Good morning,
Today is the eve of the Epiphany, which celebrates the coming of the Wise Men to Jesus, to pay their homage to him with their gifts and treasures. Christmas is the celebration of God's gift to us in Christ, and Epiphany is the celebration of our gifts to Him, even as the Wise Men gave theirs. They were the leaders of a never-ending procession of those who, at Christmas, come and kneel, open their treasures, and present gifts to Him. They brought their gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Gold is a gift fit for a king. It symbolizes the presentation of all that we have. We place before Him unreservedly all material things that we hold dear. As one of the hymn writers wrote, "We give Thee but Thine own, whate'er the gift may be."
They also brought frankincense, symbolic of worship. We are reminded at Christmas to give Him our adoration and worship.
The third gift, myrrh, is used for embalming for burial. It speaks of Christ, who came to die and, praise the Lord, rose again.
Since Epiphany is the celebration of our gifts to Him, we need to keep in mind that the best we can give to Him is our heart.
John Wesley's Covenant Service contains a prayer which is the prayer of all who would come to worship the Christ.
"I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt; put me to doing, ut me to suffering; let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal."
Charles Wesley, the great hymn writer, spoke of the same idea in the following way:
"Hail, holy, heaven-descended Child,
Who God and man hast reconciled,
Whom angels bow before!
Whate'er I have of good to give,
To Thee, from whom I first receive,
I thankfully restore.
"To Thee my heart I open wide;
The myrrh of passions mortified,
The gold of charity,
The incense sweet of humble prayer,
I now, Thy prostrate worshipper,
With joy present to Thee."
In Christ,
Brown
Saturday, January 7.2012
Praise and Worship Service
First United Methodist Church, Endicott .
Sponsored by Union Center UMC
6 PM Gathering - Coffee - Fellowship
6:30 PM Worship
Music: Jane Hettinger, Emma Brunson
Speaker: Pastor Bill Turner
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