Before I begin with today's post let me apologize for being away so long. My life has been extremely busy lately. I usually update the posts on Sunday afternoons but my time has been shortened on Sunday afternoons due to the busy season. But, here I am and here we are. Christmas is upon us. The REAL REASON FOR THIS SEASON.
Sunday's sermon was a wonderful eye-opening history lesson into the Christmas story. You have read in recent posts that our pastor, Edd Deaton, encourages us to read every word in our Bible spiritually. We sometimes get so caught up in just reading the words that we overlook very important and purposeful meaning within the deep corridors of those chosen words. The Christmas story shared in Matthew 2 should not be read by just skimming the surface. There is within, some very deep and purposeful meaning behind the events of that night. Let's dive in!
We all know that 3 wise men followed the star to Bethlehem and brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But do we really know what this part of the story really means? There is some rich detail here that we must dive deeper into understanding so that we can completely understand the events of this Holy Night. These wise men didn't have a map. There were no land marks. There were no street signs. They traveled many, many, many miles by foot only following a star. Now, people I can't even get uptown without my GPS directing me along the way. These wise men only had a star to follow. I can't imagine their thoughts along the way. It makes me wonder if any of them ever questioned, "Are we going the right way? Did we make a bad turn? Should I turn around? Did I miss the turn off? Did we follow the wrong star?" They never doubted themselves. They arrived at the very stable and manger where Jesus lay all by following a star. I find that event alone truly remarkable. I couldn't have done it. Jesus would have been 10 years old by the time I had found him.
Many know the gifts they brought but many have no clue as to what they are, and many, many more have no clue as to the deep meaning behind each chosen gift. Out of the three, I would say gold is the most recognizable. We all know what gold is. It is a rustfree metal. It never evaporates no matter how long you boil it. In fact, the longer you boil it, the more pure and worthy it becomes. Kind of like us. We are God's gold. Sometimes we face the fire where we are molded and shapened. But the more we go through the stronger we become and the stronger our faith becomes. We are worth more and made more pure with every trial we go through. We never become a rusty piece of junk to God. We are more precious than anything else He created. See some symbolism? We are only beginning!
The second gift, frankincense.....anyone know what that is? Frankincense is a milky white resin extracted from species of the genus Boswellia. It is extremely fragrant and is used to make incense. Anyone who has ever burned incense knows that the smoke rises. Symbolically where do your prayers go? They rise to the Heavens. What color do you think of when you hear the word pure? White! You have heard it, "He washes you white as snow." The frankincense symbolizes your forgiveness. The Boswellia tree also has sparse bunches of paired leaves. A pair. You and God. When your eyes are focused on God alone and all else is aside, that is when you are truly washed white as snow. When it is just you and He, and you lift up the prayer asking God into your heart, you become as pure and white as snow. He makes you a new person. You have a clean slate. All is forgiven like freshly fallen snow, untarnished and pure.
The third gift, myrrh....I am guessing you also don't know what it is. Myrrh is a reddish resin that comes from species of the tree genus Commiphora. The tree can be found in the shallow, rocky soils of Ethiopia, Kenya, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. It boasts spiny branches with sparse leaves that grow in groups of three, and can reach a height of 9 feet (3 meters). Where does this tree grow? On the rock! Where did God have his church built? On the rock. Also if you noticed the leaves grow in groups of three. What else comes in threes? Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Something else about myrrh....it is drawn by cutting a huge slit in the trunk of the tree and after the trunk is slit with a deep cut, the myrrh begins to ooze out first yellow in tint. It begins to change color to a deep red as the air sets upon it. As it oozes out, it does so in tear drop shaped droplets. The symbolizm is not accidental. Before blood fell to the ground the day our Savior was placed on that cross, a huge cut was made in his side. He shed tears for us as His blood fell. The third gift is a reminder of His gift for you. He died for you. He bled for you. He shed tears for you.
And yet, we make rare appearances to his Birthday party! We make excuses for why we can't go. On that night, 3 wise men gave Jesus gifts. It is our turn now. The only gift He wants is to have YOU! It is not accidental that you are reading this. He knew you would. There is a reason. This Christmas take time to reflect upon the REAL meaning behind the events that took place that night. Read every word spiritually. Dive in deep to the hidden meaning behind every chosen event. You might actually receive a gift yourself! Merry Christmas!
