Gifts For A King
Sermon
Christmas Is For The Young... Whatever Their Age
16 Christmas Sermon Stories
Several years ago, some small children were helping set up a nativity scene. They placed the manger with baby Jesus in the center. Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds were put nearby. Two of the young boys in the class walked over to the teacher and asked: "Hey, where do you want to put the wise guys?"
The wise men have suffered a great deal of abuse through the centuries. The Magi, who came to celebrate the birth of Christ, have had legends and traditions grow about them. Stories have been embellished about who they were and what they did before and after finding the baby "king." Henry Van Dyke's The Other Wise Man and other tales have become Christmas classics. Amahi and the Night Visitors, an opera shown for the first time on television on Christmas Eve in 1951, is a story about the wise men who stopped at the house of a crippled boy, who is healed through their visit.
The Magi Were Not Kings
As the legends grew, the wise men were depicted as kings. One of our Christmas carols, written by John Hopkins is titled, "We Three Kings of Orient Are." Much medieval art depicted them as kings. An icon of the nativity in the holy of holies of the Greek chapel of the Basilica presents the wise men as kings. There is a claim that the relics of the three kings are buried in the cathedral at Cologne. They even assert that they know their names -- Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.
New Testament scholars like Eduard Schweizer and Frank Stagg have observed that the notion that the wise men might be kings would have contradicted every New Testament picture of the humble beginning of Jesus. Rather than being accepted by kings, Jesus was rejected by the political and religious power structures of his day. The only king mentioned, Herod, tried to kill the baby.1 No matter what the legends say, the wise men were not kings.
The wise men most likely did not come on the night that Jesus was born. Matthew notes that they came to the house where Mary was living. This was probably several years after Jesus was born. Nevertheless, this story has become a part of our Christmas tradition. In some congregations the coming of the wise men is celebrated after Christmas in a time called Epiphany, the manifestation, or the appearance.
Who Were The Magi?
Who were the Magi? Their identity or number cannot be known for certain. It is usually assumed that there were three wise men because of the three gifts, but this is unknown. The wise men were most likely learned priests from the priestly tribe of Medes, Persia, Arabia, Mesopotamia, or some other unknown point east. They were scholars in their day, who combined religion with science, astronomy, astrology, and medicine. These types of learned people later were recognized as teachers of religion and science. They came seeking the Christ Child because they thought this child would be the universal king who would usher in the golden age. The testament of Levi 18:3 noted these words about the Messiah, "His star will rise in the heavens."2 The wise men followed a star as they looked for a universal king who would bring deliverance and peace to the world.
We have a nativity set in our Christmas family celebration. It dates back to my wife's childhood days. We bring the battered figures out each Christmas and arrange them in an appropriate place as a part of our reminder of the meaning of Christmas. All of these figures, including the wise men, have survived not only Emily's childhood years but our children's examination as well. This nativity scene has been lovingly set out each year. The wise men have always been a part of our manger scene. They along with the other figures remind us of deep truths about our Savior's birth. In this Christmas season, I feel that there are still some lessons that you and I can learn from these ancient wise men who came searching for a king. Let's see if we can discover some of them.
Encourage Learned People To Continue To Come To Christ
I would suggest that we need to let the wise men come again. Let's encourage all wise men and women to come to church again. When the church began, there was no hesitation for people who were seeking wisdom and knowledge to come to the church. The church drew people of wisdom to its fold, and they in turn educated others. The church was the institution that founded universities and colleges. But there arose a time in the history of the church when wise men began to battle with the church. The church often stood in the way of education, scholarship, medicine, and science. The church sometimes condemned their findings and scholars and scientists had to fight the church to share their insights with the world. In our day many wise people simply ignore the church. They feel that the church is simply irrelevant.
An unknown writer has given us a different interpretation of the visit of the wise men, titled "Wise Men from the University."
Over 2,000 years ago, wise men from the universities in the east came following a star, and it led them to a stable. They set up their instruments outside the stable, and were amazed at the size and shape of the star and they wrote down all the dimensions and properties of the star that their instruments allowed.
