The Gift of the Magi is a beautifully nuanced and poignant story of sacrificial love. First published in 1905, the story invites readers into the world of a newly married couple. It is Christmas Eve and the young couple have neither time nor money to buy presents for one another. Then, miraculously an answer is found. The young woman sells her flowing auburn hair to purchase a golden chain for her husband’s treasured pocket watch. Hurrying home from work, the young husband sells that very watch so he can purchase a beautiful set of ornamental combs for his wife’s hair. With comic irony the couple discovers that neither the combs nor the watch chain is now of any value or utility. Gone is the flowing auburn hair as is the treasured golden pocket watch. What remains is sacrificial love. A love so enduring and so authentic that it cannot be represented by simple material gifts. This week we celebrate another story of Magi. Magi from a foreign land bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh for a tiny babe in a manger. Gifts that symbolically identify the Christ Child as king, priest, and suffering servant. More significantly, it is the Magi who receive a great gift. The gift of God’s promises that will be fulfilled through sacrificial love. Now, that is genuinely Good News. Blessings, Pastor Tom
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose 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 with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Comments are closed.
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October 2022
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