January 4, 2026
Today we’re taking a look at the wise men, who set out on a journey to find and worship the one born King of the Jews. One thing that’s unique about the wisemen is that they came to worship together! You may think, so what? Well think about the sound one soldier marching makes, listen to just me marching. (I march). It’s ok. Now if you don’t mind standing for a moment let’s try an experiment. Think of a group of soldiers marching in rhythm, left, right. Let’s do that. (Everyone marches.) It’s amazing, right? What was just ok, is now something powerful. It’s powerful when people come together. Here’s a question: why didn’t we just sit at home this morning and worship by ourselves? Why did we come to church? Because it helps to worship with others! We can look around and know we’re not the only ones worshiping God, we’re not crazy to worship. And when we’re together God is more powerfully there! We also encourage each other when we come and worship together as a church.
The wise men travelled together in order to worship. Their lives got in rhythm as they took the long journey to follow the star. Have you ever gone on a trip with other people? Like a field trip, or maybe a road trip, or a bus trip? You get to know you fellow travellers better on that trip! You get in sync. When I was in college in Washington, D.C. I took a trip home one Thanksgiving. A friend also lived in Ohio and he said he was getting a group together to share a ride. The day we left I was surprised to see 7 people there, and we all crammed into a car. We were all in the same boat! We were on the same mission: to get home for Thanksgiving. We got through it together. One guy on the trip, if I had known he was coming I would have not travelled, or taken the bus! We had a disagreement in the past. But on the trip I come to know he’s a nice person after all. We all had a good time, we laughed a lot, although I lived for the moments when we could get out of the car for as stretch break!
Those wise men were on a quest together. All in the same boat. They had a shared mission: to worship Jesus. They were in rhythm with each other. They were working together to find him. They told Herod, we have come to worship one born king of the Jews. They came to worship.
What is worship? It’s my response to God! It’s a response of love, thanks, and praise! The wise men worship Jesus and teach us how to worship with our senses and with our hearts.
First, they show us worship is responding to God with our eyes: Matthew 2: 1-2 says “Magi (or wise men) 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.” The wise men had their eyes open to what God wanted them to see. They saw the star because they were looking for a sign. We worship when we come to God with our eyes open, looking for what God wants us to do. Worship includes looking for needs around us and responding as Jesus would. If we see someone who is sad, that can be a clue from God to offer them compassion. We also keep our eyes closed to a lot of distractions or things that God wants us to avoid. Like the wise men, we worship by keeping our eyes open to the clues God sends us.
King Herod is upset when he learns that wise men were in Jerusalem asking where they can find the one born the king of the Jews! Herod is king and he doesn’t want any other kings around! He meets with the wise men and asks them to let him know where they find this new king. The next thing the wise men teach us is that worship is responding to God with our feet. Verse 9 says: “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.” The wise men go on their way! They keep walking, or riding their camels, following the star! Today you walked into church because you knew this is the right place to be this morning! God has a purpose for you to worship Him! Maybe someone insults you, and you want to give them a few choice words, but God wants you to walk away. You worship God, responding to Him, with your feet.
The third thing the wise men teach us is that worship is responding to God with our heart. Matthew 2:10 says, “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” If you’re on a trip to a place you’ve never been before, you’re happy and relieved when you know you’re on the right route. It’s great when you finally hear the GPS say: “Your destination is on the right.” But the wise men are more than just relieved that the star has guided them to the right place: they are overjoyed! They know God doesn’t have to, but he is leading them by the star! He has brought them to the new king! We worship God with our heart when we are full of gratitude for all we have received from Him! Worship is not demanding that God fulfill our every expectation. It is a grateful, joyful heart for simple things like I woke up this morning, I have a friend in this world and a God who loves me dearly! Worship is responding to God with an open heart, full of joy!
The fourth thing the wise men teach us is that worship is responding to God with our hands. Verse 11 says, On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The wise men bow down and worship Jesus! With their hands they take out and give expensive gifts to Jesus! We all have gifts to give to God. Maybe you’re good at being a friend or good at art or music. Maybe you’re good at cooking, sports or fixing things. Everything you are and have is a gift from God. Will you offer your gift back to God? Maybe worshipping with your hands means you pat someone on the back or applaud them for a job well done! Ask God what He would like you to offer as an act of worship to Him!
My challenge for you this week is to think about how you can worship God: with your eyes open to God, or with feet going in God’s direction, or with a joyful heart, or worship with hands to help.
The wise men said, “We have come to worship!” They had hearts for God! They travelled a long way to worship together! There was power in worshipping as a group. They teach us to worship with our eyes, paying attention to the clues God has for us of what he wants us to do. The magi teach us to worship with our feet, walking into church or walking away from revenge. The wisemen teach us to worship with a joyful heart, not demanding what we want, but grateful to God and open to whatever He brings. They teach us to worship with our hands, ready to give, to help, and to share our gifts. Thank you for walking into church today! We have come to worship! Amen.
Maureen Duffy-Guy's blog 