And from inside the stable came the thin wail of a baby's cry, and one of the wise men walked over to the door, opened it and called out,
"Madam, would you please keep that baby from crying! We're trying to record a great new astronomical discovery, and the noise is distracting."
There are voices today from wise people who don't want to hear anything from the church. "Just keep quiet," they say, "you have blocked progress long enough." But the church needs to open its doors and invite wise men and women to return and use their intelligence in their religious pilgrimage. We should not tell people to leave their minds at the entrance to the church. The church should say to all people: "Bring your questions, fears, uncertainties, and doubts with you in your search for truth. They are welcome, because the church is not afraid of them. Come, thinking people, you are welcome." We follow a Lord who leads us into truth.
I am convinced that our religion can be informed by science and all the other disciplines of life. Our religious values and beliefs can be strengthened as we face the hard, tough questions of life. We need not fear them nor try to evade them. The church should not think that it has to build fences or walls to protect itself and its beliefs to keep people in or protect itself from others. The church should invite people to pursue truth and follow its path wherever it leads us. The church must not bar the door to thinking people.
Welcome All Questions And Seekers
The wise men, who were the best-educated men of their day, combined the knowledge of religion, science, and medicine. They were willing to use the best knowledge that was at their disposal to find truth. They were also willing to follow truth, as symbolized by their following the star, wherever it would take them. They sought to follow the knowledge they had to its ultimate source, even if it was a long journey. You and I, as wise people today, should pursue truth and follow it wherever it may take us. Be unafraid of what you may encounter. Remember, also, that it may be -- will be -- a lifelong journey.
The wise men were also willing to raise questions. "Where is he born king of the Jews?" they asked as they traveled the streets in Jerusalem. But those in Jerusalem could not answer, because they did not know. It was ironic that those in the holy city did not know of the birth of the Christ Child, but those men from a foreign country were aware of his birth. This was Matthew's way of saying, "Gentiles or foreigners would know about the birth of Christ and respond more quickly than the Jewish people did." His own people might reject him, but the Gentiles would recognize him.
Harry Emerson Fosdick, who is considered by many as one of the greatest preachers of the past century, went through a period of agnosticism when he was a student at Colgate University. He was on the point of rejecting religion completely. One day as he was walking across the campus, he noticed William Newton Clark, a professor at the university, who was a noted scholar and theologian. Fosdick loved the classes he had under this teacher. He concluded to himself that if this man with such a brilliant mind could believe, then he certainly should be willing to search for truth and not close his mind to Christianity.
The church should welcome all people who are searching for truth. Let's invite wise men and women to come again to church in their search to know and understand God, Christ, and the deep questions of life. Come in your search for truth, and be unafraid of where it leads. We worship a God who is the source of truth and life.
Follow Your Star
We notice from Matthew's account that the wise men followed a star. This morning I am not trying to encourage you to take up astrology. I am not convinced that the real message is determined by trying to locate what "historical" star the wise men might have followed or to let a horoscope guide you. The star represents the sign which God places in our hearts -- our longing, quest, impulse, pull, or vision. To follow your "star" is to be open to God as God leads you into new directions, pathways, and truth. A line from "The Impossible Dream" declares that one is committed "to follow that star no matter where it leads." The Old Testament prophet reminds us that "without a vision the people will perish."
I like the moving lines from the book, Kneeling In Bethlehem, by Ann Weems.
What I'd really like to give you for
Christmas is a star ...
Brilliance in a package,
something you could keep in the pocket
of your jeans or in the pocket of your being.
Something to take out in times of darkness,
something that would never snuff out or tarnish,
something you could hold in your hand,
something for wonderment,
something for pondering,
something that would remind you of what
Christmas has always meant:
God's Advent Light into the darkness of this world.
But stars are only God's for giving,
and I must be content to give you words
and wishes and packages without stars.
But I can wish you life
as radiant as the Star
that announced the Christ Child's coming,
and as filled with awe as the shepherds
who stood beneath its light.
And I can pass on to you the love
that has been given to me,
ignited countless times by others
who have knelt in Bethlehem's light.
