We don’t know much about the Wise Men, but they’re often portrayed in ornate costumes. These are learned men of wealth and power–they are often called kings or Magi.
The Wise Men came laden with preposterous gifts but were not turned away. Their gifts were probably not needed, but they were accepted and put carefully by, for they were brought with love.
What gifts do we bring to God and to the church–gifts of which we’re proudest–that we think are going to be valuable? And what gifts do we bring that we don’t value, or we downplay, but are exactly what’s needed? It reminds us that the things the world teaches us to value are not often the things that God values.
May we, like the Wise Men, come to honor the newborn king and may we, like them, find kneeling-space in the straw.
This message is excerpted from “Season of Light, People of Light,” by Kate Elliott, from the January 6, 2014, blog of the Women of the ELCA. Today is the Epiphany of Our Lord.
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