An Intentional Epiphany: Follow the Star

Don’t you love the freshness of New Years Day? New starts. New vision for the year.

Then there’s family time. If you are honest, food and football always make their way into your day like a toddler (or parent!!!) stealthily sneaking candy from their stocking when no one’s looking.

This year I want to be more intentional about everything. In other words, proactive, not reactive.

Want to join me? Here’s how.

I plan to intentionally share Epiphany with my kids. You can too.

I never give Advent activities a second guess, but when it comes to Epiphany, it sadly gets the dregs of my holiday energy and focus.

Epiphany comes on January 6th (every year). On Epiphany we remember the Wise Men’s visit to the baby Jesus. They, like the shepherds, followed the star. This is the focus of Day 1 of an Intentional Epiphany.

Grab your kids. Have fun. And let the Christmas celebration continue!

Follow the Star
Time needed:
10 minutes minimum (but can be as long as the kids’ attention goes!)

Items Needed:
Large blanket/chairs/bench for sitting outside
Flashlight
Bible (or a Bible App on your smart phone)

Glow in the dark stars
-OR-
Paper, Scissors, Tape, Crayons, Glitter Glue, Stickers, etc.

Do It! – Star Gazing

Today/Tonight you are going to imagine what it was like for the Wise Men to look for Jesus by following a star. Bundle up (if necessary) and take the kids outside.

• Have everyone describe what it is like outside (cold? windy? quiet? hear any animals?). Let your kids put themselves in the wisemen’s shoes, as this is what an evening of their journey to Jesus was like.
• Now look up at the sky and try to find the brightest star.
  • If you’re in an area where stars are visible and/or you have a clear night, then give your kids some time to just look at all the stars and comment on what they are seeing and feeling. With an abundance of stars it might be difficult to find which one is the brightest.
  • If you have a lot of cloud coverage or are in the middle of the city where star visibility is minimal, talk about the challenge of finding a star and what it would be like if you were trying to find the one star that would guide your path.
• Let this activity go as long as the kids are having fun, aren’t too cold, and observing what’s around them. My 3 year old gets enamored with the stars and we can spend hours imagining and talking about the stars.

Read IT! – Read and discuss Matthew 2:1-2. (Use your discretion on if it’s better to read and debrief further inside or outside. You know your kiddos and your winter temperatures best!)

• After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the time of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Remind your children that we continue to follow Jesus today. When it’s cold. When it’s night. When it’s day. From our house. From our school. No matter where we are, we can seek Jesus and follow Him. Christ was born and came to Earth at Christmas, but now we continue to look and seek Him today.

Make IT!  – Stars

• Option 1: Make a paper star with your child to put in his room. Do a simple star out of construction paper. (For the craft-aholic kiddos, make it more elaborate with glitter glue, colors, stickers, etc.)
• Option 2: Use glow in the dark stars and let your child put one on his door or ceiling as a reminder that we are to follow Jesus.

Reference the star(s) for the rest of the week, as a reminder about Ephiphany, the wise men, and the ultimate gift – Christ Jesus.