Perhaps, if you ask, God will give you a star.3
Let us pray that we too may find that star, longing, pull, or vision that will enable us to grow in our life and faith. Captured by its brilliance, may we forever follow its light.
Gifts To The Christ Child
When the wise men found the child, they presented gifts to him. Longfellow wrote of their gifts in these lines:
They laid their offerings at his feet;
The gold was their tribute to a King,
The frankincense, with its odor sweet,
Was for the Priest, the Paraclete,
The myrrh for the body's burying.
-- from Longfellow's "The Three Kings"
John Hopkins' hymn, "We Three Kings Of Orient Are," written in 1857, is still popular today. But the wise men were not kings. They were soothsayers -- learned teachers or priests -- who came searching for the sign of the universal king. They bore gifts to acknowledge his kingship, not theirs. If they had been kings, this would have contradicted the thrust of Matthew's gospel. His message was that the world -- the kings of the earth, and the religious leaders -- all ignored Christ, or, like Herod, tried to kill him. The wise men came not as kings but as people who sought a king. As the custom was in that day, they brought gifts to offer to their king. All of the gifts were worthy gifts for a king.
One of the wise men brought gold. Hopkins expressed the meaning of the first gift in these lines:
Born a King on Bethlehem's plain,
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.
Gold, an appropriate gift for a king, represents the material possessions of life. As our king, we commit all our possessions in his service.
The second wise man laid frankincense at the babe's feet.
Frankincense to offer have I,
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising all men raising,
Worship Him, God on high.
Frankincense was used at worship in the temple. It symbolizes the priestly nature of our Lord. Christ was later recognized by the church as great high priest. The Latin word for priest is pontifex, bridge builder. I like Frank Stagg's understanding of Jesus as "the mediator." As mediator, Jesus is the one "who overcame the betweenness between God and us."4 As priest, Jesus bridged the gulf that separated humanity from God.
The other wise man presented the babe a gift of myrrh.
Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom:
Sorr'wing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.
Myrrh was a sweet gum fragrance which was used for embalming. It was a perfume or spice used for burial. Recently, we baptized several people in our church. As they were buried under the water in baptism, this act symbolized their dying to the old way of life and being raised to walk in a new way. In this Christmas season, we must remember that the baby whose birth we celebrate grew up and died so that we might have life and have it abundantly. On Christmas Eve, we will commune at the Lord's Table to remind us that Christ's birth and death were forever linked together in the mind of the New Testament writers.
The gifts represented the very best that the wise men had to present to the Christ. What will be the gifts which you will present to him in this Christmas season? A beautiful painting by Sir Anthony Van Dyck, titled The Adoration of the Shepherds, hangs in the Courtauld Gallery in London. It shows the shepherds, kneeling in adoration before the manger and with them are their wives. One of the shepherd's wives stretched out her hand and offered an egg as a gift to the Christ Child.
Offer Your Gifts
How simple, yet how appropriate. The gift was something to sustain life. Are there not simple gifts which you and I can offer in this Christmas season? What will you present as your gifts to the Christ Child this season? May I be bold enough to suggest a few? I suggest you give some time. Time is one of our choicest gifts. Invest some of your time by reaching out to those in our church and community who may be sick or cannot get out. Your visit can enrich their lives and your own.
The Gift Of Time
When Ruth and George Beasley-Murray moved to Louisville, Kentucky, so George could teach at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, they left their friends and native country of England behind. Ruth indicated that it was a lonely experience for her. The first Sunday they came to St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville, one of the church members extended them an invitation, "Would you like to come home with me and have lunch?" "Oh yes," Ruth said, and a friendship began then that has lasted through the years. Invest some of your time at Christmas with others and especially with your own family. It can make a significant difference.
Offer Your Material Gifts
Let me also be bold enough to suggest that you give your "gold" -- money -- as a gift to the Christ. Commit a part of your possessions -- a tenth -- so that all will be committed to him. Invest part of your "gold" in something that will outlive you because it is directed to spiritual ends. Emerson expressed it this way, "The only real gift is a portion of yourself." As we commit our self to God, our possessions and all that we have and are will be focused correctly.
