Gifts for a King 1.4.2026

Devotional

Day 1: Arise, Shine: Light for All Peoples

Epiphany announces that God’s light has come, not for a few but for all. Darkness may blanket the world, yet the radiance of the Lord rises and keeps shining. You are invited to lift your eyes, notice who is gathering, and welcome those drawn by the dawn. God’s light does not stop at borders or categories; it gathers sons and daughters from far places. When you receive this light, your heart can open wide with joy and generosity. Let that light make you radiant so that others can find hope through you. [26:05]

Isaiah 60:1-6 — Get up and glow—your light has arrived; the Lord’s brightness rests on you. Though thick darkness covers the earth and peoples, the Lord shines over you, and his splendor is seen on you. Nations and their leaders will be drawn to your dawn. Then you will see and beam; your heart will pound with joy and open wide. The wealth of seas and nations will be brought to you. Caravans will blanket your land—camels from Midian, Ephah, and Sheba—carrying gold and incense and announcing the Lord’s praise.

Reflection: Who in your weekly routine might feel outside the circle of welcome, and what one tangible action could you take to extend Christ’s light to them this week?

Day 2: Follow the Star with Attentive Courage

The wise ones noticed a single star and started moving without a full map. They practiced attentiveness, courage, and a readiness to take the next faithful step. Joy met them along the way because they kept following the light they had. You do not need every answer to begin; you need willingness to respond to what God has shown. Trust the light enough to take one step today, and let God direct the rest. [26:41]

Matthew 2:1-2, 9-10 — After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, scholars from the east came to Jerusalem saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star rise and have come to honor him.” After they received direction, the same star moved ahead and stood over the place where the child was. Seeing the star come to rest, they were overwhelmed with great joy.

Reflection: Where is one area of your life you do not yet see the full path, and what is the next small, faithful step you can take this week to follow the light you have?

Day 3: Bring Your Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh

At the manger, the visitors opened their chests and offered gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold speaks to allegiance and priorities—who truly gets your first and best? Frankincense points to worship—showing up before God with reverent, honest hearts. Myrrh tells the truth about suffering—bringing even grief and vulnerability into Christ’s presence. Jesus receives every gift you bring, from successes to tears, and nothing is wasted with him. Let this week be an altar where your time, resources, prayers, and pain are offered in love. [29:35]

Matthew 2:11 — Entering the house and seeing the child with Mary his mother, they bowed in reverence to honor him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented gifts: gold, incense, and myrrh.

Reflection: This week, what is one concrete change you can make in your calendar or budget to honor Christ first—and what honest grief or fear will you bring to him in prayer as your “myrrh”?

Day 4: God With Us in the Dark Places

Epiphany does not pretend the world is easy; it declares that God steps into our darkness. Myrrh at the cradle whispers of a cross to come, assuring us that our pain is seen and held. Christ comes not to condemn you but to rescue, heal, and make you whole. In the places that ache, the light does not flicker out; it persists and accompanies. You can bring your lament as an offering, trusting that Jesus is with you even there. [32:54]

John 3:17 — God did not send his Son into the world to hand down a guilty verdict, but so that through him the world would be rescued.

Reflection: Where are you carrying hurt right now, and what gentle practice could help you invite Jesus’ steady light into it today (a quiet prayer in the car, a call to a trusted friend, or a moment of honest journaling)?

Day 5: Go Home by Another Way

After encountering Jesus, the wise ones returned home by a different road. Meeting the Light changes direction, habits, and expectations; the road back is not the same. Take a small “other way” this week—alter a routine, start a conversation you usually avoid, or pause to notice someone in need. As you walk differently, expect to see surprising glimmers of God’s presence. The world is aching for light that shows up; let your steps carry that hope into ordinary places. [33:51]

Matthew 2:12 — Having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by a different route.

Reflection: What specific change of route, rhythm, or conversation will you choose this week to make space for noticing and reflecting Christ’s light to someone you might otherwise pass by?

Sermon Summary

Epiphany celebrates the God who makes light visible to the whole world. Isaiah’s “Arise, shine” is heard as both promise and summons: God’s radiance breaks into a dark world and gathers the nations, not a favored few. Matthew’s story of the magi shows seekers from outside Israel following a star without certainty, guided by attentiveness and courage. They reach Bethlehem, kneel, and offer gifts that still teach the church how to respond to Christ.

Gold speaks to allegiance and value. In a culture that trains people to bow to productivity, comfort, and wealth, gold asks who actually rules our calendars and our budgets. Frankincense signals worship and God’s nearness. It is the gift of reverence rather than certainty—bringing doubts, gratitude, grief, and joy into God’s presence so faith can be formed for life in the world. Myrrh names suffering. It foreshadows the cross at the cradle and invites the truth-telling of wounds, vulnerability, and a world in pain. Love does not deny sorrow; it enters it with light that does not fail.

