Epiphany

Two thousand years ago, gold, frankincense and myrrh were worth (in today’s equivalents), six hundred, five hundred and four thousand dollars per pound, respectively. A similar gift today (frankincense and myrrh have declined in value, gold has increased) would set a 21^st century king back six thousand dollars for the gold, but only fifteen dollars apiece for frankincense and myrrh.

The Magi celebrated the Christ child with the most valuable items in the ancient world. But these gifts were not just of monetary value. They were also gifts of health and long life. Gold, frankincense and myrrh were among the earliest and most prized curative medicines in the ancient world.

Frankincense and myrrh are both resins that come from wounds in the bark of trees that grow only in northeast Africa and southern Arabia. In the first century, the frankincense resin was considered divine and could only be gathered by special families who would refrain from impure acts (i.e., sex) during harvest season. No wonder the whole civilized world at Jesus’ time was begging for frankincense as both a fragrance and a medicine that cured everything from bad breath to skin infections. Modern researchers have discovered that frankincense has wonderful antiseptic, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties that make it a useful dressing as well as being a bronchial dilator that helps in lung infections and asthma.

Myrrh is biochemically similar to frankincense. A drop of myrrh could double the price of cheaper perfumes, and Egyptians used myrrh to embalm royal mummies. The opening of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 released wafts of air so rich in myrrh’s scent that it almost bowled the researchers over. Myrrh was prescribed for a much wider range of ailments than frankincense. Myrrh was a cure in the ancient world for diaper rash, baldness, and obesity. It was used as an anesthetic (Jesus was given, you’ll remember, wine mixed with myrrh during his crucifixion), and it was also seen as something that might prolong life. Experiments with myrrh today are aimed at accelerating metabolism, thereby lowering cholesterol and body weight.

Gold, considered one of nature’s most perfect substances, was always believed to harbor supernatural healing powers. Today, gold injections help people with rheumatoid arthritis as well as those who do not respond well to standard steroidal treatments. Gold inhibits enzymes that break down proteins in the body.

These Wise Guys are wiser than they know. They bring gifts that are loaded with meaning of which they can’t be aware.

They bring gold, a gift fit for a king, for one who will govern and rule. The king in the manger will rule by love, not by might, coercion, or terror.

They bring frankincense, a gift fit for a priest, one who swings the smoking censor, the one who stands between heaven and earth, between God and people, presenting each to the other.

They bring myrrh, a gift fit for a prophet, one who speaks and lives God’s truth, though at a cost that may entail death. The prophet sacrifices his life. Myrrh was used as a kind of embalming ointment.

Note how these three gifts shed light, how they manifest the truth about who this baby is and will be.

Gold, the gift fit for a king, corresponds to the Communion rail, where we kneel in humble submission to Jesus’ rule as we receive the body and blood of Christ.

Frankincense, incense, the smoking presence of the Holy Mystery, is swung by the priest, who is a mediator of heaven’s gifts to God’s children on earth. Think of the altar upon which earthly bread and wine contain the grace of heaven, the Holy Presence with us and in us.

Myrrh points to the prophet’s sacrifice on the altar of obedience. See the altar upon which each Sunday we place beauty to remind us that God’s promise is to bring life out of death, resurrection out of crucifixion.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. Did you know that the visit of the magi preceded Christmas as a holy day on the Christian calendar? In other words, Christians were celebrating the Epiphany long before they started to celebrate Christmas Day. We begin a new year being reminded that, in the darkness of sin, a light shines. And that light draws all to it in order to reveal more than we have seen or can imagine.

As we journey with Christ during 2024, what will the light show us? What will Christ show us God is doing and invite us to join God in doing it? Will we be someone’s star, guiding them to Jesus? Will we allow the light to shine through us, through our church, as it shined through Jesus?

What equivalent to gold, frankincense, and myrrh could we offer to others in this new year to demonstrate the enriching, healing presence Christ’s birth brings into the world? Just as the Magi offered their gifts quietly, surreptitiously, why not consider practicing a kind of undercover “guerilla gifting” this year? G-u-e-r-i-l-la.

For one thing, we could engage in random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty. Like paying for the person in line behind you at the drive-thru. Or taking a bag with you when you go out for a walk to pick up any litter you might encounter while strolling around the neighborhood. 

Ministering to the human spirit does not take anything out of you – it puts life and love back into you while multiplying itself through your actions. Think how the other person will feel when you wave them into that perfect parking space that opened up, even though you were there first. Isn’t it possible that they might then smile and thank the check-out clerk, wishing her a nice afternoon – and mean it? The possibilities are limited only by your imagination, so go ahead and practice extravagant guerilla goodness by committing random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty.

Then there is Guerilla Grace. Og Mandino was the author of the book, A Better Way to Live (New York: Bantam Books, 1990). Among what he calls “17 Rules to Live By” featured in this book, is a remarkable and easily repeatable method that everyone can practice as a kind of “guerilla grace.” Mandino’s Rule Number 10 advises us to “ … treat everyone you meet, friend or foe, loved one or stranger, as if they were going to be dead at midnight.”

How would that affect your actions and reactions to people? What would you say, even to a virtual stranger, if you and only you knew that this was absolutely the last time you would speak with this person? Practicing “guerilla grace” urges one to extend a depth of caring, an attentive kind of listening and an impetuous way of loving to people from all walks of life.

Anyone who walks out a door just might be walking out of your life. Forever. So pay a compliment. Say something nice you’ve been meaning to say to someone. Tell them that you think they’re a talented person; that you value their friendship; that you admire their ability; that they make you happy.

Once we understand the gifts of the Magi, we can better comprehend what kind of gifts we should be bringing to our Lord and Savior. We hold in our hearts and in our hands the ability to offer Christ’s own healing presence to the world every day, not just at Christmas. The gifts of goodness, grace and love, as well as gold, frankincense, and myrrh represent the gifts the Christ child truly wants from us.