God of all days, as the work week for many reading this begins again for the first day of the New Year, guide, bless and protect this reader in their needs; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Matthew 2: 1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6 "And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.' " 7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
It may be hard to believe but in some countries the shopping centers and stores are crowded with shoppers trying to find the "big" gifts for a special day coming up! El Dia de Los Reyes Magos it is called, and it is on the 6th of January that many believe the three kings or magi or wise men arrived to give their gifts to Jesus. And if you think about it, it makes sense, it wasn't our birthday on Christmas, it was Jesus and this whole gift giving tradition started with these gentlemen and their desire to worship and pay homage to the child born to be King. And the tradition in these countries is to save the more special gifts for the day we call Epiphany. Truth be told we don't know if there were only three and if they were really kings themselves or just scholars who had long awaited the birth of this special child. Matthew shares it as he remembered it, that King Herod was visited by thes men who desired to know where the "king of Jews" had been born. As you well know, this was the wrong person to ask, but given that a king is usually born to a king or in a palace, they said, "Why don't we stop here?" You know the rest of the story.
The question for us remains, what is our real gift to Jesus? We can no longer just give lip service to the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is time to share with Him ourselves, our true selves in His service. The gifts of the magi bear special significance: gold for a king, symbolizing our very best for Jesus. Frankincense, a gift for a high priest, symbolizing our worship and participation in worship of He who is the true "bridge" between God and humanity. And myrrh, symbolizing the death of this child, to us meaning, will we give our entire life to Jesus?
PRAYER: Loving God, help me to give me to Jesus. In my life, may I offer to Him my very best, my complete and total worship at all times, and especially in public worship, and may I not count nor number my hours nor days in my service to Him. Make my entire life and attitude count for Jesus. I ask this in His Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
