Gifts to the Person Who Has Everything

Somewhere during this season of Advent, you will encounter the story of the wise men visiting the Christ child.  There are some things we assume in that story such as there were three wise men though the Scripture does not tell us that fact.   Though every Christmas pageant has the wise men coming quickly to see the Christ child,  Biblical scholars tell us that it probably took some time to reach the Christ child.  

While we know not how many wise men there were or how long their journey took to worship the Christ child, we do know the gifts they brought: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.    I have been thinking about those gifts recently and wonder what Mary and Joseph thought of those gifts.  I wonder if the gold the wise men gave made them able to afford to take the trip to Egypt?    I wonder what Mary and Joseph did with the frankincense and myrrh?  Did they complain about the gifts of the wise men like we complain about the Christmas gifts we receive sometimes?

What do you give people when you do not know what to give?   What do you give people who seem to have everything?   If those are questions you are struggling with in these days, here are a few ideas:

Why don’t you give the person who has everything a gift in their honor to your favorite charity or their favorite charity?

Why not consider giving to the person who has everything a trip to a favorite event or a picture of you and them?

I know not why the wise men gave the gift of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Perhaps they thought they were fitting gifts for  a new King.   Perhaps the most fitting gift you can give a person when you don’t know what to give is the gift of yourself and your time.      Have a joy-filled week.—Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God, I thank you for the gift of yourself in Christmas in Christ Jesus.  No matter my means, help me remember that the gift of self is the best gift;  through Christ our Lord.   Amen.