The shepherds were called by the angels to come and worship Jesus. The Magi travelled a great distance, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the One they recognised as king. These two groups perhaps represent two extremes in society. The shepherds were poor people who had little to offer. The Magi were learned men whose gifts represented great wealth.
Christmas is notoriously a time for presents, and for some people, this has become a measure of worth and value. What you give matters; people feel they will be judged by the size or expense of their presents. But Paul reminds us that Christmas – and giving in general – is not really about monetary value. When talking to Christians about giving, he said, ‘if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.’ (2 Cor 8:12) Christmas shouldn’t be a time of getting into debt to fund presents or judging people by the gifts they give. It’s about so much more than gifts; it’s about Jesus, the greatest gift of all, God’s gift to us which cannot be bought but only received with gratitude.
