Isaiah 60:1-6 "Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all the nations to see! For the glory of the Lord is shining upon you. 2Darkness as black as night will cover all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord will shine over you. 3All nations will come to your light. Mighty kings will come to see your radiance. 4"Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home. 5Your eyes will shine, and your hearts will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you the wealth of many lands. 6Vast caravans of camels will converge on you, the camels of Midian and Ephah. From Sheba they will bring gold and incense for the worship of the Lord. (NLT) Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14. L. Give justice to the king, O God, and righteousness to the king's son. C. Help him judge your people in the right way; let the poor always be treated fairly. L. May the mountains yield prosperity for all, and may the hills be fruitful, because the king does what is right. C. Help him to defend the poor, to rescue the children of the needy, and to crush their oppressors. L. May he live as long as the sun shines, as long as the moon continues in the skies. Yes, forever! C. May his reign be as refreshing as the springtime rains—like the showers that water the earth. L. May all the godly flourish during his reign. May there be abundant prosperity until the end of time. C. The western kings of Tarshish and the islands will bring him tribute. L. The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts. C. All kings will bow before him, and all nations will serve him. L, He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them. C. He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them. L.He will save them from oppression and from violence, for their lives are precious to him. (NLT) The second lesson Ephesians. 3:1-12 I, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ Jesus because of my preaching to you Gentiles. 2As you already know, God has given me this special ministry of announcing his favor to you Gentiles. 3As I briefly mentioned earlier in this letter, God himself revealed his secret plan to me. 4As you read what I have written, you will understand what I know about this plan regarding Christ. 5God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now he has revealed it by the Holy Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. 6And this is the secret plan: The Gentiles have an equal share with the Jews in all the riches inherited by God's children. Both groups have believed the Good News, and both are part of the same body and enjoy together the promise of blessings through Christ Jesus. 7By God's special favor and mighty power, I have been given the wonderful privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. 8Just think! Though I did nothing to deserve it, and though I am the least deserving Christian there is, I was chosen for this special joy of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. 9I was chosen to explain to everyone this plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. 10God's purpose was to show his wisdom in all its rich variety to all the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. They will see this when Jews and Gentiles are joined together in his church. 11This was his plan from all eternity, and it has now been carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. 12Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God's presence, assured of his glad welcome. (NLT) The Gospel Lesson Matthew 2:1-12 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6 "'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 be the shepherd of my people Israel.'" 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 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 and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. (NIV)