One of my favorite Christmas memories is of the three little guys who dressed up as wise men to do the Christmas story for their father. In they marched. The first little fellow said with much dignity, “I’ve brought you a gift of gold.” His younger brother was next, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember frankincense and ended up saying, “I give you my sin.” The littlest guy was just as confused about myrrh. “I give you my mud,” he said with a cherubic smile.

If you’ve ever seen a Children’s Christmas program, you can appreciate the sheer magic of that moment. Every childish error is transformed, by the Spirit, into divine revelation. In response to the untarnished innocence, we lay down our carefully constructed defenses and become vulnerable to the age-old message of love and grace. Suddenly the Christmas story takes on new meaning.

Gold symbolizes our best, and when we hear the angels sing, when we see God made flesh lying in a manger, we can hardly give anything less. We give Him our best because He gave us His best. That’s the Christmas story in a sentence.

But there’s more. He wants our worst as well as our best, our faults and failures as well as our success. “I give you my sin.” The little fellow was wiser than the wise man because as precious as frankincense is, Jesus would rather we give Him our sins. In fact He died in order to get them. As you worship in the incarnate Son of God this holy season, trust Him enough to give Him your sins.

Finally, give Him your “mud” - that is yourself. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Rings and jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only gift is a portion of thy self.” This Christmas, give God the gift of yourself. “But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe. Here Lord, I give myself away, ‘Tis all that I can do.”