Where do we get spices when we are thinking of Christmas, and the Christ child? Oh, I remember! The wise men brought special gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They came from afar in the East, and that is where many of our spices come from even today. So it is no surprise that gingerbread cookies and treats like that were part of Christmas preparations.
Let’s consider the Wise Men today, and then put together the easiest Christmas cookies treat I’ve ever heard of. First I’ll tell you how, then you get the ingredients. Have them ready for devotion time, along with mugs of milk or hot chocolate.
- 1 Box of good ginger cookies, I like Anna’s Ginger Thins.
- 1 batch of buttercream icing or a small jar of Marshmallow creme
- A little colored sugar.
Use icing or marshmallow creme to sandwich together two cookies, top with dab of icing and sprinkle with a little color sugar if you like.
Now, what is it about the wise men? How many things do we know about them?
- They traveled from the east
- They followed a star
- They brought expensive gifts to honor the Messiah
- They met with the ruler of the are to try to find out more about where to find the new King
- When they found Jesus, they worshiped him and gave their gifts
- They were warned by God not to return to Herod
There are customs in other lands than the USA which celebrate the Wise Men’s visit. This holiday is called “Epiphany” or “Three Kings Day” and “Twelfth Day”, and falls on January 6. That is a very different time than when we talk about the three wise men. Maybe you have heard the song of the twelve days of Christmas? Now you know what is celebrated on the twelfth day!
One of the things we don’t really know is how many wise men there actually were. There may have been more than the three we traditionally hear about.
It seems like a good time to sing “We Three Kings” as the carol for today.
Big People Section
What are we waiting for?
Sometimes I feel like I am waiting for everything to be perfect. The perfect timing, the perfect preparations, the perfect setting, all needs to be in place before I can feel that I have the kind of Christmas, or family time, or LIFE that I want to have.
But the fact is that when I think that way I overlook experiencing something that could be perfect because it was filled with love and joy and peace. The things that happened because I cared about the people, the celebration, and the wonder of living.
Who decided when Jesus should come? God decided. All we are asked to do is be expectant and have faith with open hearts. It is a state of being, not a list of actions that we tick off and judge for the perfection of their accomplishment.
How wise are we in waiting for the perfect future time, instead of daily preparing our steps to do the best we are able to do today? Let God fill in the blanks, and make out the scheduling. Let’s get busy with the preparations of our hearts, and the ways we can show love and kindness. It helps to give God a listening ear, as well.
What does this have to do with The Wise Men? I don’t know… maybe you can think of that. I’m sure they were going about their business of studying when they must have made the discovery of the coincidence of the star and the timing of the predicted Messiah (my guess is from Daniel’s writings), and they made it top priority to find out the answers. They didn’t wait until they understood everything perfectly… they just followed what they did understand.
Now is the place for the “What about you?” question. We should find time for figuring out the answer to that.
Featured photo by Waiting For The Word
