Dec. 28, 2025 | Traditional Worship | The King's Table Week 5, Matthew 2:1-12

Devotional

Day 1: The King’s Table Is Forever, Not Finished

After the carols fade and the leftovers are tucked away, it can feel like the moment passed too quickly. But God’s story of salvation refuses to end in a manger, on a cross, or even in a tomb—the journey keeps unfolding. When the shepherds went home and the angels quieted, the Magi were still on the road, following a light that promised more. The King’s Table is not a seasonal moment but a forever invitation into fellowship with Jesus. Let your heart refuse to pack away wonder; the King is still welcoming you to the table today. Keep walking, keep looking, keep coming—He is worth the journey. [41:37]

Matthew 2:1-12
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, learned travelers from the east reached Jerusalem asking for the child born to be king of the Jews. They had seen his star rise and came to honor him. The star they had noticed moved ahead of them until it rested over the place where the child was. Seeing this, joy overflowed. They entered the house, saw the child with Mary his mother, bowed low in worship, and opened their treasure chests—gold, fragrant incense, and myrrh. Having been warned in a dream, they returned to their country by a different route.

Reflection: As this week quiets after Christmas, what is one simple practice you will keep (not pack away) so that your heart stays awake to Jesus’ ongoing invitation?

Day 2: Seeking Jesus Involves Movement, Not Comfort

Seeking always involves movement; comfort rarely produces worship. Hunger pulls you to the table, and the Magi let holy hunger move them across months of road to a very ordinary house. They didn’t have perfect directions, only a question and a light: Where is the one born king of the Jews? When they arrived, everything didn’t suddenly make sense—but they still bowed and worshiped. Step toward Jesus this week, even if all you have is a question and a next step. He meets seekers on the move. [45:42]

Matthew 2:9-11
After meeting with Herod, the wise men set out again, and the star they had seen rising went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. Seeing the star settle, they were overcome with joy. They entered the house, saw the child with Mary his mother, bowed down in worship, and presented gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh.

Reflection: What small, concrete movement toward Jesus can you make in an ordinary place this week—at your kitchen table, during your commute, or in a quiet corner of your day?

Day 3: Invited By Grace, Welcomed Without Credentials

The invitation began with God—He sent the star, He set the time, He opened the way. Outsiders noticed the light and discovered there was a seat for them, no theology exam at the door, just grace. Long before the Magi packed their gifts, God’s heart was already drawing them near. There is still a chair with your name on it, prepared by mercy, not earned by performance. Come as you are; the King delights to welcome you. Receive the welcome first, and let your offering follow. [50:24]

Matthew 2:2, 5-6
They asked, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star rise and came to honor him.” The leaders answered, “In Bethlehem of Judea,” because the prophet had said that from that small town a ruler would come who would shepherd God’s people.

Reflection: Where do you feel “outside” or unqualified right now, and how will you say yes to the King’s gracious welcome without trying to prove yourself first?

Day 4: The King Comes Down To Dine With Us

We were not summoned up to heaven; God came down to us. The King pulls out a chair and sits with His people, nourishing souls that are hungry and tired. The table is not the end of the journey; it’s what the journey is for—fellowship, presence, and real nourishment for the road ahead. In His presence, you are known, strengthened, and sent. Make room today to linger with the One who loves to dwell with you. [53:16]

Revelation 21:1-3
I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and the holy city coming down from God, prepared with care. A loud voice announced that God’s dwelling is now with people; He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.

Reflection: What would it look like to actually dine with God today—setting aside a few unrushed minutes to linger with Him in prayer or Scripture so your soul is truly nourished?

Day 5: Go Home Different; Keep Seeking Together

The danger after Christmas is not rejection but declaring the season “complete” and returning unchanged. The Magi worshiped, gave, and then went home by another route—different because they had met the King. Keep seeking Jesus in Scripture, in worship, and at the table with His people; don’t travel alone. Bring your gifts—your time, your trust, your life—and let Him direct your steps into the new year. The table is still set, and your seat is still waiting. Keep seeking; the journey is not over. [55:05]

Matthew 2:12
Warned in a dream not to return to Herod, the wise men headed back to their own country by a different road.

Reflection: If you were to “go home by another route” after this season, what one habit, relationship, or priority would change first, and how will you begin that change this week?

