Phil,
What a wonderful way to start your Christmas eve day.  Thanks for posting
this to the list.
Virgie and Hoshi
----- Original Message -----
From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2005 4:05 PM
Subject: Christmas Gift


> What To Give To Jesus For His Birthday
>
> By Phil Scovell
>
>
>
> Matthew 2:1-12 King James Version.
> Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of
> Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to
> Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for
> we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
> When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and
> all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief
> priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of then
> where Christ should be born.  And they said unto him, In Bethlehem
> of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou
> Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the
> princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall
> rule my people Israel.  Then Herod, when he had privily called
> the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star
> appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search
> diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring
> me word again, that I may come and worship him also.  When they
> had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they
> saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over
> where the young child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced
> with exceeding great joy.  And when they were come into the
> house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell
> down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their
> treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense,
> and myrrh.  And being warned of God in a dream that they should
> not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another
> way.
>
>
>     Years ago, I prepared a sermon to preach on Christmas
> concerning the gifts the wise men gave to Jesus.  I won't detail
> everything in that sermon right now but this morning, after
> awaking quite early, I sat in my office listening to Christmas
> music on the radio and any Bible preaching I could find.  As I sat
> and listened, I remember the sermon I had preached.  Out loud, I
> said, "Lord Jesus, what can I give you for your birthday?"  I was
> thinking, of course, I have nothing expensive, as did the wise
> men, to give.  Yes, of course, I have heard sermons on the only
> thing you can give the Lord, that is of any value, is yourself.  I
> believe that is true but as I sat and thought in prayer, I
> suddenly realized what it was I could give to Jesus on His
> birthday.
>
>     In my sermon, I focused on the gold, frankincense, and myrrh
> because those things were mentioned.  They wise men gave much more
> than these three things because it said, "and when they had opened
> their treasures."  It is clear, therefore, they gave a lot more.
> Why where only three things mentioned?  It is likely because those
> three things were of the most value.
>
>     gold, in the Bible depicts sovereignty, authority, power, and
> royalty.  Scripturally, it represents holiness, purity,
> completeness, and eternality.
>
>     Frankincense was primarily made from East African trees bark.
> It was dried and ground into powder and burned as an incense.  It
> was burned for sacrificial purposes which you can discover through
> the Old Testament.  It symbolically represents righteousness,
> prayer of holiness, and since it is burned, it rises to Heaven.
>
>     Myrrh was also made from African and Arabian tree bark.
> Although it, too, was ground into powder once dried, and then
> burned, it more often than not was mixed with oil so it could be
> applied as a perfume or an anointing oil.  It was even used on the
> body of Jesus when He died before placed in the tomb.  It, too, as
> did the frankincense, create a sweet smelling perfume.  Myrrh is
> also used in the healing of the body in various ways.  It was
> representative of that which was anointed with purpose, purity,
> wholeness and holiness, and meant health and healing.
>
>     There is little doubt, therefore, the three gifts represented
> what the wise men, or Magi, believed about Jesus.  they believed
> Jesus was the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that was, in fact, God
> come in the flesh.  thus, I believe those three gifts, although
> the treasures they gave were much more, represented their belief
> in the Trinity and Jesus as the Savior.
>
>     If you go back and read the Matthew passage again, you will
> discover the first thing the wise men did when they saw Jesus was
> they fell down and worshipped Him.  The physical gifts they gave,
> although they made Jesus and His poor family rich beyond their
> wildest dreams, had no eternal value.  Their worship, on the other
> hand, did.  As I thought about this earlier this morning, I
> realized, that was what I could give Jesus on His birthday that
> was of the most value.  In fact, I can give Him worship every day
> of my life.
>
> And God Divided The Light From The Darkness
> www.SafePlaceFellowship.com