Offer The Gift Of Prayer
Give also the gift of prayer. As you pray for others you will offer encouragement and hope to those who need it. Set aside some time to pray for people you know who have special needs.
Our Quest Ends In Adoration
Did you notice that when these wise men came in, they knelt down and worshiped the Christ Child as they presented him their gifts? He represented the end of their quest. Should this not also be true for each of us? When we come into the presence of Christ, that meeting ultimately ends in adoration. When we meet the Christ, he opens an avenue to God so we can worship.
Down through the ages, the ground has been covered with tokens or treasures of homage which others have laid at the feet of the Christ. Many have followed the example of the wise men in offering Christ their precious treasures. These treasures have included Christmas carols of all kinds, majestic music like Handel's Messiah and Vivaldi's Gloria, paintings, books, poetry, sculpture, architecture, stained glass windows, and countless other choice gifts. All placed at the feet of the Christ Child to adore him. They offered to him the best they had which others who have followed through the centuries have done. These offerings have been the best which the human mind and heart could have been able to render. These gifts are given in recognition of the greatest gift of all -- God's Son. As Luther reminds us, Christmas presents "a gift and a bestowing that endures forever." How can we offer in return less than our best?
After the wise men had worshiped the Christ Child, they returned home with a new vision and hope. They knew they could not remain on their knees but had to return to their tasks. But they were different. Their lives would never be the same again. When you and I come and worship Christ and go back into the world, our lives ought to be different. Our meeting with him should forever have changed us.
George MacCleod liked to tell the story about a boy who threw a rock through a church's stained-glass window. The window depicted the birth of the Christ Child and bore the inscription: "GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST." The boy's rock had knocked out the "E" in highest. Until it was repaired, it read: "GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGH ST." Isn't that really where we all must worship God -- in the streets of life? Having met Christ, we are now assured that light is more powerful than darkness, love is more powerful than hate, faith is more victorious than despair, and courage is greater than fear. Life is different because of the coming of Christ.
I read a delightful story a number of years ago, which I have kept in my files, about a father who had to "sit" with the children while his wife went Christmas shopping. "Daddy, would you like to see a play today?" they asked him. Well, like most good fathers, he decided that he would see it whether he wanted to or not. He sat down to watch it and discovered that it was a nativity play. His son, Rex, six years old, entered dressed in his father's bathrobe and carrying a mop. He was followed by Nancy (age ten) who announced, "I'm Mary and this is Joseph." At the foot of the piano stool they placed a shoebox with a flashlight wrapped in tissue paper to represent the baby Jesus.
In a few moments, Trudy, four years old, came in with two pillowcases over her arms which she waved about and said, "I'm an angel." Finally, Anne, age eight, came walking in with her mother's high heels on. She moved up and down like she was riding a camel. She was heavily bejeweled and carried a pillow bearing some items. She bowed before the holy family and declared, "I am all three wise men. I bring precious gifts: Gold, circumstances, and mud."
That was it. As the father reflected on the play, he said he did not laugh. He realized that too often we come to Christmas burdened down with all that gold represents. We all live under the pressures of the circumstances of our time, place, and custom. Sometimes it all seems a bit like mud. Through the faces of his children, he was reminded how God can transform life with his presence and infused circumstances with divine meaning and turn the mud of our life into something worthwhile.5
In this Advent season, the coming of the wise men and their adoration of the Christ Child symbolize for us the hope and possibility of beginning again which we find in the one whose birth we celebrate. May the words of J. Barrie Shepherd remind us of the new beginning we can find in the Christmas star.
Remind me, father, of the distance
I have already traveled since I "first believed,"
and hold up before my weary eyes that prize
that shines within the Christmas star:
your gift of my salvation.6
Let us bring our gifts to the King and worship him as we rejoice in God's great redemption.
____________
1. Eduard Schweizer, The Good News According to Matthew (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1977), p. 38.
2. Ibid.
3. Ann Weems, Kneeling In Bethlehem (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1987), p. 71. Reprinted by permission of Westminster John Knox Press.
