The Magi’s gifts
At Grace United Methodist Church, we have been thinking about the wise men this advent.
One of the things the Bible tells us about the Magi is that they brought gifts to the baby. I chuckle when I think about the preschooler who said, “They brought gifts of gold, Frankenstein and Smurfs.” The gifts they gave to the baby are important, because even the gifts that the wise men brought tell us who Jesus is.
First, the Bible says they brought gold. Gold represents royalty. In those days, people always gave gold to kings because gold was a metal that had almost unlimited value. Gold was the most expensive gift to give. When the Magi gave the gift of gold, they were saying, “This baby is our king.”
Then the Bible says they gave frankincense. Frankincense is a very rare and expensive incense. It’s made from the bark of a tree in Arabia. It was used in the temple to worship God. When they brought the baby frankincense, they were saying, “This is God. He is worthy of our worship.”
The third gift the Bible says they brought the baby was myrrh. Myrrh is a pretty odd gift to give a baby. Myrrh is the spice that the ancient world used to embalm dead bodies.
Why in the world would you give a death spice to a baby?
Because even in the gifts, the Magi were saying, “He’s not only our king. He’s not only our God, He’s our Savior. He’s the one who’s going to die for us. He’s going to sacrifice his life for the entire world so we can be saved, so we can go to heaven.”
Christmas Eve is a very special time. People around the world gather to worship because Christmas Eve is a night in which we remember a very holy night. An awesome night. What happened that night had never happened before and it’s never going to happen again. What happened at Christmas is some really good news. In fact, the angels basically said, “Don’t be afraid. I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it’s for everyone. Your Savior has been born tonight.”
This baby didn’t just come to live. This baby came to die. Even the gifts the wise men brought were saying it.
Why is Christmas such good news?
Because of what Jesus came to do. Jesus came to be our Savior. He came to save us.
At the very least Christmas is three big things, and it’s God’s Christmas gift to you. Wrapped up in God’s Christmas gift are three wonderful things:
God says:
I want to give you forgiveness, forgiveness for everything you’ve ever done wrong in your past.
I want to give you a purpose and power to live your life right now.
I want to give you the security of knowing your home in heaven is there for you when you die.
You will never get a better Christmas gift. Forgiveness for your past, help in the present, and security for your future. It’s called salvation. And it’s the good news.
I received a Christmas card in the mail recently with a picture of the wise men following the star to Bethlehem. It said, “Wise men came with the treasures of earth in their hands … and left with the treasure of Heaven in their hearts.”
A huge reason why the Magi are known as the wise men is because they recognized the gift of Jesus and received the gift. It still works that way today. Whenever a person decides to receive the gift of Jesus, they become wise too.
This Christmas is a great time to do what the wise men did. Let God fill you with God’s love. Jesus gave his life for you. Give your life to Christ this Christmas. Make that your Christmas gift to God.
Godspeed.
The Rev. Kenneth S. Custer is pastor of Grace United Methodist Church, Coal Center.