“What will you give?”

Meditation on Matthew 2:1-11

Christmas Eve 2014

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to worship him.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’

        Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and worship him.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

     William Chatterton Dix was born in Bristol, England, in 1837. His father, John Dix, was a surgeon and writer, and he named William after a poet named Chatterton. William Dix was the manager of an Insurance company, but what made him well-known even today is a poem called, “What Child is This?” The poem William Dix wrote became the hymn we know when it was joined with the music of “Greensleeves.”

     William would never have written this beautiful song if he had not suffered from a terrible trial. When he was 29, he was struck down by a near fatal illness. He was bedridden for months. During this time, William suffered from a deep depression. He was truly living in darkness and fear.

     But William recovered from the illness and experienced a miraculous healing of body, mind and soul. The fear and depression lifted, and he experienced a spiritual renewal. The words of “What Child is This?” reveal William’s grateful heart, touched by a God who, for our sake, came “to dwell in such mean estate—where ox and ass are feeding.” Christ is the one whom “angels greet with anthems sweet while shepherds watch are keeping.” William tells us, “Haste, haste to bring Him laud!”—hurry, hurry, to come and worship Him—“the babe, the son of Mary.” William, with his own suffering fresh in his mind, writes of Christ’s suffering death to pay the ultimate price for our sins. “Nails, spear shall pierce Him thru, the cross be borne for me, for you. Hail, hail the Word made flesh, the babe, the son of Mary.”

     In the final verse, William tells us of God’s gift of salvation through the Christ child. He urges us to respond with our hearts and through our giving of what is valuable to us. The message is for all people, for those who have much and those who have little. All are encouraged to draw near to Christ to offer our gifts. Whatever we have. Whatever we are. “So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh, come, rich and poor, to own Him: the King of kings salvation brings. Let loving hearts enthrone him. Raise, raise the song on high—the virgin sings her lullaby. Hail, hail, the word made flesh, the babe, the son of Mary.”

     The song ends with what William must have felt when he experienced spiritual renewal, healing of body, mind and soul—a healing only Christ can give. “Joy, joy, for Christ is born—the babe, the son of Mary.”

***

     In Matthew’s account of the magi from the East, we encounter the fear of those who walk in darkness and hate the light and the joy and hope of those who are drawn in by the light and are stirred to search for the “child born king of the Jews.” They have seen “his star at its rising.”

     The one who lives in fear and hates is King Herod. He has the most power in his society and the most to lose by the birth of a child rumored to be the future king of the Jews. The ones who experience joy and hope are, surprisingly, not the religious people of the day. The “wise men” or astrologers or “magi” came from somewhere in Persia, a region that includes what is today Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. They did not worship the God of the Jews. And yet they come to Herod looking for the child born king of the Jews—so that they may worship him! Magi were people who looked for the answers to life’s questions by studying the night sky. They believed that all of the universe is connected; cosmic events were signs that something significant was about to happen on earth, among human societies.  

        Also surprisingly, the “wise men” foolishly trust Herod when he lies and says he wants to find the child king of the Jews so that he can go and worship him. A king would never go to a peasant’s home to celebrate the birth of a child, first of all, and a king would never worship another human being, especially the one who may dethrone him! But their visit to Herod does result in new information that leads them to find the Christ child. Herod shares with the magi Isaiah’s prophecy, told to him by his scribes and chief priests—that from Bethlehem would come “a ruler to shepherd my people Israel.”

     In the end, it’s the star that leads them to Christ and his mother. The first emotion they experience is not fear—the usual response when human beings encounter the divine. The magi are “overwhelmed with joy.” And they do as they said they would do—they bow down and worship him.

    In my opinion, way too much emphasis is placed on the gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They can distract us from the larger message of this passage. These gifts, though quite valuable, were symbolic of who Christ would be—gold for our King of kings, frankincense for our priest, and myrrh for the anointing of the dead, for He would give up his life so that others may live.

       But the magi never say they are looking for the child so that they may give of their worldly wealth. The reason they are seeking Him is to come and worship Him. To make Him their Lord and King! Opening their treasure-filled chests is their grateful response to the joy they encounter in Christ’s presence. They want to give Him what is valuable to them, just as a loyal subject would give gifts to their beloved, earthly king. But most importantly, they give him what the Lord desires most of all—their hearts.

       They offer all of themselves and give from their worldly treasures to the King of kings salvation brings”—just as we are called to do. They “haste, haste to bring him laud—the one whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping.”  

    Some of you may be thinking, what do I have to give? I am nothing special. Maybe God won’t even notice if I don’t draw near to Him. But you are mistaken! You are so precious to God that His sent His only Son to be our Emmanual, God with us, to save us from our sins.

       The gospel of Jesus Christ is for all people! God loves the whole world and desires for all to be saved! The good news is for those who have much and those who have little. All are encouraged to draw near to Jesus Christ to offer your gifts.

      Friends, I ask you tonight, what will you give? Open your hearts—for this is what the Lord wants most of all.

      Come and seek Him as the wise men did. Walk in the light. Come with your brokenness. Come with your pain. Come with hope and faith. Come and be made whole!

    Offer all that you are, all that He has made you to be! Offer your thanks, your praise. Offer all that is valuable to you.

     Make Him your Lord. Make Him your King.

     Come, everyone, and worship Him!

     Come to experience, “joy, joy for Christ is born, the babe, the son of Mary.”

Let us pray.

Loving God, thank you for the most Holy Night, when we celebrate the coming of your Son, Jesus Christ. He was and is and will be the light of the world who dispels all darkness. Thank you for the joy and hope you have placed inside of us, for drawing us closer to you and calling us by name. Thank you for your Word and your Church, that has nurtured our faith since we were young. Forgive us, Lord, for holding onto our fears and not trusting you for all things. Forgive us for thinking we have nothing valuable to give, when what you want from us, most of all, is our hearts! And that if we give you our hearts, we will seek You each day and seek to walk in your ways. Lead us to give more of ourselves and our lives to you and to building your kingdom. Grow our faith. Help us to love people more and things less. Move us to be generous and share with others from the abundance you have given us. Thank you for being our Emmanuel, for being God with us now and forever. Amen.