4. Frank Stagg, New Testament Theology (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1962), p. 73.
5. Rex Knowles, Guideposts, December, 1961, pp. 12-13.
6. J. Barrie Shepherd, A Child Is Born (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1988), p. 25. Reprinted by permission of Westminster John Knox Press.
The wise men have suffered a great deal of abuse through the centuries. The Magi, who came to celebrate the birth of Christ, have had legends and traditions grow about them. Stories have been embellished about who they were and what they did before and after finding the baby "king." Henry Van Dyke's The Other Wise Man and other tales have become Christmas classics. Amahi and the Night Visitors, an opera shown for the first time on television on Christmas Eve in 1951, is a story about the wise men who stopped at the house of a crippled boy, who is healed through their visit.
The Magi Were Not Kings
As the legends grew, the wise men were depicted as kings. One of our Christmas carols, written by John Hopkins is titled, "We Three Kings of Orient Are." Much medieval art depicted them as kings. An icon of the nativity in the holy of holies of the Greek chapel of the Basilica presents the wise men as kings. There is a claim that the relics of the three kings are buried in the cathedral at Cologne. They even assert that they know their names -- Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.
New Testament scholars like Eduard Schweizer and Frank Stagg have observed that the notion that the wise men might be kings would have contradicted every New Testament picture of the humble beginning of Jesus. Rather than being accepted by kings, Jesus was rejected by the political and religious power structures of his day. The only king mentioned, Herod, tried to kill the baby.1 No matter what the legends say, the wise men were not kings.
The wise men most likely did not come on the night that Jesus was born. Matthew notes that they came to the house where Mary was living. This was probably several years after Jesus was born. Nevertheless, this story has become a part of our Christmas tradition. In some congregations the coming of the wise men is celebrated after Christmas in a time called Epiphany, the manifestation, or the appearance.
Who Were The Magi?
Who were the Magi? Their identity or number cannot be known for certain. It is usually assumed that there were three wise men because of the three gifts, but this is unknown. The wise men were most likely learned priests from the priestly tribe of Medes, Persia, Arabia, Mesopotamia, or some other unknown point east. They were scholars in their day, who combined religion with science, astronomy, astrology, and medicine. These types of learned people later were recognized as teachers of religion and science. They came seeking the Christ Child because they thought this child would be the universal king who would usher in the golden age. The testament of Levi 18:3 noted these words about the Messiah, "His star will rise in the heavens."2 The wise men followed a star as they looked for a universal king who would bring deliverance and peace to the world.
We have a nativity set in our Christmas family celebration. It dates back to my wife's childhood days. We bring the battered figures out each Christmas and arrange them in an appropriate place as a part of our reminder of the meaning of Christmas. All of these figures, including the wise men, have survived not only Emily's childhood years but our children's examination as well. This nativity scene has been lovingly set out each year. The wise men have always been a part of our manger scene. They along with the other figures remind us of deep truths about our Savior's birth. In this Christmas season, I feel that there are still some lessons that you and I can learn from these ancient wise men who came searching for a king. Let's see if we can discover some of them.
Encourage Learned People To Continue To Come To Christ
I would suggest that we need to let the wise men come again. Let's encourage all wise men and women to come to church again. When the church began, there was no hesitation for people who were seeking wisdom and knowledge to come to the church. The church drew people of wisdom to its fold, and they in turn educated others. The church was the institution that founded universities and colleges. But there arose a time in the history of the church when wise men began to battle with the church. The church often stood in the way of education, scholarship, medicine, and science. The church sometimes condemned their findings and scholars and scientists had to fight the church to share their insights with the world. In our day many wise people simply ignore the church. They feel that the church is simply irrelevant.
An unknown writer has given us a different interpretation of the visit of the wise men, titled "Wise Men from the University."
Over 2,000 years ago, wise men from the universities in the east came following a star, and it led them to a stable. They set up their instruments outside the stable, and were amazed at the size and shape of the star and they wrote down all the dimensions and properties of the star that their instruments allowed.
And from inside the stable came the thin wail of a baby's cry, and one of the wise men walked over to the door, opened it and called out,
"Madam, would you please keep that baby from crying! We're trying to record a great new astronomical discovery, and the noise is distracting."
