and alien and refugee among us.