The magi came some time after the birth of Jesus. They call him a child, not a baby. Mary and Joseph are in now in a home in Bethlehem. The revelation of Christ's birth may have been revealed to them as specialists in astronomy or through Jewish scholars who had copies of Old Testament manuscripts. Whatever the source, they came to Jerusalem to worship the King of the Jews. Their worship was enhanced by the giving of gifts worthy of a king...gold, incense and myrrh. Some believe these gifts reflect on Christ's life. Gold might represent His deity or purity, incense the fragrance of His life and myrrh His sacrifice and death. (Myrrh was used for embalming.)
On this day after Christmas, we reflect back to yesterday's hustle and bustle, the joy of being with loved ones, sharing presents, and celebrating the birth of Christ. But when it was all over we saw torn wrappings, empty boxes, lots of dirty dishes and leftovers for a week. The only permanent part of our Christmas celebration is our Christ.
We rejoiced in His birthday celebration yesterday. Like the maji, we should also continue to worship Him daily by giving Him the most valuable gift we have...ourselves.
As the hymn so gently reminds us, "Come and worship, come and worship. Worship Christ the newborn king."