After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Matthew 2:9–12

In my first year of teaching I worked in a bedroom community for DC. Dares Beach in Calvert County sat right along the Chesapeake Bay and contained an interesting blend of fishermen’s children as well as the DC elite. Midway through the fall semester I received a new student in my class who had just moved to the United States from Vietnam. When the fall semester came to a close, our class had a party to celebrate the upcoming holidays and of course my desk was littered with the traditional “teacher” gifts, coffee mugs, teacher themed ornaments and a variety of baked goods. As the day came to an end my new Vietnamese student approached me with a sandwich bag that contained two small white cookies.

Shyly my student explained that they were Vietnamese Christmas cookies that she had made for me. Thrilled with the idea of tasting what I was sure would be a new cultural delight I couldn’t wait to get home and try the cookies that I was convinced would be the highlight of the holidays. Unfortunately, the cookies were quite the opposite. In fact upon tasting them I am sure they were the worse things I have ever eaten.

However, the entire experience helped me to reflect on the tradition of gift giving and the meaning behind it. Made with her own hands and given in love those cookies were more like the gifts the Magi brought than any commercial gift that people purchase today. Matthew says the Magi bowed down and worshiped him and then presented him with gifts. The giving of the gifts was a small part of the big picture. Their primary purpose for being there to worship and to show their love for the newborn king.

Thought for the Day: As you think about your gift giving this year, let us think about giving not from a commercial impulse but reflective of the Magi, let our gifts be from our hearts in love.

Prayer: God teach me to give in love this holiday season and let my gifts be reflective of the love demonstrated by the Magi in their gifts.

Rick Stout,
Director of Christian Education and Youth Activities