Copyright is with the BBC
Good morning.
A Spanish friend of mine recently told me off for opening my gifts on Christmas Day and not tomorrow – the feast of the Epiphany.
Over in Spain – and many other countries around the world – the arrival of the three Kings from the East bearing Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh is the moment when our Christmas gifts should be exchanged (Los Reyos). There are grand processions, the journey of the kings re-enacted on horseback – and the children have a great night as they wait for their gifts.
Many churches in Britain will at least mark tomorrow with a more Anglo Saxon procession and the placing of the Three Kings into the crib.
But the chief motifs of this wondrous story are of course the star and the offering of the gifts themselves.
The star denotes God’s presence and guidance. With unpredictable Herod just around the corner, and three men in a strange land without satellite navigation, the star leads these foreign figures to a bemused Mary and Joseph – still waiting for a safe passage back home. The universality of the incarnation is suddenly and sharply focused by this visit of the Magi.
And then those gifts. Kathryn Turner has written widely of how the idea of gift wraps together the divine life and the incarnation. You know how it feels if you give a gift and it is not well received: the act of giving can be ruined by the lack of response or enthusiasm. Similarly, we either accept the gifts of God or reject them. The gift of life is offered, not forced
We’ve heard and read so much recently about how humanity has to ponder more carefully over the gift of life in creation. And as individuals, love, understanding and tolerance are desired qualities to help us in our response.
Which brings is sharply back to the spirit of freedom in which the gift is offered in the first place. It is up to you and to me to decide how to respond to what is offered to us.
Faith is a journey of discovery, an epiphany journey. Christianity suggests that the gift of love offered at Christmas is for everyone. It also states clearly that we show our sense of gratitude to God by how we relate to our fellow human beings.
There might be urgency, but there is no pressure. The alternatives to faith might at first appear easier. But the gift of life is offered, nonetheless. There are signs and pointers to guide us.
Celebrating our freedom to make choices and to respond to any gift as we see fit, should never be taken for granted. The gift is offered. The choice is ours.
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