There are voices today from wise people who don't want to hear anything from the church. "Just keep quiet," they say, "you have blocked progress long enough." But the church needs to open its doors and invite wise men and women to return and use their intelligence in their religious pilgrimage. We should not tell people to leave their minds at the entrance to the church. The church should say to all people: "Bring your questions, fears, uncertainties, and doubts with you in your search for truth. They are welcome, because the church is not afraid of them. Come, thinking people, you are welcome." We follow a Lord who leads us into truth.
I am convinced that our religion can be informed by science and all the other disciplines of life. Our religious values and beliefs can be strengthened as we face the hard, tough questions of life. We need not fear them nor try to evade them. The church should not think that it has to build fences or walls to protect itself and its beliefs to keep people in or protect itself from others. The church should invite people to pursue truth and follow its path wherever it leads us. The church must not bar the door to thinking people.
Welcome All Questions And Seekers
The wise men, who were the best-educated men of their day, combined the knowledge of religion, science, and medicine. They were willing to use the best knowledge that was at their disposal to find truth. They were also willing to follow truth, as symbolized by their following the star, wherever it would take them. They sought to follow the knowledge they had to its ultimate source, even if it was a long journey. You and I, as wise people today, should pursue truth and follow it wherever it may take us. Be unafraid of what you may encounter. Remember, also, that it may be -- will be -- a lifelong journey.
The wise men were also willing to raise questions. "Where is he born king of the Jews?" they asked as they traveled the streets in Jerusalem. But those in Jerusalem could not answer, because they did not know. It was ironic that those in the holy city did not know of the birth of the Christ Child, but those men from a foreign country were aware of his birth. This was Matthew's way of saying, "Gentiles or foreigners would know about the birth of Christ and respond more quickly than the Jewish people did." His own people might reject him, but the Gentiles would recognize him.
Harry Emerson Fosdick, who is considered by many as one of the greatest preachers of the past century, went through a period of agnosticism when he was a student at Colgate University. He was on the point of rejecting religion completely. One day as he was walking across the campus, he noticed William Newton Clark, a professor at the university, who was a noted scholar and theologian. Fosdick loved the classes he had under this teacher. He concluded to himself that if this man with such a brilliant mind could believe, then he certainly should be willing to search for truth and not close his mind to Christianity.
The church should welcome all people who are searching for truth. Let's invite wise men and women to come again to church in their search to know and understand God, Christ, and the deep questions of life. Come in your search for truth, and be unafraid of where it leads. We worship a God who is the source of truth and life.
Follow Your Star
We notice from Matthew's account that the wise men followed a star. This morning I am not trying to encourage you to take up astrology. I am not convinced that the real message is determined by trying to locate what "historical" star the wise men might have followed or to let a horoscope guide you. The star represents the sign which God places in our hearts -- our longing, quest, impulse, pull, or vision. To follow your "star" is to be open to God as God leads you into new directions, pathways, and truth. A line from "The Impossible Dream" declares that one is committed "to follow that star no matter where it leads." The Old Testament prophet reminds us that "without a vision the people will perish."
I like the moving lines from the book, Kneeling In Bethlehem, by Ann Weems.
What I'd really like to give you for
Christmas is a star ...
Brilliance in a package,
something you could keep in the pocket
of your jeans or in the pocket of your being.
Something to take out in times of darkness,
something that would never snuff out or tarnish,
something you could hold in your hand,
something for wonderment,
something for pondering,
something that would remind you of what
Christmas has always meant:
God's Advent Light into the darkness of this world.
But stars are only God's for giving,
and I must be content to give you words
and wishes and packages without stars.
But I can wish you life
as radiant as the Star
that announced the Christ Child's coming,
and as filled with awe as the shepherds
who stood beneath its light.
And I can pass on to you the love
that has been given to me,
ignited countless times by others
who have knelt in Bethlehem's light.
Perhaps, if you ask, God will give you a star.3
Let us pray that we too may find that star, longing, pull, or vision that will enable us to grow in our life and faith. Captured by its brilliance, may we forever follow its light.
