What will your gift be?

This is the devotional I shared at Awana/T&T last week. :)

Matthew 2:1-12 gives us an account of the wise men who discovered the star in the east, recognized it as a sign that the King of the Jews had been born, made the journey to seek Him out, and gave our Lord gifts.

I can go on and on about how there were likely not only (or as many as) 3 wise men, what their heritage might have been and why they recognized this sign and sought Christ out, and I can question the timing of when the wise men found Jesus and whether they should be included in the nativity scenes.

But I won't.

Instead, I want to focus on the gifts they gave: Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.

• Gold-a gift worthy to give to a King

• Frankincense-used in the temple and, when burnt, symbolized the prayers of the people going up to heaven (and God)... possibly symbolically recognizing Christ as our High Priest

• Myrrh-a costly aromatic ointment used in many applications....one of which was to be used on the dead...and this was one of the things used on Christ's body after He had died on the cross. (John 19:38)

These gifts were costly. And one might speculate that they provided the means to support Joseph, Mary and Jesus when they fled to Egypt and those years in which they remained there.

So, all this to say: What will you give Him as you celebrate His birth? How might your gift be used to further His kingdom?

Pondering this today...

Blessings to you and yours this Christmas season!