We all know the story of the Three Wisemen, the Three Magi. When Jesus was born, they saw a star and followed that star to where Jesus was. But the real "Star" was not the shining object in the night sky, but rather, the real "Star"of the show was the Baby Jesus. The Wisemen brought gifts. They opened their treasure boxes and presented Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Jesus was born in a small town in Israel. But the Wisemen worship him as the King of the whole world. This is one of the most important points on this celebration of Epiphany. Jesus was born as Savior for not only the Jews, but for the entire world. First, there was the star in the sky, part of the whole universe. Then the Wisemen who were not Jews came to worship Jesus. And so part of our worship today is to pray for the world-wide mission of the church, that Christ might be revealed to the world. The word "Epiphany" means "revelation" or "manifestation." Christ is revealed to the world, and is also revealed to us in our hearts. This is not through a new star in the sky, but through the word of the Bible and the word of those who proclaim Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Let's reveal our faith. Let's do that like the Wisemen, by offering our gifts to Christ, our gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Our gold is our Sunday morning offerings. The offerings are more than just helping to support the mission of the church. Offerings are an act of worship. As you put in your offerings, you are putting in a part of yourself. You are giving yourself to God. It is a symbol of your dedicating your life to Christ. That is why it is part of the worship service, right after the confession of the Apostles Creed.

Frankincense is a symbol of our prayers. In the Old Testament incense was burnt at prayer time. As the sweet-smelling smoke ascended up into the sky, so our prayers ascend into heaven. As Wisemen, as people who are wise, we offer our prayers to God. We pray for ourselves, for those we love, for the church, for our neighbors, for our enemies, and for all who need our prayers. Prayer is a sign of love. If someone is praying for you, then you know they love you. We return the love in prayer.

Then there is myrrh. It was used like a medicine, to dull pain. It was like a narcotic or pain killer. It was offered to Jesus on the cross, but he refused it (Mk.15:23). So myrrh has the meaning of suffering. Jesus would suffer on the cross for our sin. The gift of the Wisemen is a type of prophecy. When we offer our myrrh to Christ, it is when we suffer because we love others. It is when we help people who are suffering by giving sympathy and comfort and support. It is when we are persecuted for being Christians. It is when being a Christian is not convenient.

Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We can give our gifts to Christ because he has given gifts to us. He has given us all our riches. He prays to the Father in heaven for us. He suffered and died for us. He is the star of the show. So, when you look up in the night sky and see the stars, remember Christ who created them. In this way, the stars will lead us to Christ, too.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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