A Little Bit of Faith: The Holidays

| December 15, 2015 | EDITORIALS, Religion | No Comments
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COLLEEN WHITE
COLLEEN WHITE

The holidays are coming and people are bristling around here and there trying to get things done before Christmas day. Children have their hearts aglow, mothers are hiding gifts for Santa, and Fathers are trying to stay out of the way. It all comes together for families to share warm fuzzy and cozy memories of laughing, playing, singing, and sharing.

Unfortunately, with all of the rushing around and trying to get things done, I wonder, have we left Christ out of Christmas?  The season has become more about buying, buying, and more buying that the day that was set aside to acknowledge our Saviors birth has been lost in the hustle and bustle of it all.  We have bought into the hype that more is better. When in actuality, the Christ child only received three simple gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

These three gifts represented something that was to come in his life, however. It foretold of what His (Christ) life would stand for. The first gift the Christ child received from the Magi was gold. Therefore, Gold acknowledged Christ as being of royal lineage; He was a King. The next gift the Christ child received was frankincense. This was often used for funerals. The final gift was myrrh. Myrrh was very rare during Jesus’ day and highly valuable. It too was used in fragrances’ and for funerals as well.

Therefore, the three gifts acknowledged Jesus’ royalty and death. He was born to die. He would eventually give His life for us. His birth was foretold and when He was born, the earth acknowledged Him. This is why the Magi were able to find him and see the wondrous event by following the star that led them to a child in a manger in Bethlehem.

 

If we could slow down and remember the reason why we celebrate the season, then there could be more joy in our hearts during this blessed and joyous time. If we focus on others as well, we could be Christ’s hands and feet during this holiday season. May you and your family keep Christ in Christmas during this momentous and joyous season. I know I will. Amen? Amen.