Inspirational Gift Idea

An Inspirational Christmas gift.  

     Why do we need an Inspirational Christmas gift?  Christmas is so much more than a religious holiday.  It is a season of buying and busyness, parties and programs, rushing and running.  We don’t always mean for it to be this way, but it usually ends up chaotic and when it’s all over, the things that we still have are memories and gifts   (and maybe a few extra pounds).

We don't mean for it to be so crazy. Don't we wish it could be more a time

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of reflection,, a time to recharge our 
batteries and think about eternal things?   But how can we contribute to a more spiritual experience for ourselves and those around us?  One way is with an inspirational Christmas gift.   And one of the most inspirational gifts would be the very same gifts that Jesus received.
    In our hearts we know that it’s Jesus’ birthday and the Original Gifts of Christmas each points us back to Him.  When we give them to someone else it’s like we are sharing a part of Him with others.              

GOLD
     would be inspiring even if it weren’t a gift to Jesus.  It’s precious because it is scarce and was even more rare in the days of Jesus’ birth.  It’s warmly beautiful and easily adapted for shaping.  It’s enduring, withstanding acid and fire.  Being even more precious in Jesus' day, it was not on the finger of every married man and woman. It was the gift of kings.  It says to Baby Jesus, “You are a King.”  The wise men asked,  “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” (Matt 2:2).  At His trial Jesus acknowledged that He was a King (John 18:37) and some day He will come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev 19:16).

FRANKINCENSE
    certainly seems less familiar to us than gold, but it would have had great meaning to the Jewish family of Jesus.  Frankincense was the chief incense of the High Priest who burned it as a holy fragrance to God  (Exodus 30:34).  In seeing frankincense we look forward to His ministry as our High Priest (Heb 4:14).    A priest is like a bridge between God and man and Jesus knows everything we are going through and understands our weaknesses.  In fact, part of his ministry today is that He intercedes to the Father for us (Heb 7:25).  Think about this again.  Jesus prays for you.
 
     The frankincense further speaks of His divinity.   Gold is a gift given to a king and frankincense is burned to God.  This is the miracle we call the incarnation, that God became man.

MYRRH
   from the Arabic word for bitter is a bitter herb.  It has antiseptic properties is an anti-inflammatory and was as such known to be a pain medicine.  Roman soldiers offered myrrh to Jesus (Mark 15:23) but He didn’t take it.  It was even more famous, however as a burial spice.  Not only were Egyptian mummies buried in myrrh, but Jesus Who refused it on the cross was buried in it at His death (John 19:39).

    It might sound like a morbid thing to celebrate death with a gift, especially at a Baby’s birth.  But it begins to make sense when we realize that even from the beginning of His life on earth Jesus was destined to die for us to pay the penalty for our sins.

    Gold, frankincense and myrrh.  The first and still most inspiring Christmas Gift.  The Gold says that He is King and will one day be the King of Kings.  The frankincense speaks of His priesthood bridging the gap between us and the Father and that He is even now praying for us (and also pointed to his divinity.)  The myrrh tells us that He would be our Sacrifice dying to pay the price for the sins we commit that would otherwise keep us out of heaven.