How do you imagine the three wise men decided on those particular gifts to offer? Do you suppose these were the usual baby presents (“Come, come, Balthasar, everyone brings myrrh to a baby shower.”) or do you think the wise men decided what their offerings would be after much thought, prayer and discussion together?
What about you? When you offer a gift, is it “the usual” – the same two, five, or ten dollars you’ve always put into the basket – or is your gift the product of thoughtful, prayerful discussion and decision?
We know something is “the usual” when it would feel a little odd to do something new. But doing something new is what God is all about; God makes all things new (Revelation 21:5).
This year, let’s put away “the usual” and do something new. Let’s prayerfully discuss and decide together what our offerings should be, just as the Magi did before they gave so generously to the infant Christ.
This message is excerpted from “How much thought do you put into a gift?” by Audrey Novak Riley from the December 29, 2018, blog of the Women of the ELCA.
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