Three Profound Gifts

~~~ Solemnity of the Epiphany ~~~

 

~~~Isaiah 60:1-6~~~Psalm 72~~~Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6~~~Matthew 2:1-12~~~

 

Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

 

Today's Gospel gives us one of the most intriguing Biblical stories.

Who are these three men from afar?

And did a star really lead them to the manger? Really?

Matthew gives us the only gospel accounting of the three wise men.

 

These three brought gifts of great treasure.

The gifts symbolically represented all of who Jesus is...

King, Prophet, and Savior.

Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh,

the three gifts offered to pay homage to the infant Jesus.

 

The glory of the Lord was shining brightly over all the nations.

The heavens and the earth shall adore the Lord.

 

The prophet Isaiah foretold that great gifts would be brought before the Messiah.

Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

 

The three wise men traveled miles across the desert.

The primary mode of transportation would have been on camels.

Camels were created to survive in the desert.

The Arabic meaning of camel means 'beauty'.

Contrary to popular beliefs, it is the shape of the camel's blood cells

that allows them to survive

long periods without water, not their humps.

 

Sheba was representative of royalty and wealth.

Due to the notoriety of the Queen of Sheba it would have been very significant

for those from Sheba would travel to the manger.

 

 

Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

 

The first gift of Gold

represents the kingship of the infant Jesus.

His kingdom, as we now know, was not of this world.

The kingdom of Jesus would be the eternal kingdom of God.

 

The second gift of Frankincense

represents the position of Jesus as priest.

Incense was part of the rituals preformed in the temple.

It also represents the Divinity of Jesus.

Today we still use incense during our special liturgies or high Masses.

Incense also represents our prayers rising up to God.

In many ways rising incense is mysterious.

 

The third gift of Myrrh

represents the death and crucifixion of Jesus.

Myrrh comes from a thorny tree.

When the tree is deeply wounded the resin drips out and is harvested.

Jesus would be crowned with thorns.

Jesus would be deeply wounded.

His blood would drip down.

Saving us one drop at a time.

Myrrh was often used in embalming by the ancient Egyptians.

 

The three gifts brought by the Magi are prophetic by their very nature.

The wise men could have brought other gifts of beauty and wealth,

but they chose Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.

 

'...upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory...'

 

We too can bring a gift to the infant Jesus.

The best gift we can give is the gift of ourselves.

Give back to God what he has given you...

The Guiding Star

In 1953 Disney released the animated film Peter Pan.  In the movie Tinkerbell, sometimes portrayed as a spot of light, accompanies Peter Pan on his journeys. She is well known for sprinkling her pixie dust.

So for some odd reason the image of Tinkerbell comes to mind as I am reflecting on the Magi following the star of Bethlehem. The Maji came from the East, visited King Herod, who was clueless as to what was happening until their visit. The Magi had been studying the heavens, they had their eyes fixed to the sky. They were scholars, learned men. They were on a journey.

These three wise men were looking up into the night sky. This bright star became their GPS guiding them on their journey to the Christ child whom they were seeking. Seek the Lord and he will be found.

Deut.4:29, "But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Is 55:6 "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near."

The Three Kings were actively seeking the Lord to bring him their gifts. They are our models for what it means to seek the Lord. It means you must take action. 

Some might say this story of star gazing sounds a little new age...oops we are in the Bible here. And once again a dream is used as the vehicle to deliver a message to God's chosen ones. In this case the dream reveals to the wise men to return home a different way; not to advise Herod of the location of the 'baby'.

When you find the Lord you will be a changed person; you will be convicted to live a different life. A life dedicated to spreading the good news...the saving grace has come down to us.

Another interesting point about this Magi story is what they do when they enter into the presence of Jesus...they prostrate themselves before him. They do not just kneel to give him honor and praise, they lay face down on the ground before him.

It must have surprised Mary and Joseph that these well dressed strangers, who had been led to them by a star would fall to the ground before them without hesitation.

Stars are only visible to us when darkness has covered the sky. How appropriate that this  bright star leads the way to the one who is the Light of the World. In a world covered with so much darkness today we have Jesus to be our bright star. We have Jesus to lead and guide us through his light. Out of darkness light shines brightly.

This original image was a reflection of moonlight on the sea.

This kaleidoscope image captures the light from above shining brightly for us to see.



When you notice the stars of the nighttime sky remember as you seek the Lord; he is your light. Give him your all as the Magi did...lay yourself before him. You too can have your very own Epiphany!

The All-Inclusive Gift

Today is the traditional day we celebrate the Magi's arrival to the Christ child. We have created a wonderful scenario around this event. And whether or not you buy into the whole following the star business the message is still powerful to me.

Jesus came to be the Savior to all of us. Jesus came so that we all might have eternal life.

Mary and Joseph traveled away from their home for the birth of Jesus. He was born in a poverty painted environment. The poor shepherds came as they were tending their sheep. The angels sang from on high. And then the three wise men arrived bearing gifts worthy of a king. They brought fine kingly gifts to a baby...a baby that would bring salvation to all.

These three wise men also represented the richness available to us if we believe and follow Jesus. If we but 'Come and See' as we have heard in the last couple gospels. These three wise men were from very different backgrounds than the shepherds...

You see eternal life is an all inclusive deal. The gift of salvation is an all or nothing package.

John tells us in today's reading from his first letter Chapter 5:11-12, "...God gave us eternal life, and this life is in the Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life." John is speaking with passion for what he knows to be truth. He wants his readers and listeners to catch his wave of passion. He says I am writing these things because I want you to know that you have eternal life. He is sharing the Good News!

You cannot believe in something you do not know anything about. He is pumping up their faith and our faith. We too need to be reminded of the promise of our eternal life.

It is a challenge to believe in something that would last for eternity. We have nothing concrete with which to compare eternity. There is no reference point. What does eternity mean to you?

We measure everything by time. Even if we look to the heavens for the meaning of eternity we are fooled. Scientists today have learned, through powerful telescopes, so much about our Universe. We now know stars are born and die daily. So even they cannot represent eternity to us.

Today as we are reminded of the three wise men let us also remember that the promise of eternal life is for all who believe without exception. Rejoice in this truth!

The original picture is of the Resurrection.

This kaleidoscope image reflects to me the magnificent light of eternal life.