What Kind of Gift Can I Be?
2021 Advent - Christmas Questions • Sermon • Submitted
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· 5 viewsIn this season, take time to actually see what's around you.
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Again, I want to express my thanks and give credit to Pastor Steve Luxa, from the First Baptist Church in Davis, California. He provided the ideas for this advent series and a direction for these sermons.
As Christians, we need to be intentional in recognizing what is all around us, especially during this special time of year.
We all know that over the years, we’ve received some really amazing gifts, as well as some gifts that had us scratching our heads, wondering what the giver could have been thinking.
Several years ago, Time ran a story written by Kit Yarrow that described some of the worst gifts given that readers had submitted. One woman reader shared, that for years, her mother-in-law had bought the other daughter-in-law an expensive makeup or perfume, and then she proceeded to give this daughter-in-law the free gift that came with it. Another reader shared how they were given a manila file folder for Christmas. Yes, just one manila file folder. But that one was actually generous compared to one reader whose spouse always tells them, "Things will be cheaper after Christmas sales!" Then they never actually gave them anything—they just said, "I owe you one!"
But I would suggest that it's not just the gift itself that makes a bad gift at Christmas: It's actually the giver's attitude that makes it really bad. If a giver is thoughtful and caring, then even a bad gift isn't so bad. It's actually kind of touching, in a strange way. For example, how many parents hold onto less than perfect items for years, just because their child took the time and care to give it to them?
But if a giver has a spirit of vengefulness, spite, insincerity, or apathy, then no matter what they give—even a late-model, foreign car—is a bad gift because the gift carries their attitude with it.
You see, the people behind the gifts are what make for the quality of any gift at Christmas. In some sense, people are actually the gift.
How can you and I be the real gift, beyond what we actually give under the tree?
Not surprisingly, our answer lies in looking back to those who actually gave gifts to the Christ Child. It was the Magi or Wise Men who came and brought gifts to Mary and Joseph to honor the birth of Christ.
It is ironic that they'd be the ones teaching us, because the Magi weren't even Jewish. They were actually individuals who practiced pagan activities. They were a combination of wise men and priests from Persia. They were astrologers who looked to the night sky to make astrological predictions, like ancient horoscope readers. Granted, they were very well known in most of the Roman Empire for their ability to interpret dreams and unlock the mysteries about someone's future. Their eyes were usually looking upward, carefully recording the movement of stars and objects in the night sky. And when weren’t looking to the skies, they were looking to books; to find connections between images in dreams and future happenings. As a result of these two practices, they were religiously and politically influential in Persia. Their predictions and interpretations could make or break a ruler there. Their insinuations and implications could send the population into a panicked frenzy or a calm and cool peacefulness. That was the sort of influence the wise men held in the Persian political and religious circles.
But those practices were also what made them an object of scorn from Jews. The Bible always condemned what magi practiced, because they were dabbling in mysteries belonging only to God. So in the most anticipated and promised Jewish event in history, with the coming of the Messiah, it's ironic that foreign astrologers, who practiced in forbidden areas would even show up—much less be a gift at Christmas. And they were a gift: not just because they gave, but because of the kind of givers they were.
The Story
The Story
Matthew 2:1–12 (NASB95)
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
This is really an amazing story: one that maybe we've gotten too used to; forgetting how to appreciate how incredible it is. Imagine being in Jerusalem at this time. There's the normal, run-of-the-mill life going on, but then out of nowhere, there's suddenly a huge event going on with the entrance of this large, group of foreigners into Jerusalem. The group is crowded with a parade of camels, people, and all kinds of other things. The whole city is stirred up. Normally, when there isn't some religious feast going on, the town is sleepy. But this strange group from the East has caused quite a stir and thrown people into a frenzy.
Then out from this strange group step some eccentric looking men. I know we sing songs of three kings, or we see scenes with three wise men, but we really don't know how many of these wise men there were—only that there were at least two and maybe more. The number three was accepted because there are three gifts to be given later on: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. With three gifts, it's simple to think of one gift per wise man.
In any case, there's this group of wise men who then head toward Herod's palace. Of course, Herod welcomes them. Herod's a man of the world. He's politically shrewd with Rome, and he knows how respected the wise men are outside of Israel. The only reason Herod's even associated with Jews is that his grandfather led his family to Judaism in order to gain power in the land as a Roman-appointed governor. Herod then worked the system to rise to power and stay in power in the Roman world.
So Herod welcomes them to hear what they have to say. And they tell him: They've come to welcome the newest king. They know he's been born king over Israel by knowing his birth was from a royal line. These wise men share that they know all of this because when they were in the East, they saw a new star rise in the night sky. The connection of a new star and a new king might seem strange to us, but in the ancient world, that was a very common connection. (In fact, for you history buffs, a first-century Roman historian named Tacitus said during the reign of Nero that the "general belief is that a comet means a change of emperor.")
The wise men see a new star, so they conclude there's a new king—maybe because they knew some Jews in Babylon who told them about Balaam's words in the Old Testament, when he looked on Israel and said that "[a] star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel" (Num. 24:17). The wise men had noticed what no one else in Israel noticed: the birth of a new king, the birth of God's historically unique and anointed king who would rescue his people, the king they all had been waiting for all these years.
But since that new star appears, that also means nothing but trouble for the current evil ruler, because he was certain he was going to be replaced by that new king with that new regime. That's why Herod reacts as he does. He doesn't want to give up his throne to anyone. He's not going to give an inch—not to his own sons, whom he killed when they looked like possible rivals; not to one rightly born king from a royal line in Israel; and not even to God's anointed Messianic king.
So Herod schemes to kill this newest rival to his throne, no matter his age or importance. But first, Herod needs to figure out where He is. He doesn't know the Scriptures all that well, because he really doesn't have any immediate reason to. He calls on the scribes and experts to point him to the location. They zero in on Bethlehem, using an obscure text in Micah.
With the location pinpointed, he needs to know who the actual child is so he can get rid of him. He devises a scheme to make the wise men his unknowing informants. First, he finds out the timing of the star from them so he can know the age of the child. Then he sends them on their way to find the child, with the instructions to come back and tell him where the child actually is so that he, too, could welcome this new king, so he said. Instead of Herod or any Jewish scribe going firsthand to find God's promised Messiah, these wise men are sent as the first official welcome team.
Just think about how weird that is. Think about what a strange scene this would be: the Jewish powers that be, the leading Jewish scribes and teachers, aren't the first dignitaries welcoming their God-anointed king. It's a bunch of strange foreigners who worked in the occult. The wise men go on their way with their whole following to Bethlehem in order to find this child.
They follow the star until it seemingly stops over the house where Jesus was, not the stable he was born in. This—along with what Herod does later in killing all boys under two years old—should make it clear to us that Jesus isn't an infant at this point, when these wise men arrive, despite the nativity scenes or Hallmark card depictions.
When these wise men see the child Jesus, they bow in respect of the new king. Then, in keeping with that tone of honor, they give gifts fitting for a king: gold, a metal prized for its beauty and value; frankincense, a glittering and fragrant gum that they made by cutting into the bark of several trees; and myrrh, a fragrant spice and perfume from a specific tree in Arabia.
At first thought, you'd expect that this kind of welcome from this kind of wise men would wouldn’t mean anything in reference to Jesus being God's rescuing king for his people—because outsiders can't be the welcoming party for the insiders' king. But far from disproving it, this only served to further confirm Jesus as the Christ. The wise men's visit was prophesied back to some very familiar Scriptures surrounding the coming of the Messiah.
These are passages like Psalm 72, where we read, "May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts. May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him" (v. 10-11). Or Isaiah 60, where we read, "Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord" (v. 6).
Then, these wise men depart a different way based on information provided by God in a dream. And we never see or hear from them again. That's the wise men's part of the story of Advent.
Did you catch what they were doing—which no one else was doing—that enabled them to be a gift at the first Christmas?
The Searching
The Searching
The answer to that comes by seeing the surprise of this story. Just a hint here in trying to understand stories in the Bible: When you locate the surprise in it, you've located a major teaching point that God is making.
But that surprise here is repeated so that it sticks out like a sore thumb and so that we don't miss it. It's in the word "see." The wise men see this star in verse two. Once the wise men are on their way out of Jerusalem, they again see that star and follow it until it's at the place where Jesus is in verse nine. When they see the star seemingly stop over the place where Jesus is, they rejoice in verse 10. And then they see the child with Mary in verse 11.
The wise men are repeatedly seeing, while no one else even looks—much less sees. That's the surprise, because think about it: who should have been actually looking for the birth of God's promised Messiah? The answer would probably be the scribes and the teachers who transcribed the Scriptures and taught them to others. They knew where the Messiah would be born, and they knew without much effort to the point that they could tell Herod when he asked. So why aren't they camped out in Bethlehem? And if they don't want to live in Bethlehem, why aren't they checking out all the male births in Bethlehem? We don't know. But they weren't looking.
Another suggestion would be Herod. He's the one with power to lose should the Messiah show up, which he knows about, even vaguely. Herod's infamous for his insane grip on power and his murderous efforts to keep it: killing sons and even his favorite wife when he feared they were trying to grab his power. Caesar Augustus even once remarked that he'd rather be Herod's pig than his son, probably because pigs can't pose a threat. So with that much paranoia to keep power, why wasn't he looking for the Messiah, who was promised all along and who would be a rival to him? Why is this the first time he even bothers with it? And if he didn't want to bother with it, why didn't he make it the job of someone in his administration? We don't know. But he wasn't looking.
The strange thing about who was looking, much less seeing, is that is was the wise men. They had no stake in Israel having a king. They had nothing to gain and nothing to lose in a king being born to Israel. Yet, they were the only ones looking for the Messiah in this story.
This isn't because the wise men were able to see something no one else was able to see. It's that the wise men were actually looking while no one else was, for whatever reason they had.
Jesus was invisible to everyone who should have seen him because they weren't looking—except there were the unlikely wise men who were actually looking and then saw the star leading to Jesus as the true King Who had come. Actually looking is what separated these wise men from everyone else on the scene, and it is what positioned them to respond to God.
You see, actually looking is what separates those who can respond to God from those who don't know that they need to respond to him, because then they can actually see how God is moving. Actually looking is what separates those who snap up opportunities provided by God from those who never seem to catch a break, because then they can actually see those God-opened doors of opportunity. Actually looking is what enables us to see so we can be a gift at Christmas.
The wise men confront us in our rush and blur of Christmas, and they force us to ask, "Are we actually looking so we can see what God is up to? Are we actually looking around us so we can see what God is doing around us and what opportunities he's opening up for us? “
The Seeing
The Seeing
In my better moments, I’m looking and seeing what God is doing: whether it's Christmastime or not. But in all honesty, in my more ordinary moments—Christmas and otherwise—I can be so oblivious and blind. I don't know why that is. Busyness. Weariness. Distraction. Tyranny of expectations I feel. Obligations. Status quo. Holiday craziness. For whatever reason, I can simply fail to look, and as a result, I don't see.
For those of us who find ourselves in that situation, there's good news for us. God is always working, so all we have to do is stop, stand back, and look so that we'd see. Yes, we do have to stop, or at least stop for just long enough to be able to stand back and look. Somehow, someway, we have to hit the pause button long enough—in our rush and Christmas haste, in our drive to get things done, in our own exhaustion—so that we can stand back and actually look. And what do you think we might see?
Some of us would probably see spouses or roommates or friends who are overwhelmed. We'd see how they tend to carry the lion's share of the Christmas load. Then we might even see how God might want us to take some of the load off to help them to enjoy Christ more at Christmas. And this can happen all year round.
Others of us would probably see that we ourselves are overwhelmed, but if we're honest, we're overwhelmed with a bunch of stuff that's not all that important. We might see how over the years, we kept adding details to our Christmases to make them better, but now we live with an avalanche of details that's crashing down on us during Christmas. Then we might even see how God might want us to hand some of those details off to others, or even not do them, so that we can see Christ at Christmas through slowing down, enjoying the people around us, and simply considering how God came for us.
Still others of us would probably see parents and people around us who are doing their best to show their love to us during this season, which we'd miss otherwise because it may not be how we might naturally think of it. Then we might see how God might want us to simply say, "Thank you."
But most definitely, we'd all see Christ Who has come at Christmas. Then we might be able to remind others and point out his coming to others. We might also see how God will come back again to gather us to Himself, to fulfill a promise like his first promise to actually come.
The Summary
The Summary
You see, actually looking enables us to see, so we can be a gift at Christmas.
In this season, take time to actually see what's around you.
Don't be fooled: This isn't about adding something good to our Christmas season. This isn't about another Christmas obligation. This isn't about mustering up more Christmas spirit. This sort of thoughtfulness, this kind of sincerity, this type of generosity, and this order of love is only possible if we have Christ as our personal Savior, Lord, and King.
It's only possible if we'd embrace Christ as the King—our King—whose throne was a manger and whose scepter would be a cross. Only then will we have a Christmas about more than just us. That's when we'll have a Christmas where we rededicate Christ in our hearts as God come to be with us and to die for us on a cross to bring us to himself.
So embrace Christ as King come at Christmas, and then go honor him as your King, by actually looking so that you see and are able to be a gift this Christmas and beyond.