ADVENT- DAY 15- BIRTHDAY GIFTS

December brings a plethora of birthdays in our family.  We will spend every Sunday this month leading up to Christmas celebrating a dear one's birthday.  It spans every generation and will include my own birthday.  #1 Daughter loved reminding me recently  I will be THREE QUARTERS OF A CENTURY OLD.  75 does not sound old to me but that much of a century is quite mind boggling!  Where did the time go?  With every celebration there is a good meal, a cake, and gifts.  The best part is always being together, but we also feel the pressure to make a birthday special.   We spend lots of time thinking about gifts and trying to be certain the birthday does not get lost in Christmas.  Though it is certainly always the thought that counts, it can be a little distressing when you are young for you birthday to get lost in the chaos of Christmas.

 Of course, we can not speak of birthdays at this time of the year and not remember whose birthday is really a big deal.  AND THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS- JESUS!  Now, not to throw a wet blanket on the entire celebration, but in my research---I found lots of guesses of  what month Jesus was actually born.  Quite a few of the opinions are based upon nine months prior to Easter.  NOW we all know Easter is a moving target every year, but there was a need to come up with one date for a birth--not a moving target.    The scriptures do not give us an exact day, and the reading behind this is very interesting.  We do know Jesus was actually born--he was a man--that is how we get here.  We want to celebrate his birthday.  Two significant dates for all men--the day they were born and the day they leave.  In the Christian tradition, we celebrate both dates--BIG TIME!

SO--that first Christmas---some time after the birth, three wise men from The East appeared to worship Him and present Him with gifts-- gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Did you also know the gifts have special symbolic meaning?  "Gold signified Jesus' statue as 'King of the Jews,' frankincense represented the infant's divinity and identity as the Son of God, and myrrh touch upon Jesus' mortality." 

 In today's world we often create "wish lists" on Amazon or some other popular online site.  A place where we can list the things we need or want and from which others can select a gift.  What would Jesus' list look like today?  I think of that traditional Christmas Song- "Little Drummer Boy" and wonder are we all giving Him our best?  Does the reason we celebrate get so wrapped up in the secular that we forget to bring Him a gift?  My wish for you this Christmas is that as we celebrate and remember--we also present Him with our best---for His good purpose and glory.  What gift could you bring?

"And after they came into the house,

they saw the Child with His mother, Mary;

and they fell down and worshiped Him.

Then they opened their treasures

 and presented to Him

 gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

Matthew 2:11