The Gifts “Gold” “Frankincense” “Myrrh”

It is Christmas 2025, and this blog is dedicated to the season of joy, peace and love, to the gift of Christmas. Jesus Christ.

This is the time of year when the story of Jesus’ birth is re-enacted in schools across the world. Children perform nativity plays that faithfully retell the familiar scenes: Mary, heavily pregnant, wandering the streets of Bethlehem with Joseph in search of shelter; the inns full, the only vacancy is in the humble stable. There, Mary gives birth to Jesus and lays Him in a manger. These plays are undeniably sweet and endearing. Parents smile, cameras come out, and hearts melt at the innocence of it all.

But if we are honest, how many of those watching truly believe—or even reflect deeply on—what is being portrayed?

I remember attending my friend’s daughter’s nativity play several years ago. It was very cute. Seeing her dressed as a little lamb brought a tear to my eye. And then, just like that, the moment passed. Life moved on. The busyness of Christmas took over—shopping, eating, drinking, socialising—and the story, along with its profound significance, was quickly overshadowed.

I also remember being a child myself, playing my own small role in a school nativity. Yet no teacher ever truly explained the story to me, not properly. Especially not the gifts. I knew the story, the wise men came to visit the baby Jesus and brought Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But no one ever explained why?  I had no idea back then.

What was a baby supposed to do with gold? Or frankincense? Or myrrh?

As a child, I instinctively knew these gifts were special. I understood what gold was, but I had no idea what frankincense or myrrh even were. In my innocent imagination, they became extravagant and mysterious treasures—something exquisite and otherworldly. But they remained unexplained. My role in the nativity was in the choir. Others learned lines and movements. We simply followed instructions. There was no real teaching, no exploration, no depth.

I realise now that I spent much of my life knowing a story I didn’t truly understand.

It wasn’t until adulthood—well into my forties—that the deeper truths finally came alive for me.

During my early years of faith, I attended a Sunday service where the pastor began speaking about scents and aromas. This unexpectedly led her to talk about the gifts presented to Jesus. Something stirred deeply within me. I had never really thought about this as an adult.  Why those gifts? Why had I never questioned it?

In that moment, I became aware of how powerful the programming of the nativity story had been. I knew the narrative, yet I didn’t actually know it. And until that instant, I didn’t even realise what I was missing. I felt an overwhelming hunger to understand the truth. I was on the edge of my seat.

Why would three highly educated men—learned in astronomy and astrology—travel such great distances to bring such unusual gifts to a child?

As the teaching unfolded, the nativity illusions I had carried for decades began to fall away, one by one. Some I already knew, such as the fact that December 25th is not the actual birth date of Jesus. Most people know this now. No one truly knows the exact day or month of His birth. Scholars suggest spring or early autumn, possibly September. But in the end, the date doesn’t matter. What matters is that He came.

What did surprise me, however, was learning that Jesus was not a newborn baby in a manger when the Magi (wise men) arrived. He was a child, likely somewhere between six months and two years old. Another long-held illusion shattered. And once you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The Magi had no modern navigation, no maps, no tracking systems. They followed signs in the heavens and divine guidance, and their journey would have taken time. Mary and Joseph were moving about from place to place so it would not have been easy to track them down.  There were many events playing out before they finally reached Jesus.

I found myself wondering why these questions had never occurred to me before.

So why did they come? And why those gifts?

The gifts reveal who Jesus truly is.

The Magi were seers. They already knew who Jesus was and why He had come. They came not merely to visit, but to worship—to honour the holy presence that had entered the world. Their gifts were not practical offerings; they were declarations. Together, they told the whole truth of who Jesus is.

They came to revere Him. They came to bow down before Him.

The first gift was gold. Even today, gold is precious, traded on markets, stored in vaults, treasured in jewellery, and coveted across cultures. But none of this explains why gold was given to Jesus. Gold, in its deepest meaning, represents kingship. Crowns and thrones are made of gold. The Magi were declaring Jesus’ majesty, His royal authority. This gift proclaimed that Jesus is King. Not just any king, but the King. Sovereign over all people and all nations. With gold, the Magi honoured Him as the King of Kings.

The second gift was frankincense. Today, it is used as an essential oil, in diffusers, skincare, and massage. I love its warm, sweet, uplifting aroma and as a qualified aromatherapist I now know exactly what it is and use it often in my treatments.  In ancient times, frankincense was burned as incense in temple worship. It symbolised prayers rising to heaven. Even today, it is used in meditation and prayer as a spiritual connector between the earthly and the divine.

Frankincense was never offered to ordinary humans then. It was offered only to God.

This gift honoured Jesus as more than a man. It proclaimed His holiness and His divinity. It declared that Jesus is worthy of worship because He is God incarnate. Frankincense points to His spiritual authority, pure, holy, and divine.

Then comes myrrh, the most startling gift of all. Like frankincense, it is still used today as an oil with a rich, earthy aroma. But in ancient times, myrrh was commonly used as an embalming agent, to prepare bodies for burial. It was associated with suffering, pain, and death.

Imagine that for a moment: myrrh given to a child under two years old.

It is shocking. And yet, it completes the truth perfectly.

The myrrh foreshadowed the suffering and death Jesus would endure to fulfil prophecy and redeem humanity. It pointed forward to the sacrifice of His life on the cross.

As I listened to that sermon, I was completely undone. The power of the truth felt overwhelming.

Gold: Jesus is King. Frankincense: Jesus is God. Myrrh: Jesus is the suffering servant who would give His life.

In a single moment, through three gifts, the entire truth of Jesus was declared.

I remember feeling a sense of loss—wondering why this had never been taught to me as a child. Why had these truths been withheld? But I also knew the answer: timing is in God’s hands. And I felt deeply grateful to be learning them then, in that moment.

Since that day, my learning has only deepened. There are endless layers of truth in the events surrounding Jesus’ birth, revealing how God works, how He guides and how He performs miracles on earth.

And in all of this, one truth stands above all others:

Jesus Himself is the miracle.

His conception was a miracle. His birth was a miracle. His survival was a miracle. His life, His teaching, His healing, His restoration—all miracles. And they continue today, they never stopped.

Jesus still teaches. Jesus still heals. Jesus still restores.

He does this for those who reach out to Him with sincere hearts. I believe many are being drawn to Him right now. There is a growing hunger for spiritual truth, and God is revealing Himself in countless ways. Learn to recognise the signs. Do not ignore His call. Nothing the world offers compares to what He can give.

Jesus is Immanuel—God with us. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His presence brings peace. His presence brings joy. His presence brings love, His presence brings redemption.

He is the true gift God has given to humanity.

In the midst of the commercialism and the usual Christmas charade, take just a moment to step away. Stop. Be still. Reflect on the extraordinary events that unfolded and what they mean for you now. The most precious gift is already available to you. It cannot be found in shops or wrapped in shiny paper. It is revealed through stillness, presence, attention, love and devotion.

When you discover this truth, you realise there is only one gift worth having.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas