Reverend Ref +

CHRISTMAS II

In the beginning was the Word. All things came into being through him. These words from John reinforce that Jesus is part of the Godhead and that he had a hand in the creation of everything. Now do I believe that God created everything as we see it in 6 days, a mere 144 hours? No. But neither do I believe that we are some sort of cosmic accident, a result of random organisms getting together in a primordial ooze where life just got lucky. I don’t know, nor do I pretend to know, the inner-workings of that creative process. But I do know that, ultimately, everything belongs to God.

This theology that everything belongs to God can be seen in the Eucharistic prayer that we will use later in the service, "offering to you, from the gifts you have given us." God created, God gave, and we give back to God from that abundance. You can see that from the food we collect for the food bank, to the way we are trying to revise how we think about pledging, and in today’s gospel.

The magi gave back to God based on this theology of abundance and that everything does indeed belong to God. They were foreigners (yet another indication that God welcomes the outsider) who recognized that Jesus was something special. And they offered to God the gifts they had been given from God. From their abundant treasures, they gave abundantly. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These are not inexpensive gifts, and they traveled for two years looking for the Messiah so that they could honor him appropriately.

Have you ever wondered why those three gifts? Why gold, frankincense and myrrh? Tradition has it that those three gifts represent the three most important aspects of Jesus’ life. Gold because he is the Messiah, king of the Jews, our Lord and savior. Gold because it is a gift fit for a king. And remember, Matthew traced Jesus’ lineage right through the kings of Israel.

Frankincense because he is God. You’ve heard the term "smells and bells." Incense has been used for thousands of years in religious services of all types. It is used in holy places and for special services to signify the presence of the Divine. Jesus was the Divine incarnate.

And myrrh because it was used at the time of death to prepare the body for burial. This gift was a foreshadowing of Jesus’ death and was given in anticipation of his crucifixion when he would die for our sins.

But I read something the other day that put a different spin on that traditional story. What if the gold, frankincense and myrrh weren’t actual gifts? What if Matthew was making it up? What if these gifts are an allegory for our own lives? What if Matthew is trying to show us what would be appropriate for us to give Jesus?

Gold is fit for a king, yes, but it also represents earthly treasures; treasures that we have accumulated over time. It represents our own personal wealth. If God created everything, and everything belongs to God, then is this gold really ours to be hoarded and used for our own desires? Or can we recognize that this gold belongs to God and we are making an offering to God in thanksgiving for all the blessings of this life?

Frankincense is that holy smoke that signifies to us that God is with us. You can’t miss it when it burns. And if you’ve ever been in a church that uses it, the smell lingers for a long time. You can walk into a church building in the middle of the week and the building will still hold that smell.

What about with us? Can people catch the presence of God in our lives? Do we burn with a holy fire that lets people know God is with us? Are we covered with the lingering scent of God? Frankincense is that gift of worship that we offer to God on a continual bases. It is the gift that, like real incense, affects all those around us.

And then there’s myrrh. That bitter perfume that breathes a life of gathering gloom. This might be the most personal gift we can give Jesus. How many times in our lives are we sorrowful or bitter? The loss of a job, the death of a family member, a fight or divorce, or the lack of understanding of the scope of the Indonesian disaster. The temptation is to hold that anger or sorrow inside of us. Maybe we use it to justify not-so-healthy actions, or to lash out at others, or to turn our back on God. Eventually though, what is held inside of us will destroy us.

But God wants this too. Peter writes that we should cast all our anxieties upon the Lord. Psalm 55 tells us to cast our burdens on the Lord. If we don’t do that, that bitter perfume will gather inside of us, turning us on ourselves, away from others and eventually away from God, sucking all the joy out of our lives. We need to recognize this. We need to be willing to tell God that we are angry with him. We need to be able to say, "God, I’m angry, I don’t understand. But I’m offering that anger to you, take it as my gift to you and make me whole."

Epiphany is this Thursday. The magi are coming. We are the magi. We have seen the light of Christ from afar. We acknowledge him as our king, the Messiah, the Son of God. How long will you search for Christ, and what gift of his will you offer to him this year?