Matthew 2:9-11 (NIV 1984)
“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
On coming to the house, they saw the child wit
h his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”
The birth of Jesus is God’s greatest gift to mankind. Most of us would want to proffer something back as grateful recipients. Our giving back to the Lord is also an act of worshipping Him in gratitude of His priceless gift to us and attributing glory to Him because “every generous act and every perfect gift is from above.” (James 1:17a)
When the magi or wise men saw the star in the east, they journeyed to worship the newborn baby who is the King of the Jews. Guided by a brilliant star the wise men brought gifts to give to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
They brought him gold, a gift fit for a king. frankincense, a perfect gift for a perfect Priest. Myrrh, an unusual gift for a baby, which is a substance the ancients used to embalm the dead.
Certainly, did not seemed an appropriate gift for the newborn child, but in this case, it communicated a theological truth that reminds us that Jesus was born to die so that humanity might find salvation in Him.
This little child wrapped in warm clothing laying in a manger would one day hang on a cross and took on the sins of the world.
In addition to these gifts, there is also another gift from the wise men, their act of worship which is in fact the very first gift they proffered to the baby. The moment “they saw the child and the mother, Mary, they bowed down and worshiped him.” (Matthew 2:11a)
Likewise, our offerings is an act of worship, coming before Him in deep gratitude of His saving and sanctifying grace.
We have a spiritual need to worship God, and through our offerings we are able to express our love and devotion to God in a way that is simple and sincere.
The motivation of the giver is what counts most, not the size of the gift or the degree of benefit to the recipient.
Just as the wise men expressed their deepest devotion to worship the new born Jesus, let us “praise the Lord with all our souls and our inmost beings that His holy name be worthy of our praised” (Psalms 103:1, emphasis mine), not just during the Advent season but every day of our lives.
Let us pray,
Our Father in heaven, we thank You for Your gracious love in redeeming us through Your Son Jesus Christ. In this Advent season, deepened our gratitude towards You in our worship, in our offerings and in our service.
Opened our hearts to the needs of others and spur us to care and share Your love to them.
In Christ name we pray. Amen!