Epiphany and the Value of Gifts

In the Christian church liturgical calendar, Epiphany falls twelve days after Christmas Day—or January 6 every year. Epiphany celebrates when Magi (wise men) from the east visited Jesus in Bethlehem, as described in Matthew 2. The text tells us that these travelers had been guided by an unusual star to go worship this baby in a manger. We are told that they were “overjoyed” when the star they had been following stopped over the place where Jesus was. They came, saw, bowed down and worshipped him. They also brought gifts: “…they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”

 ·       Gold is a valuable metal used in coins, jewelry, decoration, and to indicate wealth. Gold is also used as a description of purified faith: “…when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

·       Frankincense is “a fragrant resin burned as incense” (Webster’s), and is meant for sacred worship use: “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred. Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the Lord’” (Exodus 30:34-37).

·       Myrrh is an “aromatic plant gum used in perfumes” (Webster’s). In the Bible it is used in anointing oil, in celebration of marriage, and in the burial of Jesus: Joseph of Arimathea “was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs” (John 19:39-40).

 According to 1 Peter 4 and 1 Corinthians 12, believers in Jesus are each given spiritual gifts in order to glorify and serve God and to build up the church. Those are the same gifts that God desires we bring to Him, that He may use them (and us) to their (our) fullest. We are come, to present them to Him, worshipfully, in response to His great mercy toward us, because of our love for Him, in obedience to His commands, and in order that the world may know His grace, salvation, transformation, freedom, and peace.

 Thus, we are to bring Him…

·       Our “gold”: Our most precious time, availability, our affirmed gifts, and those things that make us feel a sense of fruitfulness and fulfillment when placed in His hands. That “gold” is then purified by God to adorn His church and the lives of those we serve.

·       Our “frankincense”: Ourselves offered up as a fragrant incense, first to God in worship and devotion, and second to others as a “fragrance of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15). We, through use of our gifts in faithful service, are to be God’s perfume in a harsh and uncertain world, and as the aroma of Christ to one another as believers.

·       Our “myrrh”: Humble use of our gifts in recognition of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf through his death, burial, and resurrection, as well as in celebration of our unending marriage to Christ and to anoint others with God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

 As we “faithfully administer God’s grace in it’s various forms” (1 Peter 4:10), let us offer up to the Lord, to one another, and to the world our spiritual “gold, frankincense and myrrh” that those around us might see and experience His measureless grace in tangible ways that manifest the wonder and glory of God.

(For more on gifts, check out the Resources page at GodGiftsYou.com. Take the free assessment and see what gifts God has bestowed on you to contribute to the whole.)

Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and leaders in a diversity of fields for over 30 years. She has also been EquipConnectServe Director at her 1,200 member church since 1999.