Epiphany Sunday, January 7, 2006

Our Gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

Epiphany Sunday, January 7, 2007
Matthew 2:1-12

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.' " Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also." When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

When the Wisemen visited Jesus, they brought gifts with them: gold, frankincense and myrrh. When we come to Jesus, what gifts should we bring? Like the Wisemen, let�s bring our gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The 3 gifts are said to represent the 3 fold office of Christ. As we studied in the Catechism, the 3 fold office of Christ is as prophet, priest and king. Gold is for a king, incense is for a priest, and myrrh is for a dying prophet.

To give a gift of gold to a king was more than a simple present. It was a sign of loyalty, a pledge of allegiance. When we give our gold to Christ, it is more than just money in the offering basket. The offering is a sign of our loyalty to Christ; it is a symbol of our confession of faith that Christ is our King. That is why we encourage even children to give an offering in church. It is not just training so that they will know how to give when they get older. It may be mother�s money, but the action of offering is a confession of faith. Do you remember the story in the Gospel of Mark when a poor widow at the temple gave only two very small copper coins? (Mark 12:41-44) Jesus praised her for putting in everything she had. It was a sign of her faith, of trusting in God her King for everything. Our gold is a sign of our faith and allegiance to Christ.

In the modern Christian church, incense is not used very much any more. In the Old Testament it was used every day at the temple. It was used at the time of prayer. As the smoke of the incense rose up into the sky, so the prayers of the people rose up to God in Heaven. In the Bible, incense was used by a priest. When the Wisemen gave the gift of frankincense to the Baby Jesus, they were acknowledging that Christ was their priest, that Christ was the One who would pray to God the Father in heaven for them. Incense was a symbol of prayer. The frankincense that we give to Christ is our prayers. We do not need the smoke; we know that our prayers will indeed reach God in Heaven. Our gift to the Christ Child is our prayers. We use the expression to "offer prayers," because we give our prayers to God. Our prayers are an offering. We pray for ourselves and those whom we love.

The gift of myrrh is strange gift to give to a baby. Myrrh is a type of spice and was used in Egypt to preserve bodies for mummification. As a medicine it was a drug with a stupefying effect. And it was very bitter. When the Wisemen gave this gift to Jesus, it was a prophecy that Jesus would be killed. But on the cross when offered a drink of wine mixed with myrrh, Jesus did not drink it. (Mark 15:23). Jesus had already partaken of the bitter cup of suffering, and he would not lessen the pain of the suffering for the sin of the world. However, when Jesus was buried, he was wrapped in linen clothes with a mixture of myrrh and aloes (John 19:39). Jesus the Christ died as a prophet because as a prophet he had proclaimed the word of God. That word was the gospel of love and forgiveness. He suffered because he had proclaimed that word of God. His bitter suffering was like the bitter myrrh. It is our sin that gives him that myrrh. Our gift of myrrh to Jesus is when we confess our sins and lay them on Jesus. Then we receive the forgiveness that came when Jesus died as a sacrifice on the cross.

We confess that Jesus is our prophet, priest and king. Therefore we offer him the treasures that we have. We offer him our loyalty, our prayers, and our faith

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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