The Birthday Mix-Up

(Wobbling in, overloaded with presents and nappy bag.)

MS: You know what’s worse than Christmas shopping? A three-year-old’s birthday party! I’ve just survived one, barely. Themed dress-ups. Wrapping paper everywhere, cake fingerprints on all the walls, and some well-meaning relative saying, “Just enjoy every moment.” Every moment?! The child just fed icing to the dog! (Sets gifts down)

And all this got me thinking about those “wise” men. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh? Honestly, who brings perfume and embalming oil to a baby shower? I’d take nappies, wipes, and a Woolies gift card any day!

LD: (Laughs) That’s a fair question. But actually, those gifts weren’t baby shower presents at all. Remember the reading we just heard? By the time the Magi arrived, Jesus wasn’t in a stable. He was in a house. And he wasn’t a newborn. He was probably about three years old by now.

MS: Wait, what?! You mean they missed the manger? But I’ve seen the nativity scene thousands of times. They are all together, Shepherds, one, two, three wise men, camel, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

LD: That’s the Christmas card version. The Bible’s version is a bit different. The Magi were ancient scholars; think astronomers or scientists. They followed a star, setting off when he was born. And, we don’t even know how many. We assume 3 because there were 3 gifts. But, they may have been more. And, each gifts says something powerful about who Jesus is:

Gold: Is for a king, showing us he’s the good leader we need.

Frankincense: was used in temples and is all about worship - Jesus’ isn’t only a human, but also God and deserves our worship of him.

Myrrh: This one was used for burials and in funerals. It was all about pointing to the cross to come where Jesus would die in our place, as the God man.

MS: So they weren’t just giving random gifts from a pack, they knew he was God’s king, who would rescue humanity from sin.

LD: Exactly. Matthew says, “They were overjoyed when they saw the star, and they bowed down and worshipped him.” These men spent their lives studying stars but when they met the one who made the stars, they were filled with joy.

MS: So, it wasn’t about the date or the gifts, it was about joy in worshipping Jesus?

LD: That’s right. You know, we don’t know the exact date Jesus was born either. December 25 was chosen because it pointed people away from worshipping the sun god, to worshipping the Son of God. As Jesus followers, we reckon every day is a good day to remember and celebrate him, for who he is and what he’s done as our Lord and Saviour; giving us the gift of life, grace, hope and peace.

MS: (Looks down at the items) So maybe the best gift I can give my kids isn’t more stuff, but helping them see the joy of worshipping Jesus every day?

LD: That’s exactly what the wise men did. They found their greatest joy, not in what they had, their jobs, or gifts, their knowledge of the universe, but in Jesus, the Son of God.

MS: (Smiling, looking at the gift) Yeah, all these gifts will be forgotten and gone soon, but Jesus will never leave us. I should start thinking about wrapping my life around Jesus, all year, not just on Christmas Day.

Next Step

It’s a busy the of year, isn’t it? At our house, The Amazon delivery driver has been coming almost daily, and the calendar looks like a unicorn vomited a rainbow of coloured events all over it. But, like me and Michael discovered in the talks, there's something irresistible in Jesus and the claims of Christmas that really can change your life.

What we see in the Christmas nativity and hear in the carols isn’t just for one day of the year. It’s a whole new way of life on offer, from the God who became a human, stepping into a messy, busy, often evil world, to give us certainty, peace, joy and hope from him and in him. 23-years ago, in the first week of December, I realised this.

I was invited to church by a friend, I remember hearing that Jesus was God, that Jesus was also a real life human, that Jesus forgives. At the time, I was really obsessed with things and stuff. Material comforts that I thought would make life worth living. I also felt scattered and discontent in myself, because as exciting as new things are, they can’t love me back. I felt like there must be more to life than money, gifts and things. As church ended, I asked the pastor if he could pray for me, that I would give my life to Jesus, since he gave his life for me. He was offering me a gift that wasn’t material, but eternal and life-changing. Ever since then, I’ve been slowly understanding just how valuable and worthwhile Jesus is, how grounding and eye-opening knowing God is for my life.

My story isn’t a one-off. Each Christian can tell one like this. That’s why we exist as a church; because we want everyone to know the transforming grace of God when Jesus is their own Lord and Saviour. So, like the Pastor ended his talk 23 years ago, with the invitation to pray with anyone after church, I say the same to you. Come and talk to me, I’d love to pray with you so that you can live for Jesus too. If you want to think more about Jesus, then please take this little book that explains more about Christmas and Jesus - like me and Michael did. Now, let’s sing, Joy to the World.