Parish Missions

Called to be Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

The Scriptures today give us three beautiful symbols with which we can connect our lives to this feast of the Epiphany: GOLD, FRANKINCENSE and MYRRH.

Gold is the gift of royalty. The Letter to the Ephesians reminds us again that all are heirs to the Reign of God. We have all freely been given this inheritance because God came among us as one of us in the person of Christ, who gave his life for all. So we are in a real sense called to be the royal gold of the Gospel story.

Gold must be mined and refined; impurities must be removed and alloys added that will give it strength. Its brilliance has staying power if it is used. Universally held to be the most precious of all metals, gold is truly the symbol of royalty.

We, too, must be mined and refined, purified and strengthened. Faith is not a gift that just sits there. Our faith must be active if it is to sustain its brilliance and be the symbol of our royal inheritance. Jesus' invitation to follow him demands that we be willing to be formed in his image and to be his presence to the world. We are called to be gold.

Because Christ also came to glorify God, we are called to be frankincense. Frankincense is a resin which when fired produces a visible sign of smoke rising, as do our prayers rise to God. At the same time, it is an invisible sign which envelops us in its aromatic perfume, as does the Divine presence among us. In proper proportions incense enhances our worshipping environment and makes it special.

So our worship must be a visible symbol of our praise rising to our God. A sacrament, we know is an outward—visible—sign. We call our worship “liturgy,” which means "work of the people." Merely being present at the Sunday Eucharist does not do justice to a people on fire with love for God. Clearly, our visible and active participation is required. When the full community participates, there is, like incense, an experience that embraces the entire worshipping community with the sweet presence of the divine. And so we are called to be frankincense.

Because Jesus came to transform the world through his healing presence, we are also called to be myrrh. Myrrh is a spice or herb used to heal, a balm that comforts, an ointment that takes away the sting of pain.

Christ's epiphany—his manifestation to the world—calls each of us not simply to possess faith and give that faith expression in divine worship, it also calls us to manifest that faith in our daily lives. We are called to be myrrh: to heal, to comfort those in need—regardless of the pain that confronts them—and, through our love and compassion, to make them whole again. We are called to be myrrh.

As we celebrate the manifestation of Christ to the world, we recognize this feast as a symbol of what we are all about as individual Christians and as a community of faith. We have seen the star—the light that has come into the world—and we follow it, bearing the gifts of our very selves. In doing so we accept the challenge to be a faithful people, a worshipping people, and a healing people. Called to be gold, frankincense and myrrh!