I went shopping for Christmas gifts during my lunchtime today. I had a list of items I wanted to buy for my family and I thought I could make the most of my time by going in the middle of the week when everyone was at work. I thought the shops would be empty and I would breeze in and out without waiting in line. It seems that I was not the only person with this idea, so I indeed waited in line.

As I waited to make my purchase, I noticed a Nativity set on a shelf near the checkout register. You know what I’m talking about – figurines depicting Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus Christ wrapped in swaddling cloth lying in the middle of a hay filled manger. Since I was a child, I have been fascinated with nativity scenes (I once was told by a friend of mine that his wife had collected over 100 nativity sets, which he thought was quite obsessive. I then asked if he would take me home with him so I could see each one of them!)

While I was waiting in line to purchase my gifts, I got to thinking about that nativity set. There are more than the three main characters in the nativity. There are also the three wise men, or magi, along with their camels. Regardless of the nativity set, you will always find these three kings holding expensive gifts. You may know that the whole reason we give gifts to each other at Christmastime is because of their seeking out and paying homage to the Christ child. These guys were diligent. As the story is told, they had spent two years and traveled hundreds of miles following a star in the night sky to find this particular child, all so they could present him with gifts as a newborn king*.

I thought about those three wise men. If they were present today, they would not let a long line at a checkout stop them from buying gifts for the person they loved.

I also began to think about the three gifts they presented to this baby: gold, frankincense and myrrh. All three of them had great value, but the gifts were meant to signify something beyond their street value. They were meant to convey the true feelings of the giver to the recipient. Let’s take a look at each of them.

Gold has been considered the most precious of metals since the beginning of time. It has long been the standard of measuring wealth. Gold is not a throw away gift – it is revered as a symbol of tremendous value. To give a gift of gold is to signify your highest affections for the other person. It still works that way today as well. Gold rings mark the most special occasions in life and are a tangible reminder of the deep caring the giver of the gift had for the recipient.

Frankincense and myrrh are not as familiar to me. I did a little research and found this about each of them.

Frankincense is an aromatic resin obtained from Boswellia trees native to Africa and southwestern Asia. These trees are more like scraggly shrubs and they only grow in desert-like climates. When you slash their bark, they bleed out a sap that is dried into Frankincense. Frankincense is used as incense, especially in religious ceremonies. In fact, in the Jewish religion, Frankincense was considered a sacred incense. It was used as a main ingredient in the twice-daily burning of incense that preceded the prayers at the temple in Jerusalem. The rising of the fragrant smoke was intended to be a reminder of the prayers of the people reaching up to God. The incense in this ceremony was forbidden to be used in any other way. Whereas gold was a tangible gift, Frankincense was meant to be burned and used up in the most sacred moments of life.

Myrrh is also a resinous gum that comes from trees and bushes. It has a sweet smelling aroma. Myrrh could be liquefied and used as a perfume. In the Jewish Law, it is described as one of the main ingredients in the special oils that were used to anoint and separate priests for a lifetime of holy service. It was also used to mark sacred items used in the worship of God. Like the Frankincense, Myrrh was forbidden to be used as a common perfume. The sacred blend used in the anointing oil was set aside for special use. The smell of it would be a reminder that there was a sacred service to be lived out. Unlike the burning of Frankincense, which burned in a special moment, the aroma of myrrh would stay with you in everything you did. It was a reminder that your life service was one that mattered in all areas of life – sacred or otherwise.

So as I contemplated all of this in the checkout line, I thought about the reason we give gifts at Christmas. Do the people that are close to me recognize my gifts as an expression of my deep affection, like gold? Do they cherish the special moment that we share when the gift is given which lasts for just a time like burning Frankincense? Do they understand that when two people give each other gifts, they are leaving a fragrance that goes beyond the moment, like the scent of myrrh that follows you throughout the day? When you give gifts to the people you love this Christmas, I hope you look beyond the actual gift and find what you are really giving is an expression of your heart. The wise men in that nativity scene reminded me that a heart-felt expression is what got the whole gift-giving ball rolling at Christmas.

Have a Merry Christmas!

___________________

* See the biblical account of the Magi and their travels in Matthew 2

Painting: Adoración de los Reyes Magos by El Greco 1568