Ephiphany

Epiphany means appearance and it is the day we celebrate the wisemen appearing to meet Jesus, giving him gifts and adoring him.  Some also call wisemen, magi.

Epiphany occurs every year on January 6th which is twelve days after Christmas.  This is where we get the idea of twelve days of Christmas, it starts on Christmas day and goes until Epiphany.  The liturgical color for Epiphany is white.

Read Matthew 2:1-12 to hear the full story of the wisemen meeting Jesus then ask your children the questions below.

Do you know how the wisemen found Jesus? They followed a bright star in the sky. 

The wisemen are known for giving Jesus three gifts, do you know what they were?Gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Do you know why the wisemen gave Jesus gold? To acknowledge his royalty – he was born to be our King of Kings. The wisemen were foretelling his future as our Lord and King.  (Direction: Pass a chocolate gold coin around, then place a few more on the cloth)

Do you know why the wisemen gave Jesus frankincense? To symbolize their gift offerings of prayer and worship, we are instructed in the New Testament to give burnt and praise offerings to God.  (Direction:  Pass the bowl of cinnamon sticks and cloves for them to smell, and then set down on the cloth)

Do you know why the wisemen gave Jesus myrrh?To foretell the future of his death and burial in the tomb.  It was often used as a spice in the days of the Old Testament to prepare dead bodies for burial.  (Direction:  Spray some perfume in the center of the circle up in the air for the kids to smell and get an idea of what myrrh smells like).

If you were meeting Jesus for the first time, what kind of gifts would you give him and why?

Craft ideas: Have your children draw a large star on paper, color it yellow, cut it out and glue onto a popsicle stick. You can also make wisemen with popsicle sticks by cutting out adhesive glitter foam sheets to make their robes, hats and beards that adhere to the sticks then use a marker and draw on the eyes, nose and mouth. 

It’s tradition to serve King’s Cake on Epiphany.  Many local bakeries make them for Epiphany and usually you need to order them a week in advance.  You can also find recipes online to make with your children.  If you have any children with nut allergies, you should have an alternative snack as many make them with a nut these days instead of a plastic baby Jesus and some use almond frosting on top.   Another option is to make star shaped sugar cookies.