Gifts To The Christ Child
When the wise men found the child, they presented gifts to him. Longfellow wrote of their gifts in these lines:
They laid their offerings at his feet;
The gold was their tribute to a King,
The frankincense, with its odor sweet,
Was for the Priest, the Paraclete,
The myrrh for the body's burying.
-- from Longfellow's "The Three Kings"
John Hopkins' hymn, "We Three Kings Of Orient Are," written in 1857, is still popular today. But the wise men were not kings. They were soothsayers -- learned teachers or priests -- who came searching for the sign of the universal king. They bore gifts to acknowledge his kingship, not theirs. If they had been kings, this would have contradicted the thrust of Matthew's gospel. His message was that the world -- the kings of the earth, and the religious leaders -- all ignored Christ, or, like Herod, tried to kill him. The wise men came not as kings but as people who sought a king. As the custom was in that day, they brought gifts to offer to their king. All of the gifts were worthy gifts for a king.
One of the wise men brought gold. Hopkins expressed the meaning of the first gift in these lines:
Born a King on Bethlehem's plain,
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.
Gold, an appropriate gift for a king, represents the material possessions of life. As our king, we commit all our possessions in his service.
The second wise man laid frankincense at the babe's feet.
Frankincense to offer have I,
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising all men raising,
Worship Him, God on high.
Frankincense was used at worship in the temple. It symbolizes the priestly nature of our Lord. Christ was later recognized by the church as great high priest. The Latin word for priest is pontifex, bridge builder. I like Frank Stagg's understanding of Jesus as "the mediator." As mediator, Jesus is the one "who overcame the betweenness between God and us."4 As priest, Jesus bridged the gulf that separated humanity from God.
The other wise man presented the babe a gift of myrrh.
Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom:
Sorr'wing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.
Myrrh was a sweet gum fragrance which was used for embalming. It was a perfume or spice used for burial. Recently, we baptized several people in our church. As they were buried under the water in baptism, this act symbolized their dying to the old way of life and being raised to walk in a new way. In this Christmas season, we must remember that the baby whose birth we celebrate grew up and died so that we might have life and have it abundantly. On Christmas Eve, we will commune at the Lord's Table to remind us that Christ's birth and death were forever linked together in the mind of the New Testament writers.
The gifts represented the very best that the wise men had to present to the Christ. What will be the gifts which you will present to him in this Christmas season? A beautiful painting by Sir Anthony Van Dyck, titled The Adoration of the Shepherds, hangs in the Courtauld Gallery in London. It shows the shepherds, kneeling in adoration before the manger and with them are their wives. One of the shepherd's wives stretched out her hand and offered an egg as a gift to the Christ Child.
Offer Your Gifts
How simple, yet how appropriate. The gift was something to sustain life. Are there not simple gifts which you and I can offer in this Christmas season? What will you present as your gifts to the Christ Child this season? May I be bold enough to suggest a few? I suggest you give some time. Time is one of our choicest gifts. Invest some of your time by reaching out to those in our church and community who may be sick or cannot get out. Your visit can enrich their lives and your own.
The Gift Of Time
When Ruth and George Beasley-Murray moved to Louisville, Kentucky, so George could teach at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, they left their friends and native country of England behind. Ruth indicated that it was a lonely experience for her. The first Sunday they came to St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville, one of the church members extended them an invitation, "Would you like to come home with me and have lunch?" "Oh yes," Ruth said, and a friendship began then that has lasted through the years. Invest some of your time at Christmas with others and especially with your own family. It can make a significant difference.
Offer Your Material Gifts
Let me also be bold enough to suggest that you give your "gold" -- money -- as a gift to the Christ. Commit a part of your possessions -- a tenth -- so that all will be committed to him. Invest part of your "gold" in something that will outlive you because it is directed to spiritual ends. Emerson expressed it this way, "The only real gift is a portion of yourself." As we commit our self to God, our possessions and all that we have and are will be focused correctly.
Offer The Gift Of Prayer
Give also the gift of prayer. As you pray for others you will offer encouragement and hope to those who need it. Set aside some time to pray for people you know who have special needs.
