As we enter the Christmas season, it's easy to get swept up in the lights, music, and festivities while missing the profound truth at the center of it all. This message invites us to look beyond the wrapping paper and discover the gift of frankincense brought to Jesus by the wise men—a gift that reveals Jesus as our High Priest. In Matthew 2, we encounter scholars who traveled hundreds of miles to bow before a baby, recognizing what so many missed: this wasn't just another earthly king, but the answer humanity had been waiting for. The frankincense they offered wasn't random; it was the same resin used in temple worship, symbolizing prayers rising to God. By presenting it to Jesus, they declared that this child would stand between us and God, bridging the gap our sin created. Understanding Jesus as our High Priest transforms everything—how we pray, how we deal with shame, how we approach God. We learn that Jesus empathizes with our struggles because He lived them, carries our shame because He died for it, and opens the way to God because He tore the veil separating us. This Christmas, we're challenged to stop trying to fix ourselves and instead come as we are to the One who already paid the price. The cross wasn't just enough—it was more than enough. What shame are we carrying that God never asked us to bear? What keeps us from coming boldly to the throne of grace? This season, the greatest gift isn't under a tree—it's the person of Jesus, our perfect High Priest.

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