YOU ARE INVITED!!

And when they were come into the house,
they saw the young child with Mary his mother,
and fell down, and worshiped him: and when
they had opened their treasures, they presented
unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense,
and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11

We've all received invitations of various types. Some invitations invite us to birthday parties, some perhaps to graduation events and then there are the wedding shower invitations. However, baby shower invitations, especially to honor a first baby, have an extra element of joy attached to them.

Brian and I talked about adopting a baby after we were married. My mother had been adopted and I felt something special about that process. After a couple of years of marriage, I had friends all over the place praying that a baby could be found for Brian and me to adopt. Before we knew it, Jennie came into our lives, into our home and into our hearts. In those days, no one knew the sex of a baby prior to birth so it remained a mystery until THE day. I can't tell you the friends who wanted to honor us with baby showers. I also can't tell you how many showers Jennie and I attended. She ended up with a wardrobe that would have shamed royalty.

No matter who the couple is that is going to welcome a baby into their home, it's such a special time that friends and family want to have a part in celebrating that baby. When babies come into the world, no matter how ugly (sorry, but a good majority are), everyone raves about the beauty of the baby. The beauty of the baby no matter the weight, amount of hair, etc. is in the fact that we are looking at a precious miracle.

New babies are remembered, but only for awhile. We mothers always remember that special day of a baby's birth, but babies grow up and we rejoice with every birthday. We remember our babies with pictures and home movies, but we celebrate the current year of one's birthday.

The only birthday in baby form I know of that is celebrated every year is that of Jesus. On December 25, we have no pictures in our mind of Jesus as a boy in the temple, working miracles in people's lives and really not too much even of the cross and resurrection. We know where that birth is going to lead future-wise, but still on Christmas cards, manger scenes, adoring shepherds and some of the wisest of men from the East, we celebrate the birth of a baby... Jesus...same baby every year. I find nothing objectionable about that for without that birth, nothing else of any note could have happened including our own personal salvation experiences.

Mary and Joseph were in difficult positions. An unmarried young woman found to be pregnant in those day could have been banished somehow or even executed. Where an expectant couple in our day can't wait to share their good news with parents and friends, there could be no rejoicing with others regarding their blessed event. Joseph was on a spot as well. He couldn't brag with his buddies about a coming baby in his family that he didn't as yet have and that in reality, wasn't even his. This baby was to be the very Son of God, something that couldn't really be explained to anyone.

This couple couldn't enjoy all of the things most married, expectant couples enjoyed. They couldn't do anything to draw attention to themselves. But that special time of Jesus' birth came...in a smelly stable, the baby King of Kings made His human appearance. There were those shepherds who came after the prompting of angels who appeared in their fields that night. Shepherds, however, wouldn't have been welcome even near most households, let alone visiting a new baby in a stable. They weren't well thought of in those days. But it was appropriate for lowly shepherds to visit THE One who in adulthood would be known as the Good Shepherd. When those shepherds arrived to see the baby, they had no gifts to bring...only their awe and adoration.

Wise men came but not to the stable. They arrived later at the home of Mary and Joseph to see the young child. They had traveled a very long distance at the silent bidding of a star they saw in the East. They followed that star and it eventually led them to the humble home of Joseph and Mary. There, they bowed down to the child and presented Him with gifts. This is the first we see of gifts being given in honor of Jesus. They brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, all very expensive. Because of three gifts, it is usually pictured there were only three wise men who made the trip. However, there could have been more than three. Despite the number who made this visit to see Jesus, I wonder if they knew what would come to be the significance of those gifts.

GOLD: All we have to do is look back in the Old Testament to the Ark of the Covenant, encrusted with gold, vessels used for worship and all the gold incorporated into the Temple and one can see the importance and significance of gold. It was representative of divinity and royalty. Could they have known?

FRANKINCENSE: A white, milky resin taken from a tree that was processed into a usable resin. It is extremely fragrant and was often used in offerings, especially on the prayer alter of incense. It represented then holiness and righteousness. I think now of Jesus being referred to as being a sweet aroma.

MYRRH: This too is resin, reddish in color. When taken from the bark of a tree it first drips down the tree almost in tear drop form. It is gleaned after two weeks when it has hardened. It is a bitter spice often referred to as “gall”. It can be used in mixing drinks such as what was offered to Jesus on the cross. This spice, however, in Jesus' day was used for embalming or for the preparation of a body that wasn't embalmed but just wrapped. The spices were tucked into the folds of the wrappings to hide the smell of death.

In all three gifts, we now see significance. They were all very expensive gifts, but even now, in each, we see Jesus...who He was and who He continues to be. We can so appreciate this time of year in celebrating Jesus' birth. I have to ask myself, though, what I plan to give Jesus this year for His birthday. There's no gift I can purchase and nothing I know to bring. All I have to give Him is ME. And by the way, that's all YOU have to give Him too.

Thank You Father for the gift of Your Son Jesus. Thank You Jesus for coming so that we can have the blessing of salvation and for Your indwelling Spirit that keeps us connected to Yourself. Our Christmas season is very merry because of You. We love You. In Jesus' name...Amen