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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.Eph 2:9 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Friday, September 3, 2021
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :The Gifts of the Magi Bible Verse:Matthew 2:9-12 (J.B. Phillips NT) "The Magi listened to the king and then went on their way to Bethlehem. And now the star, which they had seen in the east, went in front of them as they raveled until at last it shone immediately above the place where the little child lay. The sight of the star filled them with indescribable joy. So they went into the house and saw the little child with his mother Mary. And they fell on their knees and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts — gold, incense and myrrh. Then, since they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by a different route." Message:
We often have difficulty separating out the details of legends from actual facts taken from the Bible, and nowhere is this more true than the Magi. Answer this question: How many wise men were there?
The correct answer is, “we don’t know.” The New Testament does not give us a number. Nor does it give us their names, discuss what they looked like, or describe them as kings. These are colorful and harmless details added by popular legend over time, but they are fictional.
P
robably the legend that there were three of them springs from the three categories of gifts. These gifts are both symbolic and prophetic. Gold we associate with kings. The Magi heard prophecy that a king would be born, and thus, gold would be a natural gift. Matthew wants to emphasize that Christ was, in fact, born a king: not the heir to a throne, but a king crowned fully with glory the moment he was born. (Theologians might argue that he was a king before the Creation.)
Myrrh we associate with death and, even more specifically, preservation of a dead body, for it was a bitter embalming fluid derived from the sap of a thorn tree. It can be ingested as a painkiller and was the first listed ingredient in the anointing oil recipe, ordained by Yahweh in Exodus.
But its primary association is with death and pain. Its presentation to the Christ child prophesies the importance of his death, and perhaps the painful nature of his death and even the thorns we associate with his last days.
The “incense” is probably frankincense, and most translations will actually specify frankincense as the gift. Again, this was the primary ingredient of a tabernacle recipe (see link above), this time for the incense burned before the altar. Those who have attended a high mass at a liturgical church will recognize the distinctive odor.
incense Hebrews
Ritually-oriented churches still use
incense on special occasions.
Frankincense represents spirit, and more specifically, the bridge between the spirit of God and the human soul. In Hebrew worship and in some Christian denominations (especially Catholic and Orthodox churches), this bridge is mediated by an anointed priest. (In fact the Latin for “priest” is pontifex, which literally means “bridge”; the Pope is, similarly, called “Pontiff.”)
The connection between the person of Christ and the Holy Spirit is enormously strong. Although we are not going to delve into the theological mind-boggle of terms used to explain the concept of the Trinity, they are generally considered to be identical in some respects. But all must agree that Christ will baptize with the Holy Spirit, for he says so himself. E.g. Acts 1:4-8.
Thus, this beautiful and comforting moment, when the Magi worship the Christ child and present him with gifts, prophesies the three great themes of his life: his coming to rule the world as the Christ the King; his death and resurrection; and his justification of man to God, by rebirth in the Spirit.
Meditation : Prayer : Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my mind. Give me a right faith, a firm hope and a perfect charity, so that I may always and in all things act according to Your Holy Will......Amen |
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