Our Quest Ends In Adoration
Did you notice that when these wise men came in, they knelt down and worshiped the Christ Child as they presented him their gifts? He represented the end of their quest. Should this not also be true for each of us? When we come into the presence of Christ, that meeting ultimately ends in adoration. When we meet the Christ, he opens an avenue to God so we can worship.
Down through the ages, the ground has been covered with tokens or treasures of homage which others have laid at the feet of the Christ. Many have followed the example of the wise men in offering Christ their precious treasures. These treasures have included Christmas carols of all kinds, majestic music like Handel's Messiah and Vivaldi's Gloria, paintings, books, poetry, sculpture, architecture, stained glass windows, and countless other choice gifts. All placed at the feet of the Christ Child to adore him. They offered to him the best they had which others who have followed through the centuries have done. These offerings have been the best which the human mind and heart could have been able to render. These gifts are given in recognition of the greatest gift of all -- God's Son. As Luther reminds us, Christmas presents "a gift and a bestowing that endures forever." How can we offer in return less than our best?
After the wise men had worshiped the Christ Child, they returned home with a new vision and hope. They knew they could not remain on their knees but had to return to their tasks. But they were different. Their lives would never be the same again. When you and I come and worship Christ and go back into the world, our lives ought to be different. Our meeting with him should forever have changed us.
George MacCleod liked to tell the story about a boy who threw a rock through a church's stained-glass window. The window depicted the birth of the Christ Child and bore the inscription: "GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST." The boy's rock had knocked out the "E" in highest. Until it was repaired, it read: "GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGH ST." Isn't that really where we all must worship God -- in the streets of life? Having met Christ, we are now assured that light is more powerful than darkness, love is more powerful than hate, faith is more victorious than despair, and courage is greater than fear. Life is different because of the coming of Christ.
I read a delightful story a number of years ago, which I have kept in my files, about a father who had to "sit" with the children while his wife went Christmas shopping. "Daddy, would you like to see a play today?" they asked him. Well, like most good fathers, he decided that he would see it whether he wanted to or not. He sat down to watch it and discovered that it was a nativity play. His son, Rex, six years old, entered dressed in his father's bathrobe and carrying a mop. He was followed by Nancy (age ten) who announced, "I'm Mary and this is Joseph." At the foot of the piano stool they placed a shoebox with a flashlight wrapped in tissue paper to represent the baby Jesus.
In a few moments, Trudy, four years old, came in with two pillowcases over her arms which she waved about and said, "I'm an angel." Finally, Anne, age eight, came walking in with her mother's high heels on. She moved up and down like she was riding a camel. She was heavily bejeweled and carried a pillow bearing some items. She bowed before the holy family and declared, "I am all three wise men. I bring precious gifts: Gold, circumstances, and mud."
That was it. As the father reflected on the play, he said he did not laugh. He realized that too often we come to Christmas burdened down with all that gold represents. We all live under the pressures of the circumstances of our time, place, and custom. Sometimes it all seems a bit like mud. Through the faces of his children, he was reminded how God can transform life with his presence and infused circumstances with divine meaning and turn the mud of our life into something worthwhile.5
In this Advent season, the coming of the wise men and their adoration of the Christ Child symbolize for us the hope and possibility of beginning again which we find in the one whose birth we celebrate. May the words of J. Barrie Shepherd remind us of the new beginning we can find in the Christmas star.
Remind me, father, of the distance
I have already traveled since I "first believed,"
and hold up before my weary eyes that prize
that shines within the Christmas star:
your gift of my salvation.6
Let us bring our gifts to the King and worship him as we rejoice in God's great redemption.
____________
1. Eduard Schweizer, The Good News According to Matthew (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1977), p. 38.
2. Ibid.
3. Ann Weems, Kneeling In Bethlehem (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1987), p. 71. Reprinted by permission of Westminster John Knox Press.
4. Frank Stagg, New Testament Theology (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1962), p. 73.
5. Rex Knowles, Guideposts, December, 1961, pp. 12-13.
6. J. Barrie Shepherd, A Child Is Born (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1988), p. 25. Reprinted by permission of Westminster John Knox Press.
