Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. Not quite the gifts one would expect at a baby shower. However, these were the gifts that Jesus received upon his birth. There, shivering in the cold of night, three seemingly important men arrive to welcome this new child into the world. As I read the story, impulsively I think "how about a blanket?" "And they call these guys WISE men?" "What is a shivering baby in a barn going to do with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. With gifts like that, what entitled these men to the moniker "wise" in the first place?
Perhaps these gifts point to something beyond themselves, a deeper and more powerful meaning. Gold was often reserved for royalty. This was the stuff of kings. It is said that frankincense often was used in temple worship. Finally, Myrrh was a perfume which was employed in the embalming of bodies.
Christ as King!
Christ as Priest!
Christ as Savior!
These men possessed and amazing understanding of who Jesus was and what he came to do. He had come to rule (King), reorder (Priest), and die (Savior). However, wisdom was not found in their gifts, but in their worship. Three pagan men understood how to act in the presence of the holy one, they worshipped him. This is what the church means by Epiphany. In that powerful moment three or more (since we are not exactly certain how many came) men came face to face with God.
The gifts these men gave Jesus were gifts that Jesus bequeathed to us. Yet, it is the final gift that most greatly challenges me. I like the idea of being a king, receiving gold and honor. I am even okay with the responsibilities of the priest. There is a sense of import in such a role. But myrrh means death! Talk about an epiphany! How can death be a gift? I would image that Abraham had the same thought as he hurried his son up a mountain. The poor child must have been so confused. Certainly he had seen sacrifices before, but never without the sacrifice. I wonder how long it took Isaac to figure it out. Abraham had rope, he must have figured Isaac would struggle. His heart must have shattered as he went to his tool shed three days earlier to retrieve the rope, the one thing that would ensure Isaac could not escape. The sounds of Isaac's cry for reprieve must have been unbearable. "How could this be a gift, how could the death of what we value most ever be a gift?
God impeded Abraham's thrust, Isaac lived. But I would suggest that young Isaac was not the only one who received life that day, Abraham did as well. He had given God all that he valued, one might rightly suggest that all but God was dead to him. He had sacrificed everything to God. Talk about an epiphany, this is how death can be a gift! One cannot truly live, until he has first truly died.
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Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Talk About an Epiphany!
Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. Not quite the gifts one would expect at a baby shower. However, these were the gifts that Jesus received upon his birth. There, shivering in the cold of night, three seemingly important men arrive to welcome this new child into the world. As I read the story, impulsively I think "how about a blanket?" "And they call these guys WISE men?" "What is a shivering baby in a barn going to do with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. With gifts like that, what entitled these men to the moniker "wise" in the first place?
Perhaps these gifts point to something beyond themselves, a deeper and more powerful meaning. Gold was often reserved for royalty. This was the stuff of kings. It is said that frankincense often was used in temple worship. Finally, Myrrh was a perfume which was employed in the embalming of bodies.
Christ as King!
Christ as Priest!
Christ as Savior!
These men possessed and amazing understanding of who Jesus was and what he came to do. He had come to rule (King), reorder (Priest), and die (Savior). However, wisdom was not found in their gifts, but in their worship. Three pagan men understood how to act in the presence of the holy one, they worshipped him. This is what the church means by Epiphany. In that powerful moment three or more (since we are not exactly certain how many came) men came face to face with God.
The gifts these men gave Jesus were gifts that Jesus bequeathed to us. Yet, it is the final gift that most greatly challenges me. I like the idea of being a king, receiving gold and honor. I am even okay with the responsibilities of the priest. There is a sense of import in such a role. But myrrh means death! Talk about an epiphany! How can death be a gift? I would image that Abraham had the same thought as he hurried his son up a mountain. The poor child must have been so confused. Certainly he had seen sacrifices before, but never without the sacrifice. I wonder how long it took Isaac to figure it out. Abraham had rope, he must have figured Isaac would struggle. His heart must have shattered as he went to his tool shed three days earlier to retrieve the rope, the one thing that would ensure Isaac could not escape. The sounds of Isaac's cry for reprieve must have been unbearable. "How could this be a gift, how could the death of what we value most ever be a gift?
God impeded Abraham's thrust, Isaac lived. But I would suggest that young Isaac was not the only one who received life that day, Abraham did as well. He had given God all that he valued, one might rightly suggest that all but God was dead to him. He had sacrificed everything to God. Talk about an epiphany, this is how death can be a gift! One cannot truly live, until he has first truly died.
Perhaps these gifts point to something beyond themselves, a deeper and more powerful meaning. Gold was often reserved for royalty. This was the stuff of kings. It is said that frankincense often was used in temple worship. Finally, Myrrh was a perfume which was employed in the embalming of bodies.
Christ as King!
Christ as Priest!
Christ as Savior!
These men possessed and amazing understanding of who Jesus was and what he came to do. He had come to rule (King), reorder (Priest), and die (Savior). However, wisdom was not found in their gifts, but in their worship. Three pagan men understood how to act in the presence of the holy one, they worshipped him. This is what the church means by Epiphany. In that powerful moment three or more (since we are not exactly certain how many came) men came face to face with God.
The gifts these men gave Jesus were gifts that Jesus bequeathed to us. Yet, it is the final gift that most greatly challenges me. I like the idea of being a king, receiving gold and honor. I am even okay with the responsibilities of the priest. There is a sense of import in such a role. But myrrh means death! Talk about an epiphany! How can death be a gift? I would image that Abraham had the same thought as he hurried his son up a mountain. The poor child must have been so confused. Certainly he had seen sacrifices before, but never without the sacrifice. I wonder how long it took Isaac to figure it out. Abraham had rope, he must have figured Isaac would struggle. His heart must have shattered as he went to his tool shed three days earlier to retrieve the rope, the one thing that would ensure Isaac could not escape. The sounds of Isaac's cry for reprieve must have been unbearable. "How could this be a gift, how could the death of what we value most ever be a gift?
God impeded Abraham's thrust, Isaac lived. But I would suggest that young Isaac was not the only one who received life that day, Abraham did as well. He had given God all that he valued, one might rightly suggest that all but God was dead to him. He had sacrificed everything to God. Talk about an epiphany, this is how death can be a gift! One cannot truly live, until he has first truly died.
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