Forty-first Sunday.

THE CHILDHOOD OF OUR LORD.

FIRST READING.

"We have seen His star in the east and are come to worship Him."—Matt. 2:2.

THE shepherds were not the only people who came to see the blessed LordJesuswhen He was a little Infant. Far away in the East, God showed a bright, beautiful star to some wise men, and taught their hearts that it was the sign that the great King was born.

They set out on their journey to Judea, to see and honor Him; and when they came, they asked, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews, for we have seen His star in the East, and are come to worship Him."

This made Herod afraid, for he thought this must be a king who would take his kingdom from him. He made the learned men among the Jews look out in the prophecies where Christ should be born.

They found it was to be at Bethlehem, and he told the wise men so, and desired them to let him know when they found the King, that he might come and worship Him too; but he did not really mean to worship Him, but to kill Him.

However, God Himself showed these wise men where to find our blessed Lord, for the same star that they had seen in the East came out again, and went before them, and came and stood over where the young Child was. And though they saw a little Baby,and a poor mother holding Him in her arms, they knew He was the Lord and King; and they worshipped Him, and offered Him the gifts they had brought.

There was gold, and there was frankincense, which means the sweet-smelling, costly powder that was burnt in the Temple; and myrrh, which is a precious gum which comes out of trees, and is used to preserve and keep things good.

THE VISIT OF THE WISE MEN.—Matt. 2:10, 11.

QUESTIONS.

1. Who came to see our Lord? 2. Where did they come from? 3. What had they seen? 4. What did they ask? 5. Whom did they ask? 6. What did Herod say? 7. Did he want to worship? 8. What did he want to do? 9. How did the wise men find the way? 10. Whom did they see? 11. What did they offer Him? 12. What were the gifts? 13. What is frankincense? 14. What is myrrh? 15. Why did they worship Him?

SECOND READING.

"Arise, and take the young child and His mother."—Matt. 2:13.

HEROD was afraid that the new-born King of the Jews would take away his kingdom. So he meant to kill Him as soon as he could find out from the wise men where He was. But the wise men never came back to tell him, for God spoke to them in a dream, and warned them to go back to their own country another way.

And God also spoke to Joseph the carpenter, the blessed Virgin Mary's husband, and told him to take the young Child and His mother, and flee into the land of Egypt, and stay there till they should be told to come back, for Herod was seeking the young Child to destroy Him. Joseph obeyed, and the whole family fled into Egypt, and lived there for some years.

JOSEPH COMMANDED TO FLEE INTO EGYPT.—Matt. 2:13.

When Herod found the wise men did not come, he was very angry; and to make sure of killing Him who was to be King of theJews, he was so cruel and wicked as to cause all the babies in Bethlehem, of two years old and under, to be put to death.

THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT.—Matt. 2:14, 15.

We call them the Holy Innocents, because they were the first who died for Jesus Christ's sake. It seemed very sad then, but they have been happy and glorious ever since in heaven, and always will be. But God had taken care of Him, and He was safe in Egypt; and there they stayed till our Lord was about three years old, and then the wicked King Herod died.

QUESTIONS.

1. What did Herod want to do? 2. Why could he not find our blessed Lord? 3. Who warned the wise men? 4. Whom did Herod murder? 5. What do we call those Babes of Bethlehem? 6. But whom did he not find? 7. For where was our Lord? 8. Who had taken Him there? 9. Who was Joseph? 10. How did Joseph know He was to go to Egypt?

THIRD READING.

"Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."—Luke 2:52.

WHEN Herod died, Joseph brought our blessed Lord and His mother back from Egypt, and went to live at Nazareth. We do not know any more about Him till He was twelve years old, and then He went up with Joseph and His mother to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of the Passover. That great feast the Jews always kept in remembrance of the night when God delivered them out of their troubles in Egypt.

KILLING THE MALE CHILDREN UNDER TWO YEARS OLD.—Matt. 2:16.

When the time came for going home, the blessed Mary and Joseph could not find the Child Jesus. They thought at first that He was among the other boys of the company who had come up from Nazareth, and they went on a day's journey; but when He did not come back to them in the evening, they turned back to Jerusalem to seek Him. They looked for Him during three daysall round the city, and found Him at last in the Temple, among the boys who came to be taught by the learned men there.

Everybody who listened was astonished at His understanding and His answers; but when His mother came to call Him, He went home with her directly; and He obeyed her and Joseph in everything, and helped and worked for them, though He was really their God and King.

JESUS TEACHING IN THE TEMPLE.—Luke 2:46, 47.

That was to teach us all how good children should behave at home to their fathers and mothers, for Joseph was like a father to Him, though His real Father is God. And as He grew older He lived on with them, and worked as a carpenter with them till He was thirty years old. So, you see, He knows just what it is to be one of us, and a poor hard-working man. For God from heaven came to be one of us men, and just like us.

QUESTIONS.

1. When did our blessed Lord come back from Egypt? 2. Where did He go and live? 3. How old was He when we hear about Him again? 4. Where didHe go then? 5. What feast did they go to? 6. What was the Passover to put people in mind of? 7. What happened when it was time to go home? 8. How long was He lost? 9. Where was He found? 10. What was He doing there? 11. What was everyone surprised at? 12. What did He do when He was called? 13. How can you do like Him when you are called from what you like? 14. How did He always behave to His mother and Joseph? 15. How can you try to be like Him?

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