Wait, weren't there four? (Another epiphany approaching Epiphany)

The traditional view of three wise men or magi dates back to the 8th century. So, basically, five years into Christianity's legal status within the Roman empire, the magi magically got names and an associated number that conveniently coordinated with the number of gifts they brought.

Caspar, Melchoir and Balthasar didn't just get names. They got ethnicity too. Traditionally, Melchior [often portrayed as more European] brought gold, symbolizing Christ's royalty. Casper [often portrayed as younger and of Asian descent] brought frankincense, symbolizing Christ's priesthood. Finally, Balthasar [portrayed as having north African heritage] brought myrrh, foreshadowing the sacrificial death of Jesus.

In all likelihood, the caravan of contributors probably included a multitude far greater than just these three. Perhaps, however, the legends [only 5 years in the making] were accurate and those three were the noteworthy leaders of a much larger troop of travelers.

Raised in faith and decades into my Christian walk, naming the magi wasn't part of my heritage, but recalling their noteworthy gifts is among the easiest Bible trivia questions. I was this age, prepping a Sunday morning sermon on the tradition behind Christmas gifts before I realized there are actually four, the ne'er mentioned one actually the most important. Observe Matthew's description of their visit in Matthew 2:11...

"On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh."

In my experience, we do with this story what we do on Christmas morning. How often does a traditional Christmas morning jump straight to the presents, neatly wrapped to conceal their value, surprising the recipient? Christmas, in my estimation, is far to often focused far too much on gift-giving, totally ignoring the greatest gift we've already been given and the real reason we give gifts anyway. It makes perfect sense that people preoccupied with presents would narrow it down to three and bypass a far more important part of Matthew 2:11.

Read it again. Only this time, stop with the first part.

"On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him."

You caught it right? The first gift the wise men bestowed wasn't in a box. It wasn't concealed in a chest, saddled to their camel [likely] or whatever other animal brought them there. The first gift was actually the reason the other gifts mattered. It was their worship.

This year, I was confidently reminded that my time, talent, and treasure - nothing I lay at the feet of Jesus don't matter unless it's accompanied by a heart of worship. The first gift the wise guests gave was to acknowledge the Lordship of the one they sought. The very journey they took and the hearts they bowed are ultimately the best example for us at Christmas. That heart of worship is the first and best, most important gift.

I've been on a bit of a journey this year. Stepping out of a pastoral role for the first time in 25 years and taking on a whole new missional role has certainly come with a spirit of adventurous seeking [thankfully, not aboard a camel]. And it's caused me to understand an entirely new posture of worship. For decades, it really has been about the gifts I bring Jesus. My skills. My education. My passion. My leadership. My talent. My time. It really is easy to bypass the worship and get to the goods.

Perhaps when you ponder the presents the magi brought, you'll join me in understanding that there really were four and the one we never note matters so much more. Each of the gifts we note were expressions of worship and only mattered because they bowed first to note the worth of the one to whom they opened those treasures. May it be the same for me and my heart and my house.