2021 January 3rd The Epiphany of the Lord

Matthew 2: 1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ 
When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;  and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.  They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:  “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’ 
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ 
When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.  On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Reflection:  based on Matthew 2: 1- 12  

The narrative of the wise men, the magi is an important part of our traditional understanding of the story of Jesus’ birth.  I can always remember as a child being delighted with the image of these wise travelers dressed in fine garments, bringing their gifts of great value to the Christ child. To imagine these wealthy men leaving their homes and all they were doing, to take this long journey following a star, conveyed imaginations of wonder and splendor. As a child I never knew that it took these travelers the best part of 2 years to actually arrive at their destination. And I don’t think I gave them much thought in my young mind apart from the image of their lavish attire and the sense of reverence as they came and knelt before the Christ child and his parents offering their gifts.

Despite childhood memories, imaginations and the well-known song, - we know they were not kings. They were: men of science--astronomers, highly educated and respected in their Gentile culture. Being Gentiles, we are not sure if they had faith in Jewish religion but we do know they were seekers after the truth; visionaries, and spiritual people.

Added to this, we don’t know how many Magi there actually were. We assume three because there were three gifts.   Many legends, song, and art have been built around these mysterious men with their gifts.  And although much of it is speculation, the wise men do also bring us a gift, a gift of their example: their diligence in seeking, finding and worshiping the Christ Child.  

The gospel of Matthew describes how magi from the east were notified of the birth of a king in Judaea by the appearance of his star. An unusual star that caught their attention and inspired their quest. The gifts for the Christ Child were carefully chosen; each have special significance. Traditionally it is understood that

Gold is a gift for royalty, acknowledging that Jesus was of a Royal line. Jesus is king

Frankincense is expensive incense that was burned as an art of worship in The Temple.  Jesus was often referred to in Scripture as the great high priest. Frankincense signifies Jesus divinity, his Holiness.

Myrrh is an expensive oil used for perfume. Myrrh was most commonly used among wealthy Jews as an anointing oil for the dead.  Thus, the gift of myrrh is often seen as a foreshadowing Jesus’ death and a reminder of his mortality.

As I ponder the gifts and generosity of these visitors, my mind is drawn to the question- what do you bring? What do I bring? What can I/we bring in this time of pandemic when all seems so hard at times and when what we used to do is not always possible? What do you bring- to your family, your neighbourhood, your community, your country, your church, to God….. And so, I offer you some thoughts …

What can I bring:

My time, a smile, a listening ear, compassion, hope, encouragement, comfort, an act of kindness, a generous heart, the sharing of my faith… the list goes on…

but then I read: (God Calling)

“Kneel before the Babe of Bethlehem. Accept that truth that the Kingdom of Heaven is for the lowly, the simple.  

Bring to me, the Christ-child, your gifts, truly the gifts of earth’s wisest. 

The Gold: your money

Frankincense: the adoration of a consecrated life.

Myrrh: your sharing in my sorrows and those of the world. 

‘And they presented to him gifts of God, Frankincense and Myrrh.’”

It occurs to me that Christmas is often a time of extravagance. Not always but often we see a lot of waste and we have a lot of left overs. Often it is from these left overs we give. Time after time I hear the Op shop workers tell me that many of the donations especially around Christmas time are not worthy to be sold. People give from their left overs, from their waste, their spoils. Time after time, I hear church treasurers tell me that if only every person in the parish would/could give a little more what a difference this could make to the work of the Church and ultimately, the Kingdom of God. Many of us don’t think twice about buying a cup of coffee and yet if we gave even just a little extra- the price of a cuppa for Jesus each week what a difference that could make. And what about offering a little extra time?

The gifts for the Christ child, are truly the gifts of earth’s wisest. 

The Gold: your money, yes but that is only part of what is required…

Frankincense: the adoration of a consecrated life. In loving response to God’s love for us.

Myrrh: your sharing in Christ’s sorrows and those of the world. In a world that is suffering and there are so many sorrows, how Christ’s heart must ache. In a world that so many are yet to know or recognise their Saviour, how Christ’s heart must ache.

With generous hearts, in what we bring, may we bring God some joy, may we bless his heart and may we find that it is in our giving that we truly receive.

Matthew simply gives us the facts. "They knelt down and worshiped him. They presented him their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

What do you give this child who is the all-powerful God, who controls the stars to such an extent that a particularly bright star travels westward and stops over the place where Jesus and his parents were living. The Lord of the universe reaches down from heaven, touches the earth, and is born in love to come to us, coming in the flesh, as one of us, a baby, to do battle with Herod and all evil in this world… what do you give?

When one considers the greatness of the gift we have been given in Christ, - the wonder and majesty of it all - what can we give in return? My little offering, my tithe, seem so small.

Even the wise men with their precious gifts must have realised that their expensive presents were hardly adequate for the child in the manger, the God who has become a human and now rests in his mother’s arms. I wonder….Perhaps, that’s just the point.

We, like the wisemen, have the awesomeness of God’s love that led him to becoming flesh in a little child. God's gift to us is just so great. We fall to our knees, and perhaps fumble for a gift worthy. What have we to give? 

So, like those men from the east, all we can do, is bring our ever so humble presents and bow in adoration to Christ our King.