12/25/2002
Deacon Rick Lapierre
What is it with all this gift-giving anyway? There are wonderful legends of bishops like Nicholas who gave away all to follow Jesus. There are so many stories of Christmastime and how people have been touched by the generosity of others. And in our own lives as well, we can fondly recall the special gifts we were given over the years.
But where did it all start? How did this tradition begin, a tradition that has grown so large that mall parking lots become full and UPS trucks groan under the weight of packages?
It all began 2000 years ago in a story we just re-enacted for you right here. We all know the details, yet we retell them so that our children and grandchildren will know them. How Mary becomes pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit and she and Joseph journey to Bethlehem and how there's no room in the inn and the shepherds and angels bear witness to the birth of Jesus.
We may even be tempted to say that the bringing of gifts by the Magi, the three wise men, is the start of the tradition of gift giving. But it goes even beyond that. We may be tempted to stop our analysis at the wise men with their very expensive gifts of gold, incense and myrrh, but we have to look deeper.
The gift of Christmas is not found in the sale sections of the Providence Journal or the aisles of J.C. Penney. It is found here in this little manger, where a newborn baby lies. But this is much bigger than what our eyes are taking in.
The gift that we try to emulate with our own gift giving each year is the gift of God Himself. The gift of Jesus is that the love of God becomes human for each and every one of us.
The gift is God becoming human, so that each one of us may dwell in God. What an awesome thought! This is bigger than even the Harley Davidson my wife may give me for Christmas. God becomes like me, so that I can become more and more like God. That is the great Christmas gift.
Oh yes, we can try to be more like God. We can try to give bigger and better gifts all the time, but the real power of God, the definition of God, as well as His gift, is love! We see glimpses of this from time to time, as we grow in this holiness, this more of being like God, in the acts of love that we share in. Holiness is in becoming a better lover.
The story of the fourth wise man is exactly what that is about. We are all familiar with Balthazar, Caspar and Melchior, the three wise men, who journey to Bethlehem to worship the new king that the star has announced. But their friend Artaban missed their leaving as he was doing a good deed for someone and so was not present that night in Bethlehem. He spent the next 33 years seeking the king his friends had found. You see, he had a fine jewel that he wished to present to this king that the star foretold. One day in Jerusalem he hears that the king he has sought for so long is indeed in the city, but he has been condemned to die. Perhaps he can save him with the expensive jewel he has carried for so many years. He rushes towards Golgotha and as he is going through the marketplace a young girl is about to be sold into slavery. Seeing his royal robes, she falls to his feet and begs him to ransom her. He gives up the jewel he had been saving to give to the king of kings so that the girl may be spared. Suddenly there is an earthquake and a wall falls upon Artaban, injuring him critically. As he lies dying in the arms of the girl he has just ransomed, he cries out weakly, "Thirty-three years I looked for you, Lord, but I have never seen your face or ministered to you!" Then a voice from heaven, strong and kind, says, "Whatever you did for these, the least of my brothers and sisters, you have done for me." Artaban's face grows calm and peaceful. His long journey has ended. He has found his King!
It is my prayer for all of you that you hear the voice of your King this Christmas, that you be filled with His peace and that you witness his love with greater power each and every day of the new year.
