Accepting the Gifts of Joy
4th Advent: Joy
For our fourth and last Advent Sunday, we will explore the meaning of the magi arriving at the nativity scene. Accepting the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh is part of what allows us to realize the Joy we already have in our lives.
Join us for the conclusion of our Advent season, inspired by its themes and stories to be ready for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and enjoy festive music and precious time spent together.
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Sermon Notes
4th Advent
Theme
Joy
Scripture
“I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.” —Luke 2:10
Main Scripture
The Visit of the Magi (Matthew 1:1–12 NRSVUE)
2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east[b] and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah[c] was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:
6
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd[d] my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi[e] and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east,[f] until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped,[g] they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Supporting Scripture
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
—1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Metaphysical Interpretations
MBD (Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, Charles Fillmore)
RW (Revealing Word, Charles Fillmore)
magi (wise men [MBD])—They bring gifts to the Christ Child, the inner resources of Spirit, which are open to the Christ mind. Gold represents the riches of Spirit; frankincense, the beauty of Spirit; myrrh, the eternity of Spirit.
east (RW)—The within…from the regions of interior wisdom come thoughts of reverence and rich gifts of substance, understanding, and every spiritual help for the Christ child, whose growth in consciousness has begun.
Bethlehem (MBD)—house of bread, symbolizing the abiding place of substance.
star of Bethlehem (RW)—Symbolizes our inner conviction of our divine sonship. This inner conviction of our ability to accomplish whatever we undertake calls forth the very best in us and helps us to succeed where others of equal ability fail.
Judea (MBD)—A reference to the interpretation of Scriptural names shows Judæa (now commonly spelled Judea) to mean "the praise of Jehovah." This then is a key to the mental attitude in which the Christ consciousness will be opened to us--while we are praising the Lord.
Jerusalem (RW)—“Habitation of peace." The spiritual center in consciousness. In man it is the abiding consciousness of spiritual peace.
Herod (MBD)—The ruling will of the physical, the ego in the sense consciousness. This ruling ego is temporal because it does not understand man's true origin or the law of man's being. It is narrow, jealous, destructive. Under its rule man does not fulfill the law of his being, and another ego must supplant the ego of sense.
Mary (MBD)—The feminine, the soul, the affectional and emotional phase of man's being, both when seemingly bound and limited by sensate thought, and in its freed, exalted state…Mary, the mother of Jesus, represents the soul that magnifies the Lord "daily in the temple" and through its devotions prepares itself for the higher life. She signifies the divine motherhood of love. She can also be said to be intuition.
Jesus (MBD)—The I in man, the self, the directive power, raised to divine understanding and power--the I AM identity…Jesus represents God's idea of man in expression; Christ is that idea in the absolute.
Christ (MBD)—Christ is the divine-idea man. Jesus is the name that represents an individual expression of the Christ idea. Jesus Christ is the form of the name that is commonly applied to the man of Galilee who demonstrated perfection. Christ Jesus is the idea that is being expressed by men as the result of their faith in and understanding of Truth.
gold—represents spiritual gifts; the riches of Spirit. The gold that the Wise Men brought to the Christ child was a consciousness of the omnipresent richness of substance.
frankincense—represents in man the transmutation of the material consciousness into the spiritual.
myrrh—represents the eternity of Spirit, an emblem of the Resurrection, an ointment of love.
west (compass; MBD)—the without, which is expression.
Slides