Sermon Summary

In the quiet days after Christmas, when wrapping paper is gone and routines return, a crucial truth rises: the King’s table is forever. The story does not end with a manger, a cross, or even a tomb. Matthew 2 draws attention to seekers who kept moving—the Magi—foreign scholars who followed a star without a map, a timetable, or certainty. They carried one question in their hearts: “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” Their long obedience led not to a throne room, but to an ordinary house. There, before a child with his mother, they bowed low and worshiped. They offered their treasures, not because they understood everything, but because they recognized the One who is worthy.

Seeking involves movement. Comfort rarely produces worship, and certainty asks little of faith. Hunger propels the soul; it gets us to the table. The Advent threads come together here: the invitation reached outsiders; the invitation started with God; the seat is prepared by grace, not credentials; and the King has come down to dine with his people. Scripture’s future hope is not humanity ascending to God but God dwelling with his people forever. That vision frames the present call: the table is not the end of the journey; the table is what the journey is for.

The spiritual danger is not usually rejection but completion—checking the boxes, singing the songs, and then returning to “usual” too quickly. The Magi show a better way. They sought, they worshiped, they gave, and they went home different—by another route. As a new year begins, the call is to keep seeking the King in Scripture, in worship, and at the table with others. Bring time, trust, and life. Imagine the King’s table: candles still lit, a chair still pulled out, a place still bearing your name. Christmas sends disciples back into the world, not away from the feast but deeper into it. Those who truly seek the King always find their way home.

Key Takeaways

1. Keep seeking beyond December 25. The holy days are meant to open a path, not close a season. Let the rhythms of Scripture, prayer, and gathered worship keep your heart in motion toward Christ. Refuse the illusion of “completion,” and keep responding to the invitation that never expires. The table is set for the long haul. [53:16]
2. Hunger moves us toward worship. Comfort stalls and certainty coasts, but spiritual hunger takes steps, asks questions, and endures detours. The Magi moved for months on the strength of a promise, not a plan, and bowed in an ordinary house before an extraordinary King. When desire is holy, even small light is enough to guide great obedience. [45:42]
3. Grace prepares a seat for outsiders. The Magi were not on Israel’s guest list, yet the star reached them. The invitation began with God, not with their pedigree, knowledge, or correctness. At the King’s table, grace precedes qualification—and welcomes worshipers before it examines credentials. [47:50]
4. The table strengthens the journey. Meeting Christ is not an epilogue; it’s nourishment for the road ahead. At the table, God gives what the soul cannot source elsewhere—presence that steadies, truth that guides, and love that sends. From that feast, disciples rise to live differently in an ordinary world. [50:24]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[21:06] - King’s Table series continues
[39:48] - The post-Christmas question
[41:37] - The King’s table is forever
[43:08] - A king worth the journey
[45:42] - Bowing, worship, and costly gifts
[47:50] - Advent threads converge: invitation and grace
[50:24] - The table is not the end
[53:16] - Keep seeking: Word, worship, and community
[55:05] - Prayer, invitation, and sending

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

In Matthew 2:1-12, what different reactions do you see to the news of a newborn “king of the Jews” (Magi, Herod, the religious leaders)? What does each reaction reveal?
Notice the guidance the Magi receive across the story: a star, Scripture, and a dream. How does each piece of guidance move the story forward?
Where do the Magi finally arrive, and what do they actually do there (bowing, worshiping, offering, and leaving by another route)?
It was noted that the Magi began their journey without knowing his name, address, or the cost. What details does Matthew include that show they moved forward anyway? “They didn’t know his name… they didn’t even know how much it would cost them… and they set out” [43:08]

Interpretation questions

“Seeking involves movement. Comfort never really produces worship; certainty never really requires much faith… but hunger does.” How does this help explain why the Magi bowed in an ordinary house rather than a royal hall? What might this say about where true worship often happens? [45:42]
The Magi were cultural and religious outsiders, yet the invitation reached them. What does this show about God’s initiative and the wideness of his table? How might this reshape who is “on the guest list” in our minds? [47:50]
“The table is not the end of the journey; the table is what the journey is for.” How does that vision change the way a disciple thinks about communion, worship, or time with God—as an epilogue or as nourishment for the road? [50:24]
They “went home different—by another route.” What might it mean for a person to go home “by another route” today—in habits, priorities, or relationships? [53:16]