Encountering Jesus changes direction. The magi return home by another road, and so do all who have seen the Light. Epiphany is not just admiration; it is reorientation—walking differently because the Light has found us. Howard Thurman’s “The Work of Christmas” reframes the season: when carols fade and decorations are put away, the real work begins—finding the lost, healing the broken, feeding the hungry, rebuilding what is torn, and making music in the heart. One simple story makes this concrete: taking an unfamiliar route home opened space for unexpected mercy and companionship, and there, Jesus was recognized.

The invitation is clear and tender. Bring gold—time, resources, and first loves—into Christ’s hands. Bring frankincense—prayer, worship, and attentive presence. Bring myrrh—honest lament and the pain you would rather hide. Christ receives it all. Nothing is wasted in the presence of the true King. Rise, shine, and reflect the light that has come—for shepherds and scholars, insiders and outsiders, for the ends of the earth, and for the street just beyond your usual way home.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s light spills beyond borders God’s radiance is not confined to insiders, tribes, or tidy categories. Epiphany reveals a God who gathers shepherds and scholars, Jews and Gentiles, into one widening circle of grace. If grace is this expansive, then exclusion—of neighbors, enemies, or even parts of ourselves—cannot stand. The invitation is to receive and reflect a light that is for all. [27:01]
2. Offer gold: allegiance and first things Gold asks who truly reigns over our time, priorities, and resources. Confession becomes concrete when audit trails and calendars tell the truth about our loyalties. Reordering toward Christ will feel costly, but it frees the heart from a thousand lesser masters. Firstfruits given in love deepen joy, courage, and clarity. [29:15]
3. Bring frankincense: worship with honest presence Frankincense names a life turned Godward—the practice of reverence instead of control. God is not asking for polish but presence: doubts, gratitude, questions, and grief all belong at Christ’s feet. Worship is not escape; it is formation for the world we actually inhabit. Kneeling trains us to rise with wisdom and tenderness. [30:41]
4. Carry myrrh: God meets us in suffering Myrrh refuses denial by acknowledging pain at the heart of the story. The cross shadows the cradle, and that honesty makes hope trustworthy. In Christ, God goes with us into the darkest rooms and does not turn away. This is how light overcomes: not by avoiding sorrow, but by bearing it in love. [32:17]
5. Go home by another road Real encounter leads to reorientation—habits, routes, and reflexes begin to shift. The Spirit often opens new paths through small, practical deviations that make room for mercy. Paying attention on the “other way” awakens people to Christ’s presence in ordinary interruptions. Epiphany is not admired; it is walked. [33:40]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:27] - Call to Worship and Opening Prayer
[10:06] - Isaiah 60: Arise, Shine
[11:13] - Children’s Lesson: Following the Light
[23:43] - Gospel Reading: Matthew 2:1-12
[26:05] - Epiphany: Light Beyond Borders
[28:33] - Gold: Allegiance and First Things
[29:48] - Frankincense: Worship in Real Life
[31:26] - Myrrh: Truth About Suffering
[33:40] - Another Road: Lives Reoriented
[34:44] - The Work of Christmas
[36:03] - A Widow Sees Jesus on the Way
[43:10] - Prayer of Sending for Reese
[54:57] - Great Thanksgiving and Holy Communion
[74:35] - Benediction: Go in the Light

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- Matthew 2:1-12

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet 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
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Observation questions

Trace the magi’s journey in Matthew 2:1-12. What do they do first, whom do they meet, what do they offer, and how do they depart?
What emotion fills the magi when the star stops over the place where the child is (Matthew 2:10), and how is that shown in their actions (Matthew 2:11-12)?
What warning do the magi receive in a dream, and what specific step do they take in response (Matthew 2:12)?
Isaiah’s word “Arise, shine, for your light has come” is used throughout worship. How is this line treated as a promise and a summons in the gathering and message ([10:06])?

Interpretation questions

“God’s light spills beyond borders and categories. It shines in Bethlehem for shepherds and scholars alike” ([27:01]). What does this say about how God gathers people who are different from each other, and how might that confront the group’s own boundaries?
“Gold is about value and allegiance” ([28:44]). If gold names who or what truly rules a life, how could priorities, calendars, and spending reveal a person’s real loyalties?
“They don’t bring certainty. They bring reverence” ([31:07]). How does bringing doubts, questions, gratitude, and grief into worship reshape what faith looks like Monday through Saturday ([30:41])?
“Even at the cradle, the shadow of the cross is present” ([32:17]). Why might acknowledging suffering (myrrh) make Christian hope more trustworthy than denial or avoidance ([32:54])?

