When the magi came from the East to pay homage to the little Boy King Jesus, they

brought Him a kings treasure:

gold, frankincense, and myrrh (atthe! ":#$##%&
'o Bible scholars, each gift represents a facet of Jesus purpose and earthly e(istence& 'he gold is thought to represent
the richness of the Hea)enly *ift *od presented to the !orld in His +on& ,f all metals, gold is the most highly )alued by man&
(-t !as the standard on !hich .+ money !as based until the time of /resident 0ranklin 1& 2oose)elt& -t may be that there
remain countries !hose economy is based on it3 - dont kno!&% Ho!e)er, it is the symbol of highest prestige, longe)ity, purity,
and the best of all that is good& Jesus, +on of the ost High, the sinless, spotless 4amb, came to us to gi)e us the best *ift that
man can e)er ha)e: eternal life in the presence and 5oy and glory of the 0ather, a *ift for e)ery man !ho e)er has li)ed, no!
li)es, and !ill li)e, a *ift that !ill ne)er gro! old, !ear out, or be taken a!ay from man&
'his is !hat 6hristmas is about& /eace, lo)e, and all that is good is embodied in His coming and in the reason for our
celebration of this High 1ay& 'he Joy that comes into a persons e(istence because of 6hrist7s *ift is the source of strength
(8ehemiah 9:#:%3 lo)e such as s;he has e)er kno!n becomes the heart of that person (<*ospel of= John #>:"?, # <0irst Epistle
of= John >:@$#A%3 and s;he !alks in a lasting peace that is past understanding (-saiah "A:?, *ospel of John #>:"@, /hilippians
>:@
'he *ift of Jesus 6hrist7s Btonement refines us, purifies us, sanctifies us, and brings us to perfection&
" - !ill make a man more precious than fine gold3 e)en a man than the golden !edge of ,phir&
(" 8ephi "?:#"%
*od in)ites all to partake of His +al)ation !ithout money and !ithout price& -t is the !ork to in)ite and allo! Him
and His purifying po!er in our li)es that is reCuired& When !e repent of our daily sins and shortcomings and !elcome His
refining gifts, His suffering is not in )ain& 'his is the *reatest *ift to all mankind&
"?0or behold, my belo)ed brethren, - say unto you that the 4ord *od !orketh not in darkness&
">He doeth not anything sa)e it be for the benefit of the !orld3 for he lo)eth the !orld, e)en that he layeth do!n his o!n life
that he may dra! all men unto him& Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his sal)ation&
"DBehold, doth he cry unto any, saying: 1epart from meE Behold, - say unto you, 8ay3 but he saith: 6ome unto me all ye
ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, !ithout money and !ithout price&
??0or none of these iniCuities come of the 4ord3 for he doeth that !hich is good among the children of men3 and he doeth
nothing sa)e it be plain unto the children of men3 and he in)iteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness3 and
he denieth none that come unto him, black and !hite, bond and free, male and female3 and he remembereth the heathen3 and
all are alike unto *od, both Je! and *entile&
" 8ephi "A:"?$"D, ??
adapted from: http:;;!!!&alabasterbo(ministries&com;fyinformationFarc?goldfrankincenseandmyrrh&html
0rankincense is a highly scented resin that comes from a type of balsam tree& -t is one of the fragrances used to make
the holy incense according to the formula *od ga)e to oses for the priests (E(odus ?::?>$?9%& 'his fragrant incense
compound !as carried in a censor and burned morning and e)ening in the temple& 0or most offerings of any kind,
frankincense !as included as a Gs!eet sa)orG to the 4ord& ,ne can imagine that the temple, and those !ho ser)ed in it,
smelled good most of the timeH -ncense used in holy rituals in many religions is used as an offering and as an aid in prayer&
0rankincense is representati)e of the !ay Jesus li)ed His life& E)ery !ord He spoke, e)ery act He committed, e)ery miracle
He performed !as ordained and influenced by His 0ather& His life !as a testament to us of the goodness of the 0ather& Bs
children of *od, !e are called upon to put *od first in our li)es, letting His righteousness go)ern our e)ery thought, !ord,