Application questions

Where have comfort or the need for certainty stalled your movement toward Jesus? What is one concrete step of “hunger-driven” seeking you will take this week (a reading plan, a prayer time, a hard but faithful conversation)? “Comfort never really produces worship… hunger does.” [45:42]
What rhythms will keep you seeking beyond December 25? Pick one specific practice in each lane—Word (Scripture), worship, and community—to begin or renew in January. Name the time and place. “Keep seeking the King in Scripture… in worship… at the table with his people.” [53:16]
Who in your life might feel like an outsider to church or faith right now? What is one gentle, grace-first invitation you can extend this week (a meal, a ride, a seat next to you, a text)? “Grace prepares a seat for outsiders.” [47:50]
The Magi offered costly gifts. What does “treasure” look like for you right now—time, trust, finances, skills? Choose one offering to lay before Jesus this week and schedule when you’ll do it. “Keep bringing your time, your trust, your life.” [53:16]
The table strengthens the journey. What shared table could nourish you this month—a communion service, a simple meal with prayer, a weekly group dinner? Decide together what you will do and who you will invite. [50:24]
“They went home… by another route.” Where do you need a different route in 2025—an adjusted routine, a new boundary, a reconciled relationship, a healthier digital habit? What’s the first step to take this week? [53:16]
Picture the King’s table: candles still lit, a chair pulled out, your name on it. When do you tend to assume your seat is no longer there? What will it look like for you to take that chair this week—practically and prayerfully? [53:16]

Sermon Clips

candles burn lower and the guests begin to leave and the question quickly surfaces was that it? was that it? you kind of get that feeling after big occasions don't you? if you've ever been at a big huge banquet or if you've been at a wedding reception or you held a wedding reception or a big party or anniversary party you're like was that it? was that it? [00:41:23] (29 seconds) #AfterTheBanquetFades

well the Christmas story is a little different I want to present to you this morning I want to tell you that the king's table is forever and God's story of salvation refuses to end in a manger and it refuses to end on a cross and it certainly refused to end in a tomb right? [00:41:51] (23 seconds) #KingsTableForever

and so the gospel of Matthew reminds us that when the shepherds have gone home and after the angels have stopped singing and Mary and Joseph have settled into parenting the Messiah of the world which is pretty heavy I would imagine the journey continues to unfold doesn't it? the magi the wise men join in the story and they're spiritual seekers they're foreign scholars scientists some say outsiders all together and they saw this star and that star began their journey this invitation that they received was the star but it was way different than what the shepherds received in the field they never got exact precise directions at all they didn't hear angels sing or say hey if you go to this town you're going to find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes they held on to this question where is the one who has been born king of the Jews that was what they were holding on to where is this one who has been born king of the Jews think about that for just a moment let that sink in [00:42:14] (80 seconds) #WhereIsTheKing

they didn't know his name they didn't know his address they didn't even know how much it would cost them and they set out on this huge journey they were probably a huge caravan and it took months and months to follow this star maybe years later we don't know and we assume maybe as they arrived they were meeting this toddler Jesus but here's the thought to me is that a king has been born and he is worth the journey [00:43:35] (34 seconds) #WorthTheJourney

we talked about the first week as we had our Christmas experiences the invitation has arrived the magi weren't on the original guest list if you think about it the invitation had reached them anyway but they weren't with the shepherds were they they needed this star but the king's table was never meant to be small we talked about that the invitation has arrived and they received it and they were outside of God's known people okay [00:48:20] (34 seconds) #InvitationForAll

when we come hungry then we will be filled because the table is a place of true nourishment when we sit and we dine with the king of kings the lord of lords the heavenly father the holy spirit the son we get fed we get nourished for the journey of life it's not all the other stuff it's that spiritual stuff that truly gives us the strength that we need for the journey of life for the new year [00:51:21] (30 seconds) #NourishedForTheJourney

they go home in a different way Pastor Trish is going to talk a little bit about this next week too and the shepherds I mean they went home changed didn't they something changed in these men and they were willing to skirt the king of the Jews who was erred at that time and just kind of slip out and go another direction so I want to close by just encouraging us this new year as we travel to new years and we start a new year maybe we have new goals or resolutions or you just want to run after something you need to keep seeking [00:52:46] (39 seconds) #GoHomeDifferent

imagine with me the king's table if you've been taking this journey you know we've been talking about and picturing it all advent the candles are still lit and there's a chair pulled out and there's a place that still has your name on it that table and Christmas it just Christmas doesn't end on December 25th it sends us back into the world is what it does and those who truly seek the king my friends will always find their way home [00:54:00] (35 seconds) #SeatAtTheKingsTable

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