Application questions

Allegiance: “Who actually gets our gold?” ([28:56]). If someone read your last month’s calendar and bank statement, what would they say is king? What one shift with time or money could you make this week to put first things first?
Worship with honest presence: Frankincense points to prayer and God’s nearness ([30:08]). Where can you set aside 10 unhurried minutes each day this week to bring your real self—doubts, gratitude, questions, grief—before God? What helps you “kneel” internally, even if you’re standing at the sink ([31:07])?
Myrrh and truth-telling: What pain or vulnerability have you been tempted to hide? How will you bring that “myrrh” to Jesus—through lament in prayer, a conversation with a trusted friend, counseling, or serving alongside others who suffer ([32:34])?
Light beyond borders: Who near you feels like an outsider—at work, school, neighborhood, or church? What is one concrete step to welcome, listen, or share a meal this week so that grace widens its circle ([27:01])?
Go home by another road: Choose a small, practical “other way” in your routine—take a different route, change a lunch habit, linger to notice someone, or stop to help. What mercy or surprise did you notice when you made room for interruption ([33:40])?
The Work of Christmas: Which line calls to you right now—find the lost, heal the broken, feed the hungry, release the prisoner, rebuild, bring peace, make music in the heart? What is one local action you can take in the next two weeks to live that line ([35:04])?
Firstfruits and freedom: Reordering toward Christ can feel costly but frees the heart from “a thousand lesser masters” ([29:35]). Where do you sense resistance in giving your first and best to God? What would courage look like there this month?

Sermon Clips

On Epiphany, we celebrate revelation, the light of God made visible not just to insiders but to the whole world. Matthew tells us that the wise ones from the East, outsider seekers, scholars, noticed a star and set out on a long and uncertain journey. They don't have all the answers. They don't even fully know the destination where they're headed. What they have is attentiveness, courage, and a willingness to follow a light that they've seen and been given. [00:26:05] (43 seconds) #FollowTheStar

Epiphany is the fulfillment of that promise. God's light spills beyond borders and categories. It shines in Bethlehem for shepherds and scholars alike. And when the wise ones arrive, they bring gifts. Not practical gifts, not a single one of them brought diapers. Can you believe that? No food, no hot chocolate on a cold winter's night, nothing practical to be used in that moment. They bring gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gifts fit for a king and layered with meaning. [00:27:01] (44 seconds) #LightBeyondBorders

Well, gold is their first gift, and church tradition has said that Melchior brought the gift of gold. Melchior's name, by the way, is my god is light. How appropriate is that? Gold is about value and allegiance. Allegiance. And in the ancient world, gold was offered to kings, to royalty. By offering gold, the magi are saying, we recognize who you are. Even as a baby, they recognized Christ as king. [00:28:00] (42 seconds) #GoldForTheKing

By offering gold, the magi are saying, we recognize who you are. Even as a baby, they recognized Christ as king. Gold for us represents what we value most in our lives, our time, our resources, our priorities. An epiphany asks a hard but honest question, who actually gets our gold? We say Jesus is king, but our calendars and our bank account statements sometimes tell a different story about who is king in our life. [00:28:30] (42 seconds) #WhoGetsYourGold

Gold asks us to examine our loyalties. Are we offering Christ the leftovers that we have once we've gotten what we wanted and paid the bills that we had to pay, or the first and the best? In a culture that constantly tells us what to worship, productivity, success, comfort, wealth. Epiphany invites us to realign our values and say, my life belongs to Christ. [00:29:11] (35 seconds) #FirstNotLeftovers

Myrrh is the strangest gift because it's used in anointing and burial. It hints at suffering and mortality and love that goes all the way to the cross, even at the cradle, the shadow of the cross is present. And myrrh represents also our pain, our vulnerability, our willingness to tell the truth about the brokenness of the world and the brokenness in our lives. [00:32:09] (33 seconds) #MyrrhAndMercy

This matters right now because we live in a world aching for light. A world tired of shallow answers and performative faith. A world hungry for justice and compassion and hope that actually shows up. Epiphany tells us that God's light is not fragile, it's persistent, breaking into the darkness. And it calls us not just to admire it, but to reflect it in the very lives that we live. [00:34:08] (35 seconds) #PersistentLight

Maybe take a nap. But on this epiphany, she went to lunch, and she made a friend, and she saw Jesus. Now I'm not telling you to go an hour out of your way to go home this morning, but maybe take a turn you don't usually take. It might take you five extra minutes to get home and see if you see any light because you went home a different way. [00:38:07] (38 seconds) #TakeAnotherTurn

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Gifts for a King 1.4.2026

Devotional

Day 1: Arise, Shine: Light for All Peoples

Day 2: Follow the Star with Attentive Courage

Day 3: Bring Your Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh

Day 4: God With Us in the Dark Places

Day 5: Go Home by Another Way

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Gifts for a King 1.4.2026

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