Should I Bring Something?

Dear Abby, I'm going to a party tonight. Should I bring something?

The answer is yes. Always yes. Anytime you go to someone's home and do not pay to get in, which is every time once you've graduated college, it's a good idea to bring something to share. This is basic party etiquette. It is not just polite to reciprocate your host's hospitality, it is also really fun to bring something cool to offer. Here's a vital partying tip from yours truly: a way to make a party fun and memorable is to have a lot of different things to try. Bringing good stuff therefore shows that you are invested in the party being a success. This is a great lesson, it must be from the gospel...

And it turns out it is! The world-famous three wise men really knew how to party. They were among the first people to worship Jesus. That is, they showed up early to the party. There's no reason to be fashionably late to something that is worth going to. Why waste time that could be spent having fun? Furthermore, they came with gifts. Scripture says that they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to give to Jesus and his family. First of all, let's go through what these gifts mean, in case you're wondering.

Gold:

Gold was traditionally given to kings. For much of human history it has been a symbol of value and its beauty has made it very desirable. Since Jesus is the king of all kings, he is quite deserving of gold and it was a totally appropriate gift for that wise man to bring. If you bring it to a dinner party it might be considered a little over the top though.

Frankincense:

When I was a kid I somehow never realized that frankincense contains the word incense. That's exactly what it is: a kind of incense. In Bible times, it was really common to offer incense to God. Since Jesus is God, it makes sense to bring him incense.

Myrrh:

Myrrh is also an incense, but it has medical properties too. It was used during Bible times to embalm the dead. It therefore came to represent mortality. Jesus is mortal, so I guess myrrh is a nice gift.

You can see that the wise men brought Jesus gold, frankincense, and myrrh because Jesus is king, God, and a mortal. Amazing. I'm not saying that you need to bring something so thoughtful and symbolic, not to mention expensive, every time you go out. I'm just saying, bring something.

In fact, Jesus isn't very picky about what you bring. Scripture tells of a poor widow who came to the temple and gave a few meager coins as an offering. Jesus is really impressed, and tells his disciples that this lady gave way more than the rich guys who were making it rain on the temple. Why? Because the rich guys can give without a thought. The poor widow has very little to give, so she must really believe in the mission of the temple in order to give of her scarce resources.

The gifts of the wise men, too, show that they believe in God's mission. They declare that God has come down in a mortal body in order to rule as king. Now the wise men have some skin in the game. They have made their commitment. Just like bringing something to a party shows your host that you are with them in their mission to have a great time, bringing gifts to God commits us to God's mission.

Of course, God isn't asking us to throw gold ingots at the sky or burn frankincense all day long. God is asking us to give of ourselves. If you bake something to bring to a party, wouldn't you bake your favorite thing? Or wouldn't you bring your favorite liquor so everyone can try it? God wants us to bring something that excites us. How can your favorite thing, how can your very self, be of use to God's kingdom? That's the question of the week.
Here is someone who has answered that question:

 

I may not be able to hug you, but I can give you a delicious drink recipe.

 Baby We Were Born to Rum

Ingredients: 1 oz. lemon schnapps, 1 shot ginger liqueur, 1 shot rum, soda water.

Combine schnapps, ginger liqueur, and rum in glass. Stir. Add ice and top with soda water. Stir gently.