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Viewpoint from Rev Liz Dawes 05/01/2024
 Rev Liz Dawes
Curate, Great Yarmouth Team Ministry
This Sunday, Christians will be celebrating the Epiphany, when the Magi or wisemen followed a star which led them to the infant Jesus. This part of the nativity story only appears in Matthew’s gospel and doesn’t actually tell how many kings there were but because they are recorded as bringing three gifts, tradition has it that there must have been three kings
Their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh are significant because they represent in the gold, Christ as king, in the frankincense his holiness and, in the myrrh, his death on a cross. The contrast between the wealth and splendour of the kings arriving in a fairly squalid animal stable would have been stark. The kings themselves had begun their search at Herod’s palace expecting to find the new king, foretold by the star, in a place of wealth and power. But, no, Jesus was born in simplicity, to a girl of no particular status, in unfamiliar surroundings with no one in attendance as far as we know, until the arrival of some shepherds and kings. And yet, the kings thought him worthy enough to bring some very precious and expensive gifts
 Over the past month, we’ve had to think a lot about gifts. Trying to find just the right gift for a friend or loved one is important to us but not always easy, and the temptation is to spend money that we may not have and add to our financial pressures. But, the truth is that some of the best and most needed gifts, cost us very little financially. The gift of time is one of the most precious gifts we have and spending time with our families and friends can mean so much more than an expensive present
The gifts that we have, the things we are good at, can be used to build our community too. There are so many opportunities to offer our time and talents to the many organisations and community groups in the town which provide vital services to older people, those who find themselves homeless or struggling financially or those in poor mental or physical health
And sharing our gifts with others helps us to feel better too and have a sense that we are building a strong, resilient community in the town where people work together and offer what they can to each other in mutual support and love
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