Christmas Gifts From Wise Men by Marnie Pohlmann

I opened gifts yesterday. Did you?

And I gave gifts, too. Did you give gifts?

I enjoyed time with my eternal family at a Christmas Eve candlelight service, and at a Christmas Day worship service. I prepared and shared a meal with my loved ones. Did your preparation for Christmas make the day as special as you hoped?

And today is Boxing Day. All we have prepared for is done. Are you hanging on to yesterday, still treasuring this celebration before daily life begins again?

The good news is, Christmas continues!

Scripture reveals the story is not finished. The birth of Jesus, which we celebrate on Christmas day, is recorded in the Bible, where we can read “the rest of the story.”

One part of the Christmas story that happens after the birth of the baby-king is written in Matthew, Chapter 2, which gives account of wise men who traveled to present gifts to the prophesied Messiah. There is not a lot of information about the Magi, or the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh that they brought, but traditions offer some thoughts.

The Magi

             were wise men,

             astrologers, prophets, and/or dream interpreters.

             Seekers of the King.

Gold

             was a gift of riches,

             a symbol of earthly kingship.

             Jesus as King.

Frankincense

             was a perfume,

             a symbol of deity.

             Jesus as God, Messiah.

Myrrh

             was an anointing oil,

             a symbol of death.

             Jesus as mortal man.

We hear a lot about what Christmas means in the world today. The birth of a Saviour, God with us, is often not considered, is not popular, is forgotten, or is completely unknown.

Dare I say…

Christmas is not about family coming together for meals.

Christmas is not about gift giving to loved ones, to those less fortunate than you, or to strangers.

Christmas is not about fighting winter’s dark with festive lights and parties.

(Gasp!)

And yet…

And yet, that is exactly what Christmas is about.

Today, so many years after the birth of Jesus and the visit of the Magi, we too can present gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus.

             Gold

             gifts and charity,

             given to the world God loves.

             God become man, through us.

             Frankincense

             sweet scent,

             gathered together as family.

             God’s people, praising Him.

             Myrrh

             anointing oil of death,

             light of Hope in dark places.

             God’s life, forever.

We can be like the wise men.

We can discover Truth and learn of God by studying His Word. The Magi studied ancient writings to discover what the star that appeared meant.

Are you searching Scripture to learn about the King?

We can be seekers, leaving the comforts of home, family, and career to follow where God leads. Abraham did so. The disciples did so. The wise men did so.

Will you go where God leads?

We can offer our gifts to God, even when God doesn’t look or act the way we think He does or He should. The wise men meant their gifts for royalty. They were looking for a king, yet when the learned explorers found a baby in a lowly manger rather than a king in a palace, they still presented their gifts and worshiped Him.

When the God you meet is not who you expect or want, will you still worship Him?

If your Christmas celebration did not include time for Jesus, remember that the story is not over. The greatest gift has been given, yet there is still time to search for, follow, and worship the Messiah.

Open your heart and life to the present (gift) of God’s present (right now) presence (with you) and in response, you can give to Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Marnie writes from Taylor, BC. Check out her blog, Phosphorescent, at marniewriter.com

Addicted to Speed - Glynis M. Belec

Don't get me wrong. I love keeping up with the Olympics. I am fascinated by the dedication of the participants and inspired by many of their stories.

I caught the tale end of one of the commentators last evening. He was sharing his thoughts on people's obsession with speed as he excitedly spoke about Canada's potential for a medal.

 It's true. We do fixate on fast, faster, fastest. We push and push our Olympic competitors to go faster, do better, to not [really] be content with a bronze medal. Go for the Gold!  Be disappointed if you don't make it to the top of the podium.

Yes, it is a thrill to see these dedicated souls strive for perfection in their sport, but I do sometimes worry that that becomes the be all and end all of what life is all about. Speed. Hurry. Fast is the focus. Be a lightning bolt.

If a runner or a soccer player or even a writer puts her heart into the task at hand, it is still a reason to rejoice. Sometimes we forget that and if we don't come up with a gold best-seller or a silver Christie Book award winner or bronze Governor General's prize we feel less accomplished; a failure at the craft; a bit of a phoney.

Over the many years I have been a writer, I have never had the opportunity to write full time. I longed to write hundreds of children's books and go to schools to read and share and witness the awe on the children's faces as they journeyed with me in my words. I have visited some schools and shared some stories and heard from some children, so I have had a taste. There was a time when I viewed those 'some' times as not measuring up; not fulfilling what I was supposed to as a writer. I admit feeling that I wasn't doing what real writers do.

 Then God gave me a wake-up call that came in the form of a health issue a few years ago. I was forced to be still and know...I had no choice but to contemplate Who was really in control...I came to the realization that every breath is a blessing and every opportunity to share my soul via the written word is His plan, as long as I am training.

Each word I write is like training and the practise equips me to become a better writer. I hone my skills  and study the craft. I enter contests. I submit articles. I edit. I get edited. I attend conferences and workshops. I read. I listen. I write short stories, devotions, Sunday School material. Books. I speak about writing. I speak about God's will for my life. I read what others say and write. The more I think about it that is not being a failure at my craft. I may not write as much as I wish, but God has other plans for me right now - like caring for my elderly poppa and teaching my beautiful students.

Yesterday I received a gold medal of sorts. It came not because of a sparkling manuscript or an excellent story that I wrote. It came in the form of a Facebook comment. I had been asking for a little feedback to a column that I had written in a local newspaper for 11 years. I had long since given that up but recently had thought about starting it up again. I had plenty of comments from some interested locals but two of the most heart warming came from two young people who are now in their early 30s. I hadn't seen either for years so to have them pop up on my Facebook page was a treat in itself. I had spoken at their school when they were youngsters. And they remembered.

Jenn wrote:
I remember a creative writing workshop you did at the school. I was in grade 1 at the time, but I still remember it being the coolest part of my elementary school experience.

Kevin Wrote:

What was it..... Fabian the Fearless? The frog that preened himself to perfection prior to getting it handed to him by a lawn mower? You indeed embedded yourself in our memories Glynis.

So that was surely my gold. Hearing that sort of feedback so many years later, brings joy to my soul and reminds me why I write.

I will continue to watch the Olympics and will cheer our competitors on, but I will also look at those who do not make the podium and I will pray that each will be content with the journey.

I have more to be thankful for...Being still and knowing He is God is probably a good place to start; a good place to pause and reflect upon the past, the present, the future and then to realize that achieving gold is for a fleeting moment. Fulfilling God's plan is pure everlasting gold...