The gifts we bring

We are all familiar with the three Wise Men bringing gifts to the baby Jesus.

One brought gold.

The other, frankincense.

And the other, myrrh.

If you want to learn more about the symbolism of these gifts, you can read more here.

But I want to talk specifically about the gift of gold.

What is the "gold" that we bring Him?  What is the most valuable thing that we possess?  Are we giving it, or them, to Jesus to show Him honor and respect?

I think of worship.  When we worship the Lord, it is truly golden.  It is precious to Jesus.  When we worship with our whole hearts, it is even more priceless.  He is worthy of all praise, honor, glory, and worship.  So when we give Him what is due Him, we are bringing our best to Him.  It is costly because in the flesh, we are not prone to worship God at all.  So it costs us our "natural" inclinations.  It costs us time and attention.  It costs us focus.  Time is precious and valuable.  So when we give of our time to worship Christ, we are offering one of the most precious things ever.

Another type of "gold" we bring Jesus is obedience.  This, too, is costly to us.  We give up the right to ourselves, our ideas and "god-ship," when we choose to obey Christ instead of rebel, or indulge our flesh. That is why it is so costly.

Another beautiful type of "gold" is our hearts.  When we don't know what else to bring Jesus, He is most touched when we bring Him our hearts.  Our hearts are us.  All of our emotions, desires, our minds, and very wills are in our hearts.  So when we give Him our hearts, we are giving Him ourselves.  

Christina Rossetti said it so beautifully in her poem, "In the Bleak Midwinter," my favorite Christmas Carol:

"What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart."

Lord Jesus, I give You my heart.  As we are prone to focus on gifts this time of year - whether to give or to get - help us instead focus on giving to You.  After all, it is Your birthday that we are celebrating.  This year, especially when we may not be gathering with family and friends due to the pandemic, let us worship You more than ever.  We give you gold, Lord Jesus.  We give you our hearts.  In Jesus' Name. Amen.