[14] 119 The First Nowell

‘Then entered in those wise men three,
Full reverently upon their knee,
And offered there in his presence
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense:
-----Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell,
-----Born is the King of Israel.’

Imagine the scene: it’s the first occasion of Christmas gift-giving ever, and you (Ewan Sheepherder?!) have given the most precious thing you own, a young lamb. Suddenly, three blokes in cloaks and turbans burst in and offer things that you couldn’t possibly afford; gold, frankincense and myrrh, two of which you haven’t even heard of! Such was the first incident of gift envy.

These gifts were hugely symbolic, showing three aspects of the character of Christ; gold for a King, frankincense for a High Priest, myrrh to dress the wounds of the Man of Sorrows. I wonder what items symbolise the same things for the modern day? Royalty is a bit of an outdated idea in modern society, we no longer pay homage to a feudal monarch. Our ‘constitutional’ Queen might be best represented by a commemorative plate. What do you get a High Priest for his birthday? I think the best we could give Archbishop Rowan Williams is a holiday – his task seems to increasingly involve balancing two sides of a church that don’t really want to be balanced. Finally, in this age of scientific and medical advancement, people rarely die from flesh-wounds, whereas in biblical times infection was a real killer. We are so blasé about plasters and antibiotics that they hardly seem fitting for Jesus.

So: a William and Kate commemorative plate, a cycling holiday for two in Wales, and a box of Christmas-themed plasters for kids. Not exactly what you’d offer the Son of God. In fact, it feels more like The Generation Game! Perhaps the shepherds’ lamb is the ubiquitous cuddly toy…

Instead of these, allow me to suggest three gifts which really represent both modern times and the person of Christ.

1. A Ballot Paper. As I said above, we are no longer subservient to an earthly monarch. Society has advanced to give us the choice as to who runs the country. It is the same with all areas of our lives, to a large extent the old structures that create pre-destined hierarchies have melted away. Now we decide who it is that we respect. The ballot paper here symbolises our decision to follow Christ. We place our cross firmly next to his, well, cross.
2. An Iphone. Frankincense was used in temples to be a sensual simulation of godliness – to connect the physical to the metaphysical. In the same way, an Iphone connects us to other people, and indeed to the whole world via the internet. Furthermore, the Iphone symbolises Jesus as a physical incarnation; as something that is tactile, responsive to touch.
3. Antiretroviral Drugs. To replace myrrh, these are drugs which suppress the development of HIV. I believe that if Jesus were alive today the sick people he would minister to would be sufferers of HIV/AIDS, rather than lepers for example. The disease is exacerbated by a huge amount of social stigma – exactly the stigma that existed in biblical times for lepers. Jesus broke this cultural and religious taboo, one which still holds some sway in the modern world. Antiretrovirals represent His defiance of social norms for the greater good of humanity.

It seems odd to give a child three gifts which are of no immediate use to him. Gold, frankincense and myrrh weren’t exactly ‘child-friendly’ either. However, these are all gifts which represent both the recipient and the giver; gifts which represent both the human and divine. What better symbols of the birth of Christ?

One last factoid: the term ‘homo sapiens’ literally means ‘wise man’. We are all kingly scholars, journeying to Christ from afar. The question is; ‘what will you give Him?’ Thanks be to God.