At worship recently, we talked about the Magi (the “Wise Men”), who brought gifts to Jesus in Bethlehem. The Bible says there were three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
When I spoke with the children in my congregations, I noted the spiritual meaning of these gifts: gold as a symbol of the kingship of Jesus, frankincense (incense) as a symbol of prayer rising upward to God, myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of the death Jesus would die for us.
I then asked the children to come up with three gifts that WE might offer to Jesus in the coming year. The youth in one congregation suggested these: patience, prayer, and kindness.
Patience: it’s good to be slow to judge, slow to condemn, slow to criticize. The fullness of this gift includes patience with others and patience with ourselves.
Prayer: we do well to begin each and every day giving thanks to God for the day, and asking for guidance to live the day to the glory of God.
Kindness: there are countless ways to be kind. Sometimes it’s more difficult to be kind to those closest to us! Kindness to ourselves is also important. Patience and kindness go hand in hand. We pray for the strength to live these virtues.
The three gifts suggested by the youth in my other congregation were: drawing pictures, love, and kindness.
Drawing pictures is certainly an interesting gift to give to Jesus. But why not? It’s a very concrete spiritual practice. Draw a picture of God’s gifts in your life. Let pen, pencil, and color remind you to be thankful for what God is doing in your life. (An alternative gift might be to write your thoughts and prayers, perhaps in a journal.)
Love: the great command of Jesus is that we love one another as he loved us. The gift we receive is sacrificial, unconditional love. What we DO with that gift is to love others and ourselves, all to the glory of God!
Kindness: this gift was identified by youth of both congregations. That tells me this is a very important gift, and perhaps should be on the list of every human being! Ephesians 4:32 “Be ye kind, one unto another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as Christ has forgiven you!”
These gifts suggested by the children would be good gifts to give daily, in the name of Jesus, in the coming year.
Perhaps you will take a few moments now and, in prayer, decide what three gifts (spiritual virtues and habits) God’s Holy Spirit is asking you to give in the coming year.
