9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Behold the first Christian worshippers. The simple dwelling became a cathedral. Seekers of Christ found Him and knelt in His presence. They gave Him gifts: gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh for his burial.
Today's symbol of the life and ministry of Jesus is frankincense. Tomorrow, the symbol is myrrh.
So why frankincense? At Crosswalk.com, Scott James wrote:
Frankincense is an aromatic gum resin that is still widely used in parts of the Middle East and Africa today. It is produced by scraping the bark of certain native species of trees and then harvesting the beads of resin after they have dried. When burned as incense, it creates a strong and beautiful aroma. In the ancient near east, the cost of frankincense precluded it from being used as a common household air freshener. Rather, the burning of frankincense was closely associated with ceremonial worship of a deity. In this way, the inclusion of frankincense as a gift for Jesus may have indicated that the wise men understood that the prophecy of the newborn king carried with it a claim of deity.
He adds:
According to Exodus 30, however, not just any incense would do. A specific recipe of spices mixed with “pure frankincense” (v. 34) was to be consecrated as “pure and holy” (v.35) and was the only incense permitted at the altar. A speculative parallel can be drawn between this and Jesus’ life as a pure and holy offering to the Lord.The correlation between incense and the presence of Jesus in our lives can be found in 2nd Corinthians 2, which says:
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
The presentation of frankincense can remind us of the deity of God. The Bible tells us we are to have no other gods before Him. That means that He and He alone is the One whom we worship. And, we are not to become mixed up in idolatry - graven images, inanimate objects - or deify human beings and put them on a pedestal that is intended only to be inhabited by God.
I came across a rather unique headline recently at the Religion News website. In part, it says: "...evangelical Christians come to Broadway." So, what's up with that?
The opening paragraph, is certainly a show-stopper:
On a weeknight just half a block from Times Square, theatergoers can watch as Moral Majority leader Jerry Falwell Sr. grips his mic for his big solo number, Billy Graham spins into a dance break and Pentecostal televangelist Tammy Faye, in her signature statement makeup, belts an 11 o’clock number.
The Broadway musical is called: Tammy Faye: A New Broadway Musical, and for those familiar with the Christian television empire with Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker at the helm, an "empire" that certainly drifted from submission to Christ, one could say it is certainly a cautionary tale.
But, the Broadway producers have a different idea. The article says that the musical...
...opened at the Palace Theater, and it’s every bit as glitzy and sentimental as you’d hope for in a show about Tammy Faye Messner (formerly Bakker), the charismatic evangelist-turned-gay icon.
It added:
With a soaring score from the legendary Elton John, the show casts Falwell and his ilk as villains, Jim Bakker as an insecure, miscreant husband and Tammy as the sparkly, open-hearted heroine. The result is a wildly entertaining, if cursory, exploration of the events surrounding the Bakkers’ rise and fall, and an effective celebration of Tammy Faye’s love-filled legacy and outreach to the gay community.
The article went on to say:
Despite the couple’s public downfall (caused in part by financial scandals, Tammy Faye’s rumored drug addiction and allegations of sexual abuse against Jim Bakker), the Bakkers — and Tammy Faye in particular, who died from cancer in 2007 — are experiencing something of a pop culture revival, thanks to the 2021 film starring Andrew Garfield and Jessica Chastain.
And, the article points out that the director has an agenda to pursue:
In 2022, ahead of the musical’s West End debut, director Rupert Goold told The Guardian that the show “has something politically to say now,” particularly given what he described as religiously motivated “policing of civil liberties and people’s bodies.”
“We’re in a really interesting time regarding faith and belief, with the repealing of Roe v Wade in various [US] states and the return of the idea of faith-based morality or legislation,” he said. While the show’s characterization of 20th-century fundamentalists easily betrays the political leanings of the show’s creators, perhaps a satirical approach is necessary for a musical covering 20 years of religious history in two and a half hours.
So, there you have it, and Religion News reminds the reader that it is "clear who the audience is supposed to root for." The article begins to wind down with these words:
In a musical that will be known more for its dazzling vocals and enthralling musical numbers than its historical precision, nuance is perhaps most apparent in the choice of Tammy Faye as subject in the first place. In an age of either/or, a musical about a conservative evangelical known for her faith as much as her LGBTQ advocacy is as refreshing and provocative today as Tammy Faye was in her heyday.
In an age described in the book of Isaiah where people call good evil and evil good, this is a stunning example of the attempted deification of a couple who, I readily admit, could have had a call of God on their lives, but squandered their anointing for fame and financial prosperity. And, Jim and new wife Lori Bakker are still on the Christian media scene. He wrote a book a while back called, I Was Wrong. Perhaps he has experienced true repentance before God, a repentance to which all of us are invited when we miss the mark.
The PTL scandal and others in Christian media illustrated the need for greater accountability for Christian ministries. Out of that season, an organization was launched called the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, or ECFA. Faith Radio is a member that organization, communicating the message that we, before God, desire to reflect Him and His financial principles in the way we do ministry, The ECFA website notes:
It was the late 1970s and one of the biggest problems in the United States at the time is what President Jimmy Carter described as a "Crisis of confidence." This was true not just in the broader American culture, but even among nonprofit and religious organizations. Concerns were raised that donations weren't being used for what the organizations promised during their fundraising. Donors had nowhere to look to make sure the Christian organizations desiring their support were operating with financial integrity.
In the fall of 1977, Senator Mark Hatfield called in friends from World Vision and from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He urged them and other ministry leaders to find a way to self-regulate, or face the potential threat of government intervention. As a result, ECFA was formed, standards were established, and a visionary and faithful group of 150 charter members committed to operating within the high standards.
But, Christian accountability, while certainly a by-product of the Bakkers and a lesson to be learned from their story, doesn't seem to be the ambition of those involved in the Tammy Faye Musical. Far from exalting God, there seems to be an exaltation of Tammy Faye as a cultural icon, perhaps misunderstood, perhaps a victim. But Tammy Faye's extravangance, the self-serving approach of her and her husband, as well as her embrace of the LGBT agenda show us that in the name of "ministry," something more sinister was seemingly at work.
We realize that people in ministry are flawed individuals who are chosen by God to be used by Him. He wants all believers to humble ourselves, so that He might fill an empty vessel with His love and truth. The characters in this musical - many of them high-profile, household names in Christendom, are twisted into a tapestry to attempt to discredit evangelical Christianity.
But, the gospel is stronger than the shortcomings of its ministers. Myself included. We certainly have to be discerning regarding the preachers, pastors and teachers to whom we submit. And, we should never exalt them above God. The Bakkers show us that discernment is necessary as we walk through this life, and that is related to the degree of our knowledge of the Word itself. We need to be studying and meditating on God's Word daily, so that we can grow in Him. The Wise Men brought frankincense, that can remind us of the holiness of Almighty God.
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