Being a Wise Man (or Woman) this Christmas

The wise men started this whole gift giving business at Christmas. So blame them the next time you venture into a crowded mall looking for the perfect gift. Blame the wise guys from the east for any head aches you may incur from troubles in locating this year’s version of the “must-have” childhood gadget (and by “wise men from the east,” I don’t mean the Chinese toy manufactures).

The wise men had it easy. They never had to wait in the express checkout lane at their local Frankincense- R-Us store. They simply brought the myrrh, they never had to spell “myrrh” (don’t you think it’s missing a vowel, Vanna?) And they never spent any of their hard earned gold on a fancy GPS system, since they had a great big ol’ star giving directions every night.

Oh sure they had to deal with kooky king Herod (one day I’ll tell you of my portrayal of Herod at my last church that had some parishioners questioning their pastor’s… um… manliness. Let me just say, in as deep of voice as possible, I will not be doing a Herod monologue anytime soon). Still, I think I would take my chances with Herod over some of the crazy-eyed Wal-mart shoppers fighting over the last remaining Chia Pet or some such thing on Christmas Eve. And yes, the wise men had to travel from “a far” to find the baby Jesus, but really can that be any worse than traveling from Olathe in an ice storm and finding a parking spot at the crowded Oak Park Mall on a Saturday night? I think not.

In any event, blame the wise men for this gift buying frenzy. They started it. But notice this: when they brought their gold, frankincense and myrrh it was an act of worship. Did you catch that? As an act of worship, they gave. Too often we think of worship as what we can get. How often have you grumbled on your way home from a less than powerful sermon “I didn’t get anything out of worship today”? We think of life as what we can get out of it. Our chatter about Christmas is often spoken in terms of what we will get this year. But the wise men gave. We too would be wise to have our worship more focused on what we give than on what we get.

And speaking of our giving, far from grumbling about the inequalities of the tithe (Do I tithe on the gross on the net? Could we cut the tithe from 10% to maybe 8% this year?), like the wise men we should rejoice in our giving. We should be all about “joyfully giving.” God has blessed us, every one of us, how could we do anything but cheerfully give! Like the wise men, shouldn’t we give to the Lord as an expression of our worship and thankfulness?

Moreover notice this about the Wise Men and their gifts:

Their gifts were personally given. The wise men never called UPS and their brown trucks to deliver their loot, but I’m sure they could have sent the gold, frankincense and myrrh with an errand boy had they so desired. They were important men, busy men. But they didn’t call up FedEx or Western Union; instead they wanted to personally deliver their gifts. It took some sacrifice and time and effort to give their gifts, but they did it. Here’s how the Bible tells their story: “When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:10-11) Could we “open our treasure chests and give” as the wise men did so long ago?

They gave unexpected gifts. Mary was not waiting by her door hoping for some wise men from the east to bring her requested myrrh or a vat of frankincense. Their gifts were unexpected. It was a surprise.

And they gave with joy. The Bible tells us that the wise men were filled with joy. It was a joy to give. No grumbling. No shortchanging the baby Jesus. No calculating what’s the least I can do and still be OK. They simply worshiped and they gave.

That’s how I want to be. With my giving to the Lord, I want to sacrifice and give unexpected gifts (not simply the requirement but rather I want to be an exuberant giver!) and thereby being a joyful giver. And throughout the Christmas season, as I give gifts to my loved ones-- I want to give gifts personally. I want to put some thought into the gifts I am buying. And I want to give some unexpected gifts. Not gifts that I have to buy, for someone who is expecting a gift from me, not giving for the sole purpose of recognition or glory, but rather I want to give some unexpected gifts to people who won’t (or can’t) repay. And I want to give with a joy filled heart. I want to give out of gratitude for what God has done for me.

With twelve more shopping days till Christmas, think of giving gifts this year personally, unexpected and with a joy filled heart. Whether giving to the Lord, a loved one or to a total stranger give with joy. If you do that, even if you’ve never ridden a camel from “a far” you will be wise man or woman!!