December 27, 2020
Matthew 2:1-2—Magi
“We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2b, NIV
One of my favorite Christmas carols is “In the Bleak Midwinter.” The hymn is a poem by Christina Rosetti, a nineteenth-century English poet. Rosetti was a devout Christian, and her faith
features prominently in her poetry. In the poem, Rosetti contrasts the majesty of Jesus with the humility of his birth.
The final verse of the poem is perhaps the most memorable. In it, Rosetti places herself, and us, squarely in the story:
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part,—
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.
As many times as I’ve heard, sung, and read this text, I’ve often missed a key point. I mentally glossed over the “part” the Magi played in the story. They just brought gifts, right? I have
trivialized the Magi’s “part” by thinking they brought gifts in the same way I might take a surcee to a party. The Magi did so much more than offer tokens of appreciation (valuable though they were). They came to worship the Christ child. How simple, yet how profound! May we follow the lead of the Magi. Let us worship Jesus with our lives—our thoughts, our words, and our deeds.
Prayer: Dear Lord, Like the Magi, help us to seek you and to worship you with all that we are and all that we have. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
Margaret Monroe