and act& We do not al!ays manage to do this, but !hen !e do, our li)es are a testament and a Gs!eet sa)orG unto *od
(2omans #":#%& Blso, !hen !e praise and !orship Him from a pure heartIand the highest form of !orship is obedience to
*odIHe recei)es it as s!eet incense J an offering to Him and a sign of our de)otion to Him& We !ho are His children kno!
that !e ha)e much for !hich to be thankful, many reasons to gi)e Him praise and !orship, the greatest of these reasons found
in His e(ample to us and His offering to the 0ather for us& Bs the first line of a song - kno! says, GE)ery day is a day of
thanksgi)ing&G We are the temples of the 4ord (# 6orinthians ?:#A, A:#K%, and the thankfulness of our hearts and the holiness
of our li)es make us like frankincense to *od and to the !orld&
Bdapted from: http:;;!!!&alabasterbo(ministries&com;fyinformationFarc?goldfrankincenseandmyrrh&html
yrrh is a highly fragrant spice, and it had many uses as medicine, preser)ati)e, and perfume& -t !as a component of
the anointing oil used by the priests (E(odus ?::""$??%& -t is said that the !ord GanointG comes from a !ord that means Gto
paint or markG3 anything that is anointed, therefore, especially in dedication to *od, is marked by *od or for *ods use& 'here
is absolutely no doubt that Jesus !as anointed by *od to do e)erything He did& 'he Bible tells us that, upon His baptism by
His cousin John, Jesus !as filled !ith the +pirit (4uke ?:"#$"", >:#%& Before His death, and as He !as about to lea)e His
disciples to return to hea)en, He promised them that they !ould ha)e the same po!er from the 0ather that He had, as !ould
all !ho chose to belie)e on His 8ame (ark #A: #@$#9, John #>:K$#>%&
Bs He !as on the cross, one account of the crucifi(ion recounts that he !as offered !ine mi(ed !ith myrrh, !hich he re5ected
(ark #D:"?%& Bible scholars belie)e that the myrrh mi(ed in the !ine !as intended as a narcotic to help Him get through the
pain of His deathIand !ho of us, after e(periencing the unimaginable agony that had already come before that moment,
!ould not ha)e sucked that sponge drier than the sands of the +aharaE But not Jesus& When He had cried, G-t is finishedHG and
gi)en up the ghost, along came Joseph of Brimathea and 8icodemus, bringing myrrh and aloes to use on the linens in !hich
they !rapped Jesus for burial (John #K:?9$>:%& 'his is the last mention of myrrh in the Bible& yrrh has come by association
!ith Jesus to represent bitterness& (- personally find it interesting ho! much like the name GiriamG the !ord sounds& -ndeed,
the names Miriam, Maryam, Mara, and their deri)ati)es in other languages <Mary, Maria, Marie, Moira, Myra, Marya, etc&=
all come from the name in Hebre! !hich means GbitterG&%
Bnd there is an element of myrrh in the life of e)ery 6hristian& Bs !e see from Jesus life, and that of e)ery other
person !ho has done a great !ork for *od, to bear the anointing, the GmarkG, of *odIto be called to be, and be effecti)e as,
His ser)antsIcalls for sacrifice, !hich is often Cuite bitter, and often )ery great& Let from the bitterness of His death, !e are
able to put to death the carnal man3 and by His resurrection, !e may attain to the s!eetness and perfection of life in the +pirit&
-saiah D? speaks most eloCuently about !hat the myrrh of Jesus e(perience gained for us:

+urely He has borne our griefs
Bnd carried our sorro!s3
Let !e esteemed Him stricken,
+mitten of *od and afflicted&
But He !as !ounded for our transgressions,
He !as bruised for our iniCuities3
'he chastisement of our peace !as upon Him,
Bnd !ith His stripes !e are healed&
Bll !e like sheep ha)e gone astray3
We ha)e turned, e)ery one, to his o!n !ay3
Bnd the 4,21 has laid on Him the iniCuity of us all&
-saiah D?:>$A

'his is !hat Easter Week and 2esurrection +unday are all about for us& Just as 6hrist died for our sins that !e may
die to them, so He !as resurrected to life, that !e may be born ane! and gain eternal life&
Bdapted from: http:;;!!!&alabasterbo(ministries&com;fyinformationFarc?goldfrankincenseandmyrrh&html