Three Special Gifts

Read on December 6

Story provided by Charlyn

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” —Revelation 4:11

When her children were very young, Charlyn struggled with the increasing commercialization of Christmas. So, when her kids were old enough to understand, she adjusted their expectations of Christmas.

Charlyn taught her children to ask for three special gifts from Santa because the baby Jesus had received three special gifts from the wise men. Making that connection helped eliminate some of the crazy frenzy of shopping and helped her kids learn to be thoughtful about their choices.

Even though Charlyn’s children are adults now, they still ask “Santa” for three gifts each Christmas. It is a wonderful way to connect gift-giving to the reason we give gifts at Christmastime. 

When used in the Bible, the number three signifies a perfect or complete amount.

Most nativity sets have three wise men. The truth is, there were probably many people who followed the star and traveled from the east to find the king. In this culture, the magi would have traveled as a large group, with many camels and servants. 

Their arrival would have caused a stir at Herod’s palace, and especially in the small village of Bethlehem. The magi found the home they had been searching for and “going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11). 

There have been studies done on the significance of the gifts presented to Jesus, but those thoughts can actually detract from the more important point. The wise men, having traveled by camel and by foot, across deserts and difficult terrain, found the king they had studied and learned about. When they saw Jesus, who was a young toddler at the time, the magi “fell down and worshiped him.” Only after that did they open their treasures.

All of us can get caught up in the giving of gifts at Christmas. We love our family and friends, and we wish we could give them something perfect that they will value. It might help to remember that the only perfect gift of Christmas is Jesus. Whatever else we give, we should include Jesus in our giving.

And wise people still give what the wise people gave Jesus. We can give him the honor, glory, and worship the King deserves. 

Those are the three gifts we can present to Jesus this Christmas.