Postscript

The beaded stars in this picture are more of our Christmas ornaments that were made in Kenya.  These remind us of the star that the Magi from the east followed until they found Jesus.  Contrary to our nativity scenes, the wise men were not present at Christ’s birth.  The star appeared to them on the day of Jesus’s birth, and they began to follow it until they arrived at Mary & Joseph’s home probably two years after Jesus was born.  Some believe that these men came from Persia–modern-day Iran.

From the Bible, the book of Matthew, Chapter 2, Verses 1-12, New International Version (an English translation)

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.

The three magi from one of our Kenyan-made Nativities.

From the Bible, the book of Matthew, Chapter 2, Verses 1-12, La Bible du Semeur (a French translation)  French is a second-language and language of wider-communication in many western and central African countries.

1 Jésus était né à Bethléhem en *Judée, sous le règne du roi *Hérode. Or, des mages venant de l’Orient arrivèrent à *Jérusalem.
2 Ils demandaient:—Où est le roi des *Juifs qui vient de naître? Nous avons vu se lever son étoile, et nous sommes venus lui rendre hommage.
3 Quand le roi Hérode apprit la nouvelle, il en fut profondément troublé, et tout Jérusalem avec lui.
4 Il convoqua tous les chefs des *prêtres et les *spécialistes de la *Loi que comptait son peuple et il leur demanda où devait naître le *Messie.
5 —A Bethléhem en Judée, lui répondirent-ils, car voici ce que le prophète a écrit:
6 Et toi, Bethléhem, village de Judée,
tu n’es certes pas le plus insignifiant
des chefs-lieux de *Juda,
car c’est de toi que sortira le chef
qui, comme un berger, conduira *Israël mon peuple.
7 Là-dessus, Hérode fit appeler secrètement les mages et se fit préciser à quel moment l’étoile leur était apparue.
8 Puis il les envoya à Bethléhem en disant:—Allez là-bas et renseignez-vous avec précision sur cet enfant; puis, quand vous l’aurez trouvé, venez me le faire savoir, pour que j’aille, moi aussi, lui rendre hommage.
9 Quand le roi leur eut donné ces instructions, les mages se mirent en route. Et voici: l’étoile qu’ils avaient vu se lever les précédait. Elle parvint au-dessus de l’endroit où se trouvait le petit enfant. Et là, elle s’arrêta.
10 En revoyant l’étoile, les mages furent remplis de joie.
11 Ils entrèrent dans la maison, virent l’enfant avec Marie, sa mère et, tombant à genoux, ils lui rendirent hommage. Puis ils ouvrirent leurs coffrets et lui offrirent en cadeau de l’or, de l’*encens et de la *myrrhe.
12 Cependant, Dieu les avertit par un rêve de ne pas retourner auprès d’Hérode. Ils regagnèrent donc leur pays par un autre chemin.

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