WHAT TO DO WITH THAT GIFT

The Soul Anchor [Hebrews 6:19] - December 1, 2025

When asked why we in the United States and throughout much of the world  give gifts at Christmas time it seems that the most popular reason cited is that it emulates the gifts given by the magi (or wiseman) at the first Christmas when Jesus was born. I think we kind of latched on to that part of the Christmas story because it is much more appealing to us than spending the night sleeping in an open field with a flock of sheep like the shepherds did.  We are so into giving gifts at Christmas that the information I’ve seen says that Americans spend an average of $902 each Christmas.  This is close to the median pre-tax salary of $1165.  So essentially, we spend close to one week’s salary on Christmas and of that $902 it is also estimated that we spend 71 percent or $641 on gifts for friends, family or coworkers. With even a fairly modest increase this year we will spend over one trillion dollars on gifts for the first time. Still, it often seems that the hardest question is what do we get for the recipient.

If the magi are the inspiration for gift giving let’s look at the significance of their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh:

− Gold is a precious metal and as such was a very valuable commodity- it truly was a gift fit for a king. The gift of gold to the baby Jesus was symbolic of His divinity—God in flesh.

− Frankincense is a white resin or gum. It is obtained from a tree by making incisions in the bark and allowing the gum to flow out. It is highly fragrant when burned and was therefore used in worship, where it was burned as a pleasant offering to God Frankincense is a symbol of holiness and righteousness. The gift of frankincense to the baby Jesus was symbolic of His willingness to become a sacrifice, wholly giving Himself up.

− Myrrh was obtained from a tree in the same manner as frankincense. It was a spice and was used in embalming. It was also sometimes mingled with wine to form an article of drink. Such a drink was given to our Savior when He was about to be crucified. Myrrh symbolizes bitterness, suffering, and affliction. The baby Jesus would grow to suffer greatly as a man and would pay the ultimate price when He gave His life on the cross for all who would believe in Him.

The gifts given to Jesus were certainly appropriate for him, but did you ever wonder what Joseph and Mary did with those gifts?  The Bible doesn’t say how much gold, frankincense, and myrrh the magi brought for the baby Jesus, but I would think that for a humble couple from a fairly remote city in Israel at that time it could have been significant or likely even life changing.  Again, the Bible doesn’t say what the family did with the gifts, but we do read that it doesn’t appear long after Jesus was born they had to flee to Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath and then stay there until Herod died.  Since they had gone to Bethlehem to be taxed, they may well have been short on resources, so it is possible that the gifts of the magi came in quite handy.  While I don’t know what happened to the magi’s gifts, I like to believe that they were used for something important.  I know that when I’m giving, I like to find something that the recipient will use and that won’t end up in a closet for an extended period of time and then get tossed.  That seems like such a waste. 

Now consider for a moment that we serve a God who is a gift giver. This is quite clear from scripture which says that all of God’s family have received what the Bible calls Spiritual gifts.  I think the most important question we should be asking ourselves as another Christmas is rapidly approaching is not what we hope to get or what should we give to someone but rather what are we doing with the spiritual gifts that God has so extravagantly.

If God’s gifts to you are not being used it is time to get them out of the spiritual closet and put them to work for the kingdom of God.