Epiphany is the story of the Wise Men (or 3 Kings or Magi) coming to visit Jesus bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Watch their story in this clip from The Star…and join in with the song if you can…
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.
…After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
~ Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11
There are many who would argue the facts about this visit e.g.
Were they really kings?
Were there really just 3 of them? From their gifts which would have been very expensive, it is presumed they were at least very rich and important. Would you think it was safe to travel into a country they didn’t know all alone in such a small group?
However, more important things to note about this story…
· Wise: While not perhaps kings, the magi were wise, in that they were seeking out the Messiah at great personal cost when so many others had missed it.
· Obedient: They travelled long and far, overcoming obstacles and distractions, to follow God’s call on them and see the Christ.
· Adoring: These “kings” bowed down to worship the King of Kings.
· Humble: They gave their best to Jesus in the symbolic gifts they presented.
· Gentiles: The magi were not Jewish. They were Gentiles!
Try this interactive wordsearch…just copy and paste ALL the words below this sentence and have fun..
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Other fun activities
These star shaped sandwiches can be a super easy, meaningful, and symbolic way to have lunch on the Epiphany, so here we go… how to make Epiphany star sandwiches!
This is such a great treat for the Epiphany because everything tastes better to kids when it’s shaped like something fun! Also, these are super easy to make and don’t even involve any cooking. So yay for fun and easy!!!
Supplies Needed For Epiphany Star Sandwiches
§ Salami (6 pieces)
§ Cheese (4 slices)
§ Bread (6 slices)
§ Condiments- optional
§ 1 wooden skewer
§ Star shaped cookie cutters (preferably a larger one and a smaller one)
This is enough ingredients for 2 sandwiches, but of course you can modify it for your own needs. You can also swap out the meat or cheese for whatever kinds you prefer. Also, kids love to cut and assemble these themselves and as always, letting them build something themselves is more important than creating something perfect, so let the kids help!
How To Assemble The Star Sandwiches
First, you can use a regular pair of scissors to cut your wood skewer in half. These are generally too long for just 1 sandwich, which is fine because now 1 skewer can make 2 sandwiches!
Cut your bread out with your larger star cookie cutter. I used 3 large bread stars per sandwich, but then you can take your small star cookie cutter and make some smaller bread stars as well to use up the bread edges.
Cut out your cheese also with the large star cookie cutter. We used 2 large cheese stars per sandwich. Be sure to cut at least 1 small cheese star per sandwich as well, using the scraps from your large star cheese edges.
Epiphany tea!
Basically, run with a “golden” theme since the 3 kings arrived on the Epiphany, kings are often symbolized with gold, and they did bring gold as a present for Baby Jesus.
Epiphany Tea Party Menu: “Golden” Food Ideas (ANY GOLD COLOUR FOOD WILL DO- THE FUN IS FINDING IT!)
§ Golden apple slices
§ Carrot slices
§ Cheesy Wotsits
§ Banana slices with golden honey drizzled on top
§ Hot dogs cut into thirds (with mustard on them to make them also golden coloured)
3 Cone Kings
Fold each up as a cone and stick ends together
Then use foil/ sweet wrapper to make 3 crowns to stick on the top..
Give them gifts to carry...gold, frankincense and myrrh
You can make these into a mobile by attaching some thread and hanging them up somewhere where the light will catch them.
A Prayer
Dear Lord, we cannot bring you such expensive gifts but we offer you all that we are- we give you our hearts. Fill them with your love always so that we can love others as you do. Amen