Brief synopsis of the readings: Continuing with Isaiah we read about the glory of God as a light that will gather the nations. Those near and far will follow the light and come to Jerusalem. All “will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord.” In Matthew’s Gospel we read of the wise men. Shortly after Jesus’ birth they arrived in Jerusalem in search of the “infant king of the Jews.” Herod met with them and, after meeting with his advisors, directed them toward Bethlehem. He asked them to return to Jerusalem after the visit and tell him where this infant may be found so that he, too, may visit and pay homage to him.

After Noah’s Ark, the arrival of the wise men provides us with the most Biblical jokes. Here’s my favorite: We know they were men because they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Had they been wise women they would have brought diapers, wipes, and a changing table.

It’s a funny thing with these wise men: our tradition has written in details that are not in Scripture. We say that there are three of them and their names are Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar. But this reading tells us neither their names nor their number. And most nativity sets notwithstanding, there is not evidence that they came by camel. Oh, and by the way, how can you follow a star and know when you are “under” it?

Today’s Gospel gives us the best and the worst reactions to Jesus’ birth. We generally gloss over Herod in today’s reading but he’s worth a look. As I’ve spoken about before, Herod was a Jew who cooperated with the Roman occupiers. Most Jews looked on him as a turncoat but with the support of the Romans it didn’t matter to him.

As a Jew he was supposed to look forward to the coming of the Messiah. But when he heard from the wise men about the “infant king of the Jews” he didn’t have that reaction. Some translations report that he was “perturbed,” or “troubled,” or “frightened.” He recognized that this infant may well mean an end to the cushy, wealthy life he lived.

And much like the Grinch he came up with a diabolical plan. Feigning interest he summoned the men and asked them to find this child and report back “so that I too may go and do homage.” We know that he wanted nothing of the sort. It’s not in this reading but when the wise men didn’t return, Herod ordered the murder of all male children of Jesus’ age and Jesus’ life was saved only because the Holy Family fled to Egypt. To this day the children who were murdered are knows as the “Holy Innocents.” Clearly the birth of Jesus brought nothing but darkness to the heart of Herod.

On the other hand we can see from the wise men the best of reactions to Jesus’ birth. As I’ve said, we know nearly nothing about them. It’s generally assumed they weren’t Jews and in different accounts they are “wise men,” “magi” (pilgrims), “astrologers,” or “magicians.” Whether they traveled out of curiosity or faith, they sought out a truth. When they found the Holy Family they paid homage and presented gifts and fortunately learned that they needed to leave by a different route to avoid Herod’s plan to murder Jesus.

What do they have to teach us? Well, I think they have a great deal to teach us, and in many ways they already have.

As I write this we are still gathering wrapping paper from Christmas morning and deciding what can be recycled. We may not think much of this, but we gift each other on Christmas morning much as the wise men gifted Jesus. As an infant Jesus couldn’t reciprocate and honestly, neither could Joseph and Mary. After all, a homeless couple with a newborn had nothing to compare with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And even as an adult Jesus never owned enough to repay the wise men. But that wasn’t the point.

The wise men didn’t seek reciprocity. They sought truth. They hoped their gifts would honor this infant, whoever he was. And I think this is a good thing for us to remember. Sometimes I think we spend too much energy on attempting equality when we exchange gifts. I have a friend who used to receive several gifts from her grandparents. She has a sister who also received gifts. Their grandparents lived comfortably and had the ability to be quite generous. But when they had finished shopping they totaled the value of the gifts. Whichever granddaughter received the lower amount received a check for the difference.

Our generosity depends on our ability to give but there are times when we have the desire to give more than what is expected; that’s fine but I don’t think that obligates the recipient to equal the value particularly if that creates a burden.

Gift giving should give us the ability to be generous and if we temper our generosity because we know that our loved ones cannot give as much we miss an opportunity. And let’s face it: the wise men gave gold, frankincense and myrrh but in return Jesus gave salvation.

When we reciprocate the value of a gift it creates the idea that “now we’re even” and neither is in the debt of the other. But our call as those saved by Jesus Christ is to be more indebted to each other. Several years ago I presided at a wedding where one of the readings quoted Romans 13:8: “Owe no debt to anyone except the debt that binds us to love one another.”

And so this year let us give not to erase what we owe each other but instead let us give in a way that binds us closer. Let us bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

But don’t forget that diapers, wipes, and a changing table can also be valued gifts.