My Christmas Gifts to Jesus

I set out on a journey

I knew not where,

Of one thing I was sure, though,

I would know when I got there.

Among the things I carried

Was one parcel of gold,

“Take it along,” I was prompted

For a king that was foretold.

It was a very long journey

But I remained steadfast,

A star, would you believe it?

Was my day and night focus.

After two years of travel

I closed in on my quest,

For the place of his birth, I believed,

A palace would be best.

With me was another traveller

Whom I met on the way,

He had also started on his journey

Exactly two years to the day.

His parcel was frankincense

But not for a king,

He was taking it for a priest

As he was instructed to bring.

There was a third traveller

That had come from afar,

Like us, he had set on this journey

And was also led by a star.

He too had a story to tell

And we listened intently to him

But what he said to us then

Really threw us in a spin.

 

A king, I understood,

Hence the significance of my gold,

Incense for a priest

On that too I was sold.

  

But when he showed us the myrrh

He was making no sense,

Certainly not in the same light

As our gold and incense.

This child that was born a king

Was also a priest,

But one day, as the myrrh indicated,

He would become deceased.

We had a hard time convincing

The king of our search,

It even became worse

When he consulted his experts.

After we left his palace

I understand he became enraged

And sought to kill all male babies

Younger, or two years of age.

As I listened to that traveller

Who gave the baby Jesus gold,

The reason for the first Christmas

Clearly began to unfold.

Those travellers brought gifts

For God’s gift to the world,

The gift of His only Son

That from the beginning is the Word.

God gave to us Himself:

That is what I have discerned,

Hence, the question on our mind should be

What can I give to Him in return?

I can give him gold

Since he is already the King,

And I have a precedent for it

That is what a wise man did bring.

I can give him frankincense

But he is already the High Priest

And myrrh won’t make any sense

Since he is no longer deceased.

O, I know what I would do

From this Christmas and on

For I am very clear in my mind

Just how I should respond.

I would give him my life

Which for me represents my gold,

And my sincerest devotion

Would be the frankincense I hold.

My myrrh would certainly be

My daily dying to sin,

And all of this I assure you

Would be my Christmas gifts to Him.

Stewart Russell © December 2019