Epiphany Gold

1 Peter 1: 18-19, 6-7, 8-9

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Hi, I’m Pastor Jacob Kempfert at Gloria Dei in Saginaw, Michigan, and in the season of Epiphany, I’d like to walk you through, in particular, the three gifts of the Magi, the gifts that they brought to Jesus, the newborn king from afar.

And the first gift we hear of is the gift of gold. And I have a little piece of gold here with me today to share with you. Gold is a very treasured gift. It’s considered very precious because it’s rare, and so someone bringing a gift of gold to a newborn would be a very precious gift, and in particular, a gift for a king. A newborn king would receive tribute. The king’s people, or often regions adjacent, would bring gifts of gold to pay tribute to their new reign. And so that’s what we see the Magi doing. Even though they were from very far away. They were Gentiles. Yet they knew that this baby, born in Bethlehem, was born to be a king. And not just any king, but King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

And so we see gold being very precious. And many people seek after gold. They want to have gold and invest in gold. But in a wider sense, many people seek after what gold gives. Wealth, value, money, power maybe. And what I have here is actually not gold. This is actually a piece of fool’s gold. It’s the only gold I can really afford to have. But that’s important for us to remember too, is really all gold is fool’s gold if you love gold. And so if you love gold and what it represents, if that’s where your heart is, that’s where your treasure is, then God tells us you are foolish. If you’re living only for money, if you’re giving your life only to the pursuit of money or possessions or power, if you’re valuing yourself only in terms of how much you make or what you have, or what you can attain in this world, that’s a very foolish pursuit.

Our Lord reminds us you are much more precious than gold. Your life has far more value than the pursuit of any of these worldly things. From First Peter chapter one.

Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Peter 1:18-19)

And so we know that your soul, your meaning, your value is much more precious than gold or anything within this creation, because you were bought with the forgiving blood of the Holy Son of God on His cross. You were redeemed from all of these futile ways of the world with the sacrifice of Jesus’ own life in his death on Calvary.

And we also know what is more precious to God than gold, and that is your faith. The faith that he has created in you and strengthens in you, that is far more precious to God. From First Peter one we also read

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7)

So gold is purified in fire. It’s made more precious through a burning process, so also your faith in Christ which saves you forever. That is so much more precious to God than gold. If that fire makes that gold more precious, is that fire an evil thing? Is it a bad thing? So also in your trials, in your sufferings in this world, is that trial that makes your faith in Christ, your reliance on his work for you more genuine, more precious is that trial and evil thing? Is that a bad thing? Not at all actually, because that is what is turning your eyes away from this world and to the true treasure, the blood of Christ that you have in the Holy Sacrament. The forgiveness of all sins that was won for you in his sacrifice on the cross and the victory over death, the life everlasting that is yours, in the resurrection of Jesus from the grave.

And so we also read in first Peter one,

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8-9)