Bearing Gifts
Today is the Epiphany! Celebrated in Christianity, it is the day the magi brought their gifts to the baby King, Jesus. https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/epiphany.shtml This website has a brief article on the history of the epiphany and the celebrations from parts of the world. In my family we leave our Christmas tree up until the magi bring their gifts to Jesus. My mom doesn’t put her wise men in her manger scene, under her tree, until the epiphany. She moves them around their house, starting the first day of advent, bringing them close to the manger scene until they finally arrive today!
We’ve heard the story since we were little kids. How the three kings, the wise men, heard of the coming Messiah, saw the star and traveled from the east bringing gifts for the newborn King. We know they brought gold frankincense and myrrh. Gold. Frankincense. Myrrh. Hmm, what does a baby needs with these unusual gifts? They almost sound like the modern day equivalent of a child receiving the ever dreaded socks and underwear for Christmas. However, these gift were quite appropriate for the new baby King. Let’s take a quick look at what Christianity.com says about the gift:
“We must, instead, imagine the gifts as offerings of foreign dignitaries. Just as diplomats from other countries often bring gifts representing their cultures, these magi brought the products specific to theirs. They honored the King of the Jews in a way that fit their nationality. In this way, in fact, they stood in as representatives of all the non-Jewish nations. Their acknowledgement presaged the offer of grace to all peoples of the earth, and their gifts hinted at the coming of Gentiles to offer themselves to Christ.
The ancient church also understood the gifts to symbolize aspects of Christ’s life and ministry, the work He would do. The gold, as mentioned before, suggested His royalty as King of the Jews and Lord of lords. In the frankincense, they saw His divinity. The myrrh represented His humanity – and that to the fullest extent because myrrh suggests death and burial. Thus, the gifts came to show Jesus as King, God, and Man.” Adapted from The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim (Book II, Chapter VIII). https://www.christianity.com/jesus/birth-of-jesus/star-and-magi/why-gold-frankincense-and-myrrh.html
Well, that makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? What else would you bring to the birth of a king? That makes me wonder, what would I bring to Jesus at his birth? Would it be a gloriously ornate ornament, with gold accents? Would it be expensive perfume? If so, what scent would I purchase? Or would it be something simple, like a soft, fluffy blanket for Mary to swaddle him in? Would my gift be adequate enough for him? Would it be appropriate? Would it be of any value? The answer is yes. Yes, it would be more than adequate. It would be appropriate and it would be extremely valuable, because anything that we humbly bring to our king and lay at his feet is more then enough.
Do you believe that? Do you believe that you have gifts that are enough for God? Do you believe that you have talents (gifts) that are pleasing to him? Do you believe that you have something that you can present to him, lay it down at his feet and have him smile at you with true and deep appreciation?
Or do you feel as if you have nothing to offer? Do you feel that your gifts are not fitting for a king? Do you feel like anything you brought to Jesus wouldn’t be useful? Let me stop you right there. You have gifts! You have talents! Your offerings are valuable! Anything you bring to the foot of the King can be used by him!
First we must remember that our gifts come from God, “Every good and perfect gifts is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights…” (James 1: 17) He gives us our gifts and our talents! Anything we have to offer, he has already given us and that makes it perfect and pleasing to him.
I think our problem with feeling like we have inadequate gifts to give is that we look around and start to compare our gifts to other’s. We see how someone else can use their gifts so easily and wonder why we have such a hard time at it. We see those who have the gifts that we long to have and forget to look at the gifts we have.
While we are all gifted, by God, with the Holy Spirit, “…you will be gifted with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38), we each have separate and unique gifts, “There are different kind of gifts, but the same Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12: 4). We need to recognize that we are all different. God made each of us unique, none of us are exactly the same. So why would he give us all the same talents?
“Now you are part of the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all the apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts.” (1 Corinthians 12: 27-31)
We cannot all be proficient in the same area of life. How lopsided would that make everything? God gifted us with our own special talents for a specific reason. Desiring to have someone else’s talent doesn’t do us any good. In doing so we are forgetting what we have been blessed with. We are not looking to him to help us design and perfect those gifts he has given us. Instead we are looking outward to those around us, longing to be like so and so who is so good at such and such. I’m speaking to myself here, just so you know.
Even the apostle Paul wished that all men were the same, “I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.” (1 Corinthians 7:7) Yet he realized that each one has his own gift. His own gift…did you read that? If not, go back and read it again. I know I had to. I am not meant to have ‘her’ talents. I am meant to have my own. Just like ‘she’ is not meant to have my gifts, but use her own as needed. I know that once I started to recognize this and to focus on MY gifts, instead of ‘hers’, I was able to see how fitting they were for me. I was made for those gifts and I became eager to use them.
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12: 6 – 8)
Wait…being encouraging is a gift? Being able to help financially is a gift? Yes! There are so many ways to use your talents, your unique gifts, that which tugs at your heart. How do you know what they are? Well, what calls to you? What really make you feel alive when you are doing it? What do you feel your passion is? If you don’t have the answers to these questions, that’s perfectly fine. Spend quiet time with God, ask him to show you what your gifts are. Be open to what he has to show you. “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not to what he does not have.” (2 Corinthians 8: 12) If you are open and willing to what God has given you, when you use your gift, it is more than acceptable!
The gifts you have to offer are good, and useful, please remember that. You have so much to offer others, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4: 10) You have no idea who you could be blessing by using your gifts. You just might be the hope and inspiration that someone needs, when they see how you share your talents. The apostle Paul was talking to Timothy when he said, “Do not neglect your gifts…” (1 Timothy 4:14), and I believe these words are spoken to us to this day.
My prayer for you is that you will look to God for your talents and not to others. I pray that you see how valuable your gifts are, how worthy they are, how important they are. I pray that God will show you how and where to use those unique gifts he has given you. May you feel the Holy Spirit moving in and through you as you use your gifts to helps others. I pray that when you kneel down at the foot of Jesus you know, in your heart, that what you give to him is beautiful; it is pure and it is good! May the words of the apostle Paul stir the flame inside of you, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you…” (2 Timothy 1:6)
See you on the front porch.