Wise Men

"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 insense and of myrrh." Matthew 2:11

They had it right on the very first Christmas. The wisemen took gifts not expecting to receive gifts. The bible says that after Jesus was born, a band of scholars or Magi, came to Jerusalem to ask of the one who was born king of the Jews. They had observed a star in the sky that signaled the birth of Jesus and they wanted to go and worship him and bring him gifts. I believe that these wisemen had the intentions that we ought to have this Christmas season. They had it right, they brought gifts to Jesus.

It seems like the most exhausting thing to do is to figure out what to get someone for Christmas. We put stress, strain, and anxiety upon ourselves because we want to please someone with the best gift that we can give them. Sometimes I believe the stress that comes along with it is because of the attitude of kids, and some adults, that they expect a gift. I don't think that I have heard one time from my two kids mouths the question of "what would so and so like for Christmas" or "what can we give someone for Christmas this year". I wonder sometimes if we (and I'm not faulting my kids by no means) have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas?

The wisemen didn't go seeking out the new born King to receive gifts from him, they took gifts to him without any inclination of getting anything in return. The gifts that the magi brought to the infant Jesus are really of great interest. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are all significant gifts that demonstrate the wise men's understanding of Jesus' identity. Gold is a gift fit for a king. Frankincense is a gift that would be offered to a Deity. Myrrh is what would be used to preserve a dead body -for someone who would die. But let's remember that all this happened because Jesus is the most precious gift for us that we will ever receive. God's gift to us because he loves us!

This Christmas let's tell everyone the true meaning of Christmas is about Jesus. Also, let's have a giving heart instead of a getting heart. Let's show God's love that lives in us and show someone some compassion and